Jeff Ross joined the Wright State staff in 2021 to coach jumps and multis events. Since coming to Wright State, he has coached jumpers, multis, hurdlers and sprinters. Of those athletes, Ross has coached 10 to program records, 23 to the indoor all-time top 10 performances and 26 to the outdoor all-time top 10 performances, with 35 of those in the top 5 all-time.
Ross coached Cierra Lively to two Horizon League championships in the women's high jump, along with a second- and third-place finishes during her career. Lively's senior year she qualified to the 2025 NCAA East Preliminaries. She ranked 10th in the east and 23rd nationally with her 1.80m clearance. Lively was able to improve her personal best by 10” during her career.
Ross has nearly 49 combined years of experience in track and field as both a coach and an athlete. He has over 20 years of high school coaching experience, specializing in coaching all the jumps, pole vault, hurdles and sprints. Ross coached 52 state qualifiers in jump events for both indoor and outdoor Ohio State Championships with 17 of those earning all-state honors. He coached six state qualifiers in hurdles and sprints, including one state champion, and coached 23 athletes to school records in jump events and hurdles.
As for his own career, Ross competed at Miami University (OH) in 1981 and 1982, where he was the team’s top high-jumper two years in a row and top three in both long and triple jump. In high school, Ross was a two-time All-American in high jump and a National Champion in the high jump both his junior and senior years.
