Chidi Enyia

Hometown: DeKalb, Ill. Event: Sprints Experience: 2nd season

Alma Mater: Illinois State Graduated: 2002

Updated Dec. 15, 2011

Enyia is in his second season as the sprints coach at Southern Illinois. Enyia served as a volunteer assistant with the Salukis during the 2009-10 season.

In his first season at SIU Enyia saw success in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. During the indoor season, Enyia coached the men's distance medley relay team to a Missouri Valley Conference title. The men's 4x400 relay team also received All-MVC honors. Meredith Hayes was the MVC Indoor Event Champion in the 60m Hurdles as well as being named an All-MVC performer.

Under Enyia's direction, Brandon Deloney took the MVC Outdoor title in the 200m as well as qualifying for the NCAA Regionals. Meredith Hayes became the new SIU record holder in the 100-meter hurdles posting a time of 13:39. Hayes and Tredene Gant took the MVC titles in the 400m and 100m hurdles, respectively as well as earning All-MVC honors. Gant also qualified for the 400m hurdles.

In 2007, Enyia founded the Flight Track Club out of Frankfort, Ill., which is USATF/AAU registered. Serving as head coach, Enyia focused on coaching the sprints, hurdles, horizontal jumps and the middle distance events. In just three summer seasons, he had 16 individuals and seven relay teams qualify for the USATF Junior Olympics and Youth National meets. Two of his qualifiers and three of his relay teams finished as All-Americans. In the summer of 2009, Enyia's 100m and 400H qualified for the USATF World Youth Trials held at Eastern Michigan University.

In 2006-08, Enyia was the sprints and horizontal jumps coach at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Ill. In his two and a half seasons at LWE, the Griffins broke 19 school records under Enyia's guidance. Enyia had six individuals and eight relays qualify for the Illinois High School Outdoor State meet. He had two all-state individuals in the boy's 100m and 200m as well as an all-state 4x400 relay team.

Enyia played football at Illinois State, where he graduated from in 2002 with a Bachelor's of Science degree. After graduation, Enyia ran with the God Speed Track Club out of California from 2003-04.

He is a USATF Level I Certified Track and Field Coach and has over 12 years experience in performance enhancement consulting numerous athletes worldwide from youth to emerging elite.

He was born in DeKalb, Ill., and graduated from Crete-Monee High School in Crete, Ill. in 1997. Enyia is a first-generation American, as his parents come from Nigeria.