Lashaunda Easterling serves as the head coach of the Tuskegee University men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs, leading one of the most successful eras in recent Golden Tiger track history.
In 2025, Easterling guided the Tuskegee women’s track and field team to a sweep of the SIAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, marking the program’s first outdoor title since 2018 and second indoor title in three years. Under her leadership, the women dominated the outdoor meet with 213 points and multiple individual gold medal performances, cementing their status as the top program in the conference.
Her impact on the men’s team has also been significant. The Golden Tigers finished third at the 2025 SIAC Indoor Championships and followed it with a fifth-place finish at the Outdoor Championships.
In recognition of her success, Easterling was named the 2025 USTFCCCA South Region Women's Indoor Coach of the Year, the first Tuskegee coach to receive that honor. Her athletes earned over 30 All-SIAC honors, and coached junior Shawn Jarrett II to the 2025 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships in Pueblo, Colorado.
Beyond championships and individual accolades, Easterling has made significant strides in program culture, recruiting, and academic support. She emphasizes discipline, academic achievement, and teamwork—values that have helped shape a competitive and respected program throughout the region.
A former standout student-athlete and experienced coach, Easterling continues to raise the bar for Tuskegee Track & Field. Her passion for mentoring young athletes and commitment to building a championship program have made her a respected figure in the HBCU and Division II track and field communities.
Jones took over at Tuskegee after serving her second stint as an assistant with the Alabama State program. Prior to her latest time with the Hornets, Jones was the head coach for her alma mater, Alabama A&M from 2015 to 2021.
Under her leadership, Alabama A&M track and field saw numerous All-SWAC selections on the men's and women's side along with multiple SWAC champions in their events, with the most recent being the 2021 SWAC Indoor and Outdoor Pole Vault Champion Danice Loney.
Jones spent 11 years as an assistant coach for the Hornets from 2004 to 2015, helping Alabama State 29 total championships. She helped women's cross country to eight championships, men's cross country to one, women's indoor track & field to nine, men's indoor track & field to two, women's outdoor track & field to eight, and men's outdoor track & field to one.
During her time, the Lady Hornets pulled off four triple crowns from 2011 to 2015.
She also coached seven consecutive women's 4x100-meter relay champions and one men's 4x100-meter relay championship team. Her championship resume includes coaching a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Most Outstanding Athlete, 27 NCAA Division I regional qualifiers, six nationally-ranked relay teams, two nationally-ranked men's long jumpers, a 4x400-meter women's relay national qualifier, 35 SWAC individual champions in sprints and jumps, and 44 all-conference student-athletes.
Easterling was a member of the AAMU track and field team from 1996-2001 where she competed in the sprint events and served as team captain (2000 & 2001). She achieved Most Valuable Runner, Most Valuable Player Athlete of the Year (2001), and Most Valuable Player Athlete of the Year in Huntsville (2001). Her personal best is the 55-meter dash. She received All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and SWAC Championship in 55-meter dash (2001).
Jones, was the first ever Southwestern Athletic Conference track champion for Alabama A&M after they transitioned to Division I and also won the SWAC 60-meter indoor championship. She was inducted into the Alabama A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023. She immediately joined the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant for the Bulldogs upon her graduation in 2001. She then was promoted to an assistant coach, a position she held until 2005.
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Jones received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and her master's degree in biology at AAMU.
