CARSON — Having earned Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, six-time Cal State Dominguez Hills All-American Carmelita Jeter has joined the Toros track and field coaching staff this year, it was announced by head coach Warren Edmonson.
“It’s great for the girls being able to identify with an Olympic Champion, and world record holder, as well as a CSUDH alum,” begins Edmonson. “She knows what it takes to be a champion, how to fight, and how to prepare both physically and mentally to become a champion, and the girls are delighted to have her on the track.
“Personally, it’s one of the highlights of my coaching career because I had Carmelita when she first came out of high school and I was able to mold her thinking and her training. And now she’s successful as a world champion, a public speaker and a coach. It’s great for me.”
Named to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Track and Field Hall of Fame in May this year and to the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s inaugural Hall of Fame class during the CCAA’s 75th Anniversary on April 30, 2014, Jeter earned her first All-America honor n 2000, two in 2002 and her final three in 2003.
Jeter finished NCAA runner-up three times in the 100 meters and won seven total CCAA Championships. She still holds five CSUDH records and, with her six All-America awards, shares the honor of being the most decorated female athlete in the history of the department.
After finishing college in 2003, she embarked on a career that has seen her rise to the ranks of all-time great American sprinters. She won three medals at the 2012 Olympics: a gold in world-record fashion in the 4×100 relay (40.82), a silver in the 100 meter and a bronze in the 200 meter dash. In 2011 she was the IAAF World Champion at 100 meters and in the 4×100 relay, the same year she won the USATF Jesse Owens Award. Additionally, she has four USATF Championships under her belt.
In November 2012, Jeter was honored by the University on “Carmelita Jeter Day” for her accomplishments on the track and for bringing Cal State Dominguez Hills to the worldwide forefront during the Olympic Games. Jeter is the first-ever CSUDH athlete to compete in any Olympiad, and also began an annual scholarship fund at her alma mater.
