Fayetteville State University hired Jamaican Olympian Dr. Inez Turner in 2017, and under her leadership, the Broncos have become a dominant force in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Turner has guided her programs to
23 CIAA Championship titles, each accompanied by a
CIAA Coach of the Year honor.
| POST-SEASON ACCOLADES |
| CIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS |
  |
CIAAÂ COACH OF THE YEAR |
| 2010 |
  |
Men's Cross Country (WSSU) |
|
2010 |
Men's Cross Country COY |
| 2010 |
|
Women's Cross Country (WSSU) |
|
2010 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2011 |
|
Women's Cross Country (WSSU) |
|
2011 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2011 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field (WSSU) |
|
2011 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2015 |
|
Women's Cross Country (WSSU) |
|
2015 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2015 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field (WSSU) |
|
2015 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2016 |
|
Women's Cross Country (WSSU) |
|
2016 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2016 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field (WSSU) |
|
2016 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2017 |
|
Women's Outdoor Track & Field (WSSU) |
|
2017 |
Women's Outdoor COY |
| 2017 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2017 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2018 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2018 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2019 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2019 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2020 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field |
|
2020 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2021 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2021 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2022 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field |
|
2022 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2022 |
|
Co-Women's Outdoor Track & Field |
|
2022 |
Women's Outdoor Co-COY |
| 2022 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2022 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2022 |
|
Men's Cross Country |
|
2022 |
Men's Cross Country COY |
| 2023 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field |
|
2023 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2023 |
|
Women's Outdoor Track & Field |
|
2023 |
Women's Outdoor COY |
| 2023 |
|
Men's Cross Country |
|
2023 |
Men's Cross Country COY |
| 2023 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2023 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2024 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field |
|
2024 |
Women's Indoor COY |
| 2024 |
|
Women's Outdoor Track & Field |
|
2024 |
Women's Outdoor COY |
| 2025 |
|
Women's Indoor Track & Field |
|
2025 |
Women's Indoor Track COY |
| 2025 |
|
Women's Cross Country |
|
2025 |
Women's Cross Country COY |
| 2025 |
|
Men's Cross Country |
|
2025 |
Men's Cross Country COYÂ |
Cross Country Excellence
Since her arrival, Fayetteville State’s
women’s cross-country team has won
seven CIAA titles, including a streak of
six consecutive championships from 2017 to 2019 and 2021 to 2025. The program has also produced
three CIAA Women's Cross Country Runners of the Year.
Â
The
men’s cross-country team claimed
three consecutive CIAA titles in
2022, 2023, and 2025, establishing itself as a rising powerhouse in the conference.Â
Indoor Track & Field Success
Turner transformed Fayetteville State’s indoor track & field program into a perennial contender. After a third-place finish in 2019, the Broncos captured their
first CIAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in 2020, followed by titles in
2022, 2023, 2024, and most recently in
2025, where they scored
150 points to secure their
fifth consecutive championship. Star athlete
Janya Moore was named
CIAA Female Runner of the Year, and
Domanique Knowles earned the
Field MVP Award.
Outdoor Track & Field Achievements
Fayetteville State debuted its women’s outdoor track & field program in 2019 with a runner-up finish. The Broncos became
co-champions in 2022 and then won
back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. In
2025, the Broncos narrowly missed a third straight title, finishing
second by just half a point behind Winston-Salem State (136.5 to 136). Despite the narrow loss,
Domanique Knowles was named the
CIAA Women's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and earned the
Championship Field MVP, scoring 23 points across three events.
Coaching Legacy
Before joining Fayetteville State, Turner spent eight years at Winston-Salem State University, where she earned
eight CIAA Coach of the Year awards and led the Rams to
nine conference titles across cross country and track & field.
Â
Turner began her coaching career in 2004, with previous stops at the New York Track Club and North Carolina A&T State University.
Athletic Career
Turner’s decorated athletic career began at Barton Community College, where she earned
16 NJCAA All-America honors and set multiple school records. She won the
1993 NJCAA Division I Championship in the 800m with a record time of
2:04.88 and helped her team win the 4x800m relay national title.
Â
She continued her collegiate career at
Texas State University, where she won
back-to-back NCAA titles in the 800m in 1994 and 1995, and was inducted into the university’s
Hall of Fame in 2019. Turner earned
13 Penn Relays titles, set
two World Junior records, and was a
five-time Penn Relays Wall of Famer.
Â
Internationally, Turner represented
Jamaica at the 1996 Olympic Games, finishing fourth in the 4x400m relay and competing in the 800m. She won
gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games and
bronze at the 1997 World Championships. She also earned
nine medals at the CARIFTA Games and was the
first English-speaking Caribbean athlete to run a sub-2:00 800m.
Â
Turner is enshrined in both the
Penn Relays and NJCAA Hall of Fame and was named
ISA Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s.Â
Community Impact
In 2012, Turner founded the
Inez Turner Foundation to support students at Vere Technical High School in Jamaica. She has served as a keynote speaker at the
US-JA International College Fair on three occasions.
Â
Turner earned her
Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science from Texas State University in 1998.
Â
