Jessica Riden - Track & Field Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Jessica Riden

Title:
Associate Director of Track and Field (Women's Distance/XC)
Email:
jriden@unc.edu

Jessica Riden is in her fifth year as the Associate Director of Track & Field and Assistant to the Athletic Director at UNC. Riden comes to Carolina after four seasons with Stanford track & field and cross country where she served as the director of operations during the 2016-18 seasons before being named Assistant Athletics Director in May of 2018.

In August 2024, Riden will serve as the head manager for the U-20 USATF team at the World Championships in Lima, Peru.

During her four years at Stanford, Riden was essential in all areas of managing the day-to-day operations of the track and field/cross country programs. She served as director of high-profile home meets such as the 2018 Pac-12 Championships and Combined Events track and field meets, the 2018 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, and the Payton Jordan Invitational, which annually serves as the nation's top distance running carnival. Riden was also Stanford’s point of contact in hosting the 2019 Prefontaine Classic, the IAAF Diamond League’s only meet held in the U.S.,this past June.

She also organized and managed the Stanford Invitational track and cross country meets, which drew more than 3,000 athletes each – the Stanford Invite track meet has 29 hours of competition over two days and the cross country meet consists of 14 races, and is one of the premier high school meets in the state.

Riden, a former Penn State distance runner, coordinated travel and managed the day-to-day aspects of running the track and field operation and provided much of Stanford’s social media content.

Before joining Stanford, Riden was a member of the track and field staffs at Washington and Penn State for nine years.

Riden, a native of Reedsville, Pa., is a USATF level I certified coach, and has presented on meet management and team operations at several USTFCCCA conventions. She has assisted USATF in processing travel and logistics for international team members at the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships, 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials and 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships.