Woodlawn Track and Field Continues to Build the Standard

Coach Young Helps Build Dominant Warrior Program

When Coach Young returned to his alma mater in 2015, Woodlawn High School did not have a team championship to its name. Over the past six seasons, however, Coach Young has helped guide the girls’ team to five team titles. Each title has its own meaning to athletes and coaches, but Coach Young breaks down the progression by year; the first year’s championship run was more of an underdog story, the second year was validation, and this past year was the Warriors to lose. The expectations and pressures have certainly grown, but those challenges have made this group of individuals a team and family. On his team’s success, Coach Young emphasizes, “We’ve had a really great group of ladies over the last few years that really built what we called the standard here-the program…We all see how hard each other works. You have a tough day, you still put in the work, being consistent, giving everyone your best effort and that’s grown, that defines us a group.”

Beyond Coach Young, he has had an elite support crew along the way, including Coach Snead, who coached Coach Young in high school. Coach Snead, a former state record holder, has been at Woodlawn for 25 years. She emphasizes the culture of the team and program that has led to their success over the year. “We try to develop from the bottom up. Once we have built a specific type of culture which is more of a family base and an understanding of ‘each one, teach one.”

The Woodlawn legacy extends beyond several state championships and state records. Destiny Coleman has become a household name after her stellar career and sensational 2026 campaign, which included setting the state record in the 110 hurdles. She is attending Ohio State in the fall, and she will be coached by none other than Woodlawn Alum, Joel Brown, a former Maryland state champion and an internationally ranked hurdler by Track and Field News for over a decade.

Below are several interviews by Woodlawn coaches and athletes as they describe their journey over their career. Recurring themes among all include family, trust, resilience, and dedication.