Lancaster announced two big-name hires Thursday: Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner as boys track and field coach and state champion Laziena Howard as girls basketball coach.
Wariner won gold medals in the 400 meters and 4×400 relay at the 2004 Olympic Games, and also won gold in the 4×400 relay at the 2008 Olympic Games. He is the fourth-fastest runner in world history in the 400 meters, with only South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk (43.03), America's Michael Johnson (43.18, 43.39, 43.44) and Butch Reynolds (43.29) having run a faster time than Wariner's personal best of 43.45, which he used to win the 2007 World Championships.
Wariner, a former star athlete at Arlington Lamar and Baylor University, retired from athletics in 2017. He managed a Jimmy John's sandwich shop in suburban Deep Ellum from 2015-2020 and worked as the head track coach at Parish Episcopal High School in 2019 before moving to Argyle Liberty Christian High School in 2023 to become a high school coach.
Wariner will take over the Lancaster boys track and field team, which has won seven team state titles, second-most in UIL history. Lancaster last won a team title in 2012, marking its fifth consecutive year of victories. Wariner also led Argyle Liberty Christian's boys team to a third-place team finish at this year's TAPPS state meet.
Howard has a 191-29 career record and won a Class 6A state title as Duncanville's coach in 2020. She also won state championships at the school as a player (2003) and assistant coach (2016). She was suspended by the UIL for the 2022-23 season and was barred from Duncanville's playoff appearances that season due to a rules violation.
At Duncanville, Howard played for Cathy Self-Morgan, who won eight state titles in her 42-year coaching career, including five at Duncanville. The Lancaster girls team reached the second round of the playoffs this season but lost to Tyler.
Coaching turnover has been frequent in Lancaster, and the Lancaster Independent School District also announced the hiring of the following head coaches at Lancaster High School: LaQuendra Banks (volleyball), Fortune Kakou (boys soccer), Rachel Walton (softball) and Malcolm Walker (baseball).
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