Akil Gipson began as assistant coach with Academy of Art University Track & Field/Cross Country in August 2016, concluding that stint in August 2019 before starting anew in the same role in September 2023.
Authoring impressive efforts throughout their indoor and outdoor journeys, the Academy of Art track & field team delivered 38 All-American honors, Pacific West Conference titles in 12 different events, two top 15 team finishes at Outdoor Nationals, and a NCAA Division II National Championship for Shareez Hamm in the
outdoor 400m hurdles in 2023-24. The Urban Knights marked their respective indoor and outdoor campaigns by producing a total of 12 new school records (four indoor, eight outdoor) along the way.
In the time between his two stints with ART U, Gipson served as a coach/physical education teacher for Champion Schools in Phoenix from 2019 to 2021, a head strength & conditioning coach for D1 Training Gilbert from 2020 to 2022, and most recently became the owner/strength & conditioning coach for his own Gipson Performance LLC from 2022 to today. Throughout his work with all three organizations, Gipson has coached athletes to better themselves in all aspects, continuing to build upon the success he had at Academy of Art.
Each of Gipson’s three years as an assistant coach for the Urban Knights showcased a collection of highlights. As the baton passed metaphorically and literally from several stellar veterans to many young talents, the 2019 ART U track & field season featured large contingents at both NCAAÂ
Indoor andÂ
Outdoor Nationals, nineÂ
Pacific West Conference champions (including Michane Ricketts in the javelin and Camille Jouanno in the triple jump), three individual NCAA National Champions including Jouanno in the
indoor triple jump, and 24 All-America selections. The Knights highlighted their respective indoor and outdoor campaigns with a total of 19 new school records (seven indoor, 12 outdoor) along the way. In terms of team finishes, the men took fifth and the women were 19th at Indoor Nationals then the men were ninth at Outdoor Nationals.
Breaking out with one of its strongest collective campaigns to date, the 2018 Academy of Art track & field season featured theÂ
largest number of qualifiers for NCAA Indoor Nationals,Â
10 Pacific West Conference champions (including Hannah Hensley in the heptathlon and high jump), five individual national titles, and 21 All-America selections (including Ricketts in the indoor long jump). The Knights highlighted their respective indoor and outdoor campaigns with a total of 20 new school records (12 indoor, eight outdoor) along the way. On the men's side specifically, the team finished eighth at Indoor Nationals and seventh at Outdoor Nationals.
In the ART U’s 2017 track & field campaign, Gipson debuted with the coaching staff and helped the Knights combine to set a total of 19 new school records (eight indoor, 11 outdoor). Highlights included three NCAA National Championships, 13 total All-Americans across both seasons (including Ricketts and Craig Mattox both in the indoor long jump and Marion Presigny in the pentathlon as well as Hensley in the heptathlon), and the teams' top three finishes at theÂ
PacWest Championships where Hensley, the
PacWest Field Athlete of the Year, also earned PacWest Most Outstanding Field Athlete of the Meet and Rian Young-Werner captured the conference title in the triple jump. On the men's side specifically, the team finished fifth at Indoor Nationals and 19th at Outdoor Nationals. Gipson's campaign included him being namedÂ
2017 USTFCCCA DII West Region Indoor Women's Assistant Coach of the Year.
Before Academy of Art, Gipson served two seasons as a graduate assistant for University of Central Missouri track & field with his primary responsibilities coaching the high, triple, and long jumpers. He also assisted with the sprints, hurdles, pole vault, and multi event student-athletes. Gipson would coach three National Champions (two in high jump, one in triple jump) in his time with UCM as the Jennies achieved NCAA National Championships in both the 2015 indoor and outdoor seasons on the women’s side.
Highlights from the 2016 NCAA DII Outdoor National Championships were 10 All-Americans and a pair of top eight team finishes for the men and women. The Mules and Jennies produced four individual All-Americans along with one relay team as the teams each finished 11th overall.
Prior to UCM, Gipson spent the 2014 season as an assistant coach for Western State, his alma mater. That year, he would guide two student-athletes to the NCAA DII Indoor National Championships.
As a student-athlete at Western State Colorado State University, Gipson was an 11-time All-Conference student-athlete in the high, long, and triple jumps for the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. A four-year team captain, Gipson earned All-American honors in the triple jump in 2012.
Gipson graduated from Western State Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in both Business, with an emphasis in Management, and Accounting, with an emphasis in Professional Accounting.
