Wilfredo de Jesus Elias, who had been an assistant coach at United States Merchant Marine Academy since 2011, joined the Yale track and field coaching staff as an assistant in the summer of 2015. de Jesus works primarily with Yale’s throwers.
At the USMMA, de Jesus oversaw the throws group and also served as interim head coach (May 2013 to September 2013). In his first season, he helped coach the first women’s individual Landmark Champion in the history of the Academy. In addition to working with the track and field team, de Jesus also was an assistant for the cross country team for each of the past four seasons as well. He also served as strength and conditioning coach for three other varsity teams starting in 2013, and was an academic advisor for 10 student-athletes.
de Jesus is a 2011 graduate of the University at Albany, where he majored in human biology and excelled for the track and field team. He won IC4A championships in the weight throw (indoors, 2011) and the hammer throw (outdoors, 2011). He was also the America East indoor champion in the weight throw (2009, 2010 and 2011) and the America East outdoor champion in the hammer throw (2009, 2011). In 2011 he was honored as the America East indoor performer of the year the Albany indoor track and field MVP. He holds school records in the hammer throw and weight throw, and competed in the NCAA East Preliminary Round multiple times. de Jesus was a part of four America East outdoor team championship victories and four America East indoor team championship victories in his time with the Great Danes.
de Jesus attended Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez High School in his native Puerto Rico and was recognized as Puerto Rico’s National Athlete of the Year in 2007, when he became the first Puerto Rican hammer thrower to medal (bronze) at the Pan-Am Junior Championships. He is a national record holder and currently the country’s top-ranked thrower. Twice he represented his country at the Central American and Caribbean Games, finishing as high as seventh place (hammer throw).
