HAMPTON, Va. - Hampton University Director of Track & Field Maurice Pierce has announced the hiring of former Lady Pirate standout Yvette Lewis to his coaching staff as a full-time assistant starting with the 2012-13 season.

She will primarily work with the program's hurdlers and jumpers.

Lewis was a two-time NCAA champion at Hampton, taking the indoor triple jump title in 2006 and outdoor triple jump crown in 2007. She was named an All-American by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) four times: 2006 indoor triple jump, 2006 outdoor triple jump, 2007 indoor long jump and triple jump, and 2007 outdoor triple jump and 100-meter hurdles.

She currently holds 10 school records - five in the indoor season and five outdoor records.

Since graduating from Hampton in 2007, Lewis has established herself as one of the world's top hurdlers and jumpers. In 2011, she won a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, while also taking home a silver medal as part of the 4x100-meter relay team.

Lewis, who also competed in the Pan Americans Games in 2007, finished 2011 ranked No. 8 in the world in the 100-meter hurdles. Her personal best mark in the triple jump came in 2008, when Lewis jumped 13.84 meters. She set a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles in 2011, running a 12.76.

Her personal best in the indoor 60-meter hurdles came in 2010, when she ran a 7.90.

Lewis was born in Germany, but she was raised in Newport News, Va. She attended both Denbigh and Menchville High School.

She joins a coaching staff under Pierce that also includes long-time assistant Aldrin Gray, in his eighth season, and Damion Drummond, who joined the program last season. Also among Pierce's hires for this season are Donald Bond, who spent two seasons as an assistant with the men's track & field program, and former Lady Pirate Kristal McGreggor.

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