Petros Kyprianou

Biography

Two-time NCAA Championship coach Petros Kyprianou (pronounced KEEP-ree-on-oo) was hired on July 26, 2022 as the new director of the Fighting Illini track and field and cross country programs. From 2015-2021, Kyprianou served in the same capacity at the University of Georgia, where, in his six seasons as head coach, he led the Bulldogs to unprecedented success, including a pair of NCAA titles – the first in school history – three runner-up performances, and a total of 16 top-ten NCAA finishes. Kyprianou was a three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2017 (women outdoor) and twice in 2018 (women indoor and men outdoor). He also was a two-time National Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA (2014 and 2015 women indoors) during a seven-year stint as a Georgia assistant coach from 2008-15. Kyprianou coached athletes to a total of 28 NCAA titles during his 13-year Georgia tenure. Since electing to leave Georgia in 2021, Kyprianou has served as the director of sports performance at the Episcopal School in Jacksonville, Florida, while continuing to provide individual coaching to elite international athletes. Specializing in the jumps and combined events, Kyprianou has coached for four countries in international competition, including three different Olympics. Prior to joining the staff at Georgia, Kyprianou was an assistant coach at both Boise State University and University of Nebraska, Omaha