PEMBROKE – UNC Pembroke Director Of Cross Country/Track & Field Peter Ormsby has announced the addition of Derrick Young Jr. as assistant coach for the Braves.

Young joins the Black & Gold after spending two seasons as the head men's track & field coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Young was tasked with restarting the program after a 27-year hiatus and recruited and signed 120 athletes in two seasons, including a conference champion and five conference runner-ups. Under his watch, four student-athletes posted a combined 25 NCAA DII provisional qualifying standards. 

"Coach Young brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to #BraveNation and a strong desire to win," said Ormsby. "His ability to recruit and develop talent will be a huge asset to our staff and program as we enter the spring track season.

Prior to being named head men's coach at Northwestern Oklahoma, Young spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the women's track & field program at NWOSU, coaching two conference champions and a runner-up, while seeing 38 student-athletes earn All-Conference accolades. 

Before his time at NWOSU, Young spent four seasons at Bemidji State University where he saw multiple student-athletes ranked in the top 13 in the country. Young coached eight NCAA provisional mark athletes in sprints and oversaw 13 school records and 80 personal records, while also seeing one student-athlete become a DII National Qualifier.

Prior to Bemidji State, Young would spend a season as the head coach of the track & field and cross country programs at Salem International University.

Before heading to Salem International, Young spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Notre Dame College and coached six conference champions and three All-Region performers, while also helping to establish 15 new school records and seeing ten student-athletes reach NCAA provisional marks.

Young got his first coaching job as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Tiffin University, spending one season with the Dragons while overseeing 20 conference champions, ten All-Americans, and two national champions.

"I'm grateful and excited to join #BraveNation and see all the great success in all the athletic programs across the board," said Young. "I'm also excited to work with Coach Ormsby, who is well-respected in the track community and successful, winning the last four cross country championships in Conference Carolinas. He is an amazing leader, but an even better person. Go Braves!!" 

Young graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 2013 from Tiffin University. He competed for the nationally-ranked Dragons for two seasons in sprints. Young also was an All-Region sprinter and a member of a nationally ranked 4x100m relay team at Kentucky State University for two seasons. In 2014, he graduated with a master's degree in sports management from Tiffin University.