GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman director of cross country/track and field Robert Gary announced today the hiring of Ashley Cope as the team's assistant coach for sprints, hurdles, and jumps.
"We were able to witness first-hand when Coach Cope was at Samford her enthusiasm and expertise," said Gary. "Her excitement to get back in to coaching inside the Southern Conference was infectious during her interview process. Pursuing excellence and championships have been baked into our yearly goals, and we couldn't be more excited to have that start to include the track championships going forward, as well as our focus on cross country. Ashley will play a huge role in this development."
Cope, a native of Juliette, Ga., spent seven years as an assistant coach with the Samford track and field teams, where she coached four All-Americans, three in indoor track and field and one in outdoor track and field. She trained three NCAA Outdoor East Preliminaries qualifiers, and 13 of her athletes won SoCon indoor track and field titles, while 13 also took home SoCon outdoor track and field championships. During her time on staff, the Bulldogs captured 15 SoCon team titles. In addition to coaching and recruiting, Cope served as assistant director for all Samford home track and field meets and organized community service events for the Bulldog teams.
"Furman has a premier track and field program, and I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to the continued success and growth of the sprints and jumps events," said Cope. "The university offers an outstanding combination of academic excellence and the chance to compete at the Division I level, making it an exceptional environment for student-athletes.
"Having come from a program that Coach Tiffin built from the ground up at Samford, I have seen firsthand what it takes to develop a successful program. I am eager to bring that experience to Furman Athletics and keep building upon the culture that has been established!"
A 2025 inductee into the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame, Cope competed for the Bulldogs from 2011 to 2014, winning four league titles in the heptathlon and one each in the pentathlon (2014), 100m hurdles (2013), and pole vault (2013). The 2013 SoCon Women's Outdoor Track & Field Most Outstanding Athlete, she qualified for the NCAA East Preliminaries in the pole vault and set school records in the pentathlon 60m hurdles and the heptathlon 800m hurdles. She also ranks second in school history in pentathlon (3,653 points) and heptathlon (5,000 points).
A four-time CrossFit Games semi-finalist, Cope earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science from Samford in 2014 and went on to complete a Master of Business Administration, also at Samford, in 2017.
