University of South Alabama Athletics

Lyndell Farmer joined the University of South Alabama coaching staff from St. Paul’s Episcopal School, where he served as boys’ and girls’ assistant track coach since 2002. Farmer is a USA Track & Field (USTFA) Level I Certified Coach who has been awarded with U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) certification in Sprints and Hurdles.

A pair of Jaguars qualified for the NCAA East Regional Preliminary Round under his direction last season, with Mark Watts qualifying for the field in the 400 meters and Matthew Dillon participating in the 100-meter hurdles; the latter was an all-Sun Belt Conference honoree after placing second in the event at the league championships, while the former qualified for the finals.  Ravaughn Pope was an all-Sun Belt performance after coming in third in the 60-meter hurdles at the conference indoor meet, with Rafael Scott and Watts just missing out on honors after placing fourth in the 60- and 400-meter dashes, respectively.

Farmer has also worked with 2012 Sun Belt Conference 200-meter dash champion Anton Graphenreed, who currently holds four USA top-five all-time records in both indoor and outdoor competition.

Farmer will once again have the opportunity to work alongside Brueske, as the two coached the St. Paul’s boys’ and girls’ teams to back-to-back state championships in 2006 and ‘07 during Brueske’s tenure with the Saints. After Brueske was hired by South Alabama, however, Farmer remained as the Saints’ girls’ team stretched their dominance through 2008, ’09 and ‘10 and the boys’ team also claimed state titles in 2008 and ‘10.

Prior to his tenure at St. Paul’s, Farmer served as boys’ and girls’ assistant track coach at Mobile Christian School, where he helped the Leopards’ men’s team to three straight state titles in 2000, ’01 and ’02.

While at Mobile Christian, Farmer coached eventual South Alabama decathlete Brandon Oliver, who was the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Indoor pole vault champion. Also, Jag decathlete and pole vaulter Ashton Krause was a product of Farmer’s at St. Paul’s. Krause’s younger brother, Taylor, also a Jag vaulter, received numerous accolades under the coaching tenure of Farmer.

Farmer, maintained a top-10 ranking in the U.S. and world as a masters track athlete for years, first studied electrical engineering at College of the Ozarks from 1970-72. He then served as an Avionics Systems Specialist at the United States Air Force School of Applied Aerospace Science in 1973 and ‘74. Next, he studied biomedical engineering at Arkansas-Little Rock, and he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science at USA.