Yvonne Wade was hired as the fourth head coach in UNLV Track & Field history and is beginning her 9^th season after being hired in July of 2007. Given the task of turning the Rebel program around, Wade made it a priority to recruit student-athletes that were committed to striving for excellence both on and off the track.

Before becoming a coach, Wade was a member of the Japanese National Team from 1996-2004. Born in Tokyo, Japan to a Japanese mother and a Jamaican father, Wade represented the Japanese team in 2 Olympic Games (1996, Atlanta and 2000, Sydney), several IAAF World Championships and a World Cup. She currently still holds both the indoor and outdoor national records for the 60 meter hurdles and 100 meter hurdles, respectively.

As a student-athlete at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Wade was a three-time Big Eight Conference Champion in the hurdles. In 1996, she set the school record on her way to being an NCAA All-American athlete.

Wade earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in ethnic studies from CU. She then returned to the classroom some years later to receive her master’s degree in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration at UNLV in 2010. She is currently taking classes in the Higher Ed Leadership program with desires to start the Ph.D. program here at UNLV. In 2011, Wade was honored with the Nell C. Jackson Award for outstanding contributions to women and girls in sport. In 2014, Wade was inducted to the University of Colorado’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

She is married to Larry Wade, a former elite track and field athlete and both a Texas A&M and Big 12 Conference Hall of Famer. She has two sons: Jordan (10) and Brandon (3).