Cortney Stafford enters her fifth season (2019-20) with the Cal State Fullerton track and field progam.
During her first three years with the program, a total of 70 student-athletes from cross country, women's indoor track and men's and women's outdoor track were named to their respective conference all-academic teams. Furthermore, Aneesh Joshi, Nick Reynolds, Kiana Clay and Samantha Huerta were named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team.
Prior to joining the Titans for the 2015-16 season, Stafford spent one year as a volunteer assistant coach focusing on horizontal jumps for UC Irvine.
For the 2019 season, Hamm won the women's high jump Big West Championship with a personal-best clearance of 5-11.25 (1.81m) to break her own school record of 5-10 (1.78m). She went on to become the first Titan to compete in the event at the NCAA Championships where she earned NCAA Second-Team All-America accolades with an 11th-place finish (5-10/1.78m).
In 2018, Hamm set the indoor (5-10.5/1.79m) and outdoor (5-10/1.78m) women's high jump school records while Laura Hamann set indoor women's triple jump record at 40-0.75 (12.21m). That duo also went on to compete at the 2018 FISU America Games with Hamm taking second in the high jump and Hamann earned fifth in the triple jump.
Hamann won the 2017 Big West Championship in the women's triple with a mark of 41-3.75 (12.59m). Additionally, both the women's long jump and high jump school records were set during the 2017 outdoor season. Naiah Boardingham long jumped 20-0.25 (6.10m) while Ty'Jalayah Robertson cleared 5-8 (1.73m) in the high jump to etch their names in the school record books.
During the 2015 season, the horizontal jumpers set personal bests week in and week out. Under Stafford's tutelage, the group ended the season having four top-10 finishers at the Big West Conference Championships; their most successful conference performance since 2011.
Before coaching at UCI, Stafford was at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where she spent four years (2010-2014) serving as an assistant sprint and jumps coach. Stafford assisted the Jackrabbits in their 2011 Boys and Girls CIF-Southern Section, and CA- CIF State Championships, and the Girls 2013 & 2014 CIF-Southern Section, and CIF State Championships. During this time, the Jackrabbits also produced numerous national leading marks, and in 2011 ESPN ranked the Track and Field Program #1 in the nation.
The Big West Conference is a familiar home to Stafford, as she competed four years for the Mustangs of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Competing in both the long and triple jump, and sprint relay, was a two-time Big West Conference champion in the triple jump in 2004 and 2005. As a Big West Conference triple jump record holder, her mark of 13.45m (44'-1 1/4") still stands today. In 2005, she placed ninth in the triple at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships, fourth at the 2005 NCAA West Regional and competed at the Outdoor NCAA Championships that year.
Stafford has a master's degree in sport management from Long Beach State and her undergraduate degree in political science and ethnic studies. She is a USATF Emerging Elite Sprint Coach, certified Association Level Official, Level 2 Jumps Coach, and is certified as an IAAF Level 5 Jumps Coach.