The 2025-26 season will be David Claybrooks second season as a Texan serving under head coach, Bobby Carter.
In his first season, Claybrooks was responsible for both the high jump and pole vault groups. He produced a pair of Second Team All-WAC performances in the outdoor slate in the pole vault by Paige Elliot and Aston Kollatschny. Jacob Thomas earned a Second Team All-WAC selection with a sixth-place finish at the WAC Indoor Championships in the long jump.
Two Texan men turned in top 8 performances in the indoor men's high jump at the conference championships. Senior Joren McKeever earned bronze and freshman Aislee Bynum notched sixth. Four Texan women posted top 8 finishes at the indoor WAC Championships in the high jump. Jourdaine Cerenil topped the group with a second place overall performance. Three women additionally earned Second Team All-WAC. In the outdoor slate, three women earned Second Team All-WAC. On the men's side Davi Torres earned second overall at the outdoor championships. Joren McKeever turned in a Second Team All-WAC performance with a sixth-place finish.
Six of his athletes posted new top 10 program bests in the outdoor season. In the indoor slate, pole vaulter Jacob Thomas set the new men's record with a best vault of 5.02 meters. In addition four other athletes posted program top 10 bests in the indoor season.
The Texans sent 11 athletes ot the NCAA West First Rounds for the first time in program history. The Texans qualified in four individual events and a relay. At the NCAA National Championships, the Texans posted two First Team All-American performances, two Second Team All-American honors and an honorable mention honor. The Texan men finished 54th and the women finished 63rd in the nation.
At his first outdoor WAC Championships, the Texan women and men each recorded their highest finishes in program history. The women finished in third with 136 points and the men earned fourth with 126 points. The squad produced five event champions, two all-time WAC records, three WAC Championships records and seven school records. Victoria Cameron earned Performer of the Meet with three gold medals, scoring 22.5 points for the squad. The Texans had nine athletes win multiple medals at the outdoor conference championships.
The Texans made their first NCAA Indoor Championships with four student-athletes earning All-American Status and two First Team All-Americans. Tarleton was the only WAC school to score in either the men or women's events at the national championships. Overall, the men finished 44th on the men's side and 51st on the women's side.
At the WAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, both the men and women posted their best finishes in program history. The women scored 100 more points then the squad did at the 2024 meet. The women posted four event champions and 13 First Team All-WAC selections. Nine student-athletes also earned second-team All-WAC. On the men's side, the Texans posted a pair of WAC individual championships and five First Team performances. The men garnered six second team performances as well.
Throughout the regular season, the Texans were on a torrid pace setting new school records and top 10 performance bests. In all, the Texans broke 12 school records and set 48 new school performance top 10 bests. The Texans earned 18 WAC Athlete of the Week across both the men's and women's indoor and outdoor season, the most in the conference.
In the classroom the Texans excelled as well. Victoria Cameron was named to the CSC Third Team Academic All-America Team. In addition, the Texans earned four members to the CSC Academic All-District Team. Throughout both semesters, the program tallied 77 Academic All-WAC selections.
Claybrooks joined the Texan staff to lead the vertical jumps and multi-event athletes in the summer of 2024 on his sixth stop of his coaching career. Tarleton will mark his third Division I coaching opportunity preceded by Eastern Kentucky (2008-11) and UTRGV (2016-17). Most recently, he served as an assistant coach at Keiser University in Florida from 2018-24. He also was assistant coach at Iowa Western and Lindsey Wilson College.
For the last six seasons, Claybrooks served as an assistant coach at Keiser University, an NAIA program in Florida. In 2023, he was named the South Region Assistant Coach of the Year by the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the indoor season. He helped coached his pole vaulters to the top two spots in the nation and two of heptathletes occupied a spot in the top five nationally. At the Sun Conference Indoor Championships, his pole vaulters secured five of the top six finishes.
He also was named the USTFCCCA Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the outdoor season as well. During his time with the Seahawks, Claybrooks has had 60 All-Sun Conference honorees, 24 conference champions, 22 academic all-conference honorees and 12 conference athletes of the week. Nationally, Claybrooks helped 40 athletes qualify for NAIA Outdoor National Championships and 31 for Indoor national championships. Three of his athletes were crowned NAIA National champions with two coming in the heptathlon and one in pole vault. Academically, 10 of his student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and six were named Daktronics NAIA Scholar Athletes.
Claybrooks spent a season at UTRGV as an assistant coach prior to his time in West Palm Beach, Fla. With the Vaqueros he helped coach nine All-Conference athletes. He also helped three individuals secure a top five marks in program history.
He spent three seasons as an assistant at Lindsey Wilson College from 2013-16. During his time with the Blue Raiders he oversaw the distance runners, hurdlers, high jumpers and pole vaulters. He helped three cross country athletes qualify for nationals and one earn All-American status. On the track, he helped nine athletes earn All-American honors while 23 qualified for the national meet. Throughout his three season, he helped 12 individuals garner all-conference honors including athlete and freshman of the year. On the team side he helped guide the women to an outdoor conference championship in his final season, and back-to-back men’s outdoor championship in his final two years with the Blue Raiders.
“I am very honored and grateful to be included as a member of the Tarleton State University Track and Field family,” said Claybrooks. “I am looking forward to all the amazing accomplishments we will achieve together. Many thanks to coach Carter for this opportunity to help this institution triumph. I'd also like to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz and the athletic administrators for allowing me to come to Stephenville.”
Prior to the Blue Raiders, he spent three seasons at Eastern Kentucky University. While with the Colonels he helped win three cross country conference championships and an indoor men’s conference championship. Claybrooks started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College. He helped five student-athletes earn All-American honors, and saw seven program records broken.
Claybrooks earned a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education from Murray State University in 2005 and a master’s degree in physical education with a sports administration concentration from EKU in 2008. He is a USATF Level I Certified Track and Field and Cross Country Coach and a USATF Official and Master's Athlete.
