Bio

Jannai Maxwell enters his second season as head coach of the Spartanburg Methodist College men's and women's cross country and track & field programs after being promoted to the position in July 2025 following a successful tenure as an assistant coach. 

In his first season leading the program, Maxwell guided the Pioneers through one of the most successful years in school history, highlighted by national qualifiers, All-America performances, conference championships, academic excellence, and numerous program records.

On the men's side, Maxwell coached Spartanburg Methodist's first-ever NAIA Track & Field All-American. Junior Romeo Brown became the first Pioneer to earn All-America honors in track and field after placing third in the 200-meter dash at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships. Brown added a second All-America finish during the outdoor season by placing fifth in the 200 meters while also competing in the 100-meter dash and anchoring SMC's 4x100-meter relay at the NAIA Outdoor Championships.

Brown's remarkable season earned him Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Year honors after capturing the AAC championship in the 100 meters, finishing runner-up in the 200 meters, and helping the Pioneers to a second-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay. He was also a two-time AAC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week.

Distance standout Ryan Hunter continued to establish himself among the conference's elite runners in 2025-26. Hunter qualified for both the NAIA Cross Country Championships and the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. During the cross country season, Hunter earned AAC Runner of the Week honors twice before finishing eighth at the AAC Championships to earn Second Team All-AAC recognition and qualifying for the national championship, where he placed 72nd overall. Outdoors, Hunter earned All-Conference honors with runner-up finishes in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs while advancing to the NAIA Outdoor Championships, where he finished 11th nationally in the 5,000 meters. He also placed third in the indoor conference 5,000-meter championship.

Maxwell's men's squad continued to raise the standard across the program, producing nine outdoor school records and six indoor school records during the 2025-26 campaign. Indoors, Brown won conference championships in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, while Javion Branon added All-Conference honors with a runner-up finish in the 60 meters.

The Spartanburg Methodist women's program also showed significant growth during Maxwell's first year as head coach. Despite replacing three NAIA national qualifiers from the previous season, the women's cross country team continued to improve throughout the fall, recording three personal-best performances at the AAC Championships. Anna Altman earned Champion of Character recognition while also being named to the AAC All-Academic Team. The Pioneers competed against some of the nation's strongest competition throughout the season, including the Appalachian Challenge, USC Upstate Invitational, and Live in Lou Classic.

A talented freshman class immediately made its mark during the 2025-26 track & field season. Carson Byrd earned All-Conference honors indoors with a runner-up finish in the 60-meter dash before adding a second All-Conference performance outdoors as the runner-up in the 200 meters and helping the 4x100-meter relay finish third. Byrd established three school records during her freshman campaign.

Eva Sapp contributed immediately in the sprint events, while McKensley Parks developed into one of the conference's top young field-event competitors. Parks scored at the conference championships in both indoor and outdoor competition while also setting three school records. Collectively, the women's program established nine outdoor school records during the season.

Maxwell's impact extended beyond competitive success and into the classroom. Hunter and four teammates earned AAC All-Academic Team recognition during the cross country season, continuing the program's commitment to excellence both academically and athletically.