As USA Track & Field’s Head Women’s Relays Coach since 2022, Mechelle Lewis Freeman was the architect of those high-pressure, high-stakes moments. She wasn’t just calling the shots, she was defining the standard.
But earlier this year, just months before the 2025 World Championships, Freeman abruptly announced her resignation. The track and field world was stunned. The athletes she guided and fans alike were left searching for answers.
A Mastermind Behind the Baton
Freeman was more than a coach, she was a strategist and motivator, working side by side with America’s sprint queens like Sha’Carri Richardson to engineer winning lineups. She understood the delicate chemistry of a 4×100 relay: who thrives on the curve, who handles the anchor leg pressure, and how to deliver a seamless baton exchange under Olympic finals-level nerves.
Her own words once summed it up perfectly:
“When you’re thinking about making a successful 4×100 relay team, you’re thinking about placing athletes in positions where they’ll thrive and where they’ll perform best.”
Under Freeman’s leadership, Team USA’s women’s relays delivered on the biggest stages, dominating Paris 2024 and other global meets.
The Disrespect Behind Closed Doors
When Freeman posted her resignation on X (formerly Twitter), it read as a graceful goodbye:
“My time as the USATF Head Women’s Relays Coach has come to an end… To the athletes, keep making history and much love. ❤️”
But behind those words was a deeper, unresolved story. And this week, Freeman finally pulled back the curtain. In a bold, candid message on X (formerly Twitter), Freeman revealed the harsh reality she endured in the role.
“Here we are: The DISRESPECT I had to deal with behind closed doors is finally being spoken out loud,” she wrote.
She shared a video clip featuring Coach Holloway, where he made a pointed, dismissive remark:
“We need to hire people that understand the sport… Mike or Michelle aren’t coaches. They weren’t coaches, right? So you can’t coach your relay when that’s not your job, right?”
For Freeman, who led her teams to multiple gold medals and world titles, this was the type of behind-the-scenes undermining that wore her down. Imagine building a powerhouse program only to have your credentials and contributions questioned at the highest levels. That’s the reality Freeman faced, and ultimately, what drove her to step away.
The Next Chapter for Team USA Relays
With Freeman’s departure official, USA Track & Field quickly moved to name a successor. Enter Darryl Woodson, a seasoned coach with a strong pedigree in the relays game.
Woodson isn’t walking into a comfortable situation. The pressure is sky-high as USATF eyes the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, setting an audacious target:
“Five gold medals in the relay events at LA28. Anything less would be selling our athletes, coaches, and country short,” said Robert Chapman, USATF’s Chief of High Performance Operations.
But if anyone can handle the heat, it’s Woodson. He’s been a part of six national team coaching staffs, worked with world record holders, and contributed to over 30 global medals. Most recently, he steered Team USA to double gold in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
Under the federation’s newly restructured High Performance system, Woodson will report directly to Wallace Spearmon Jr. and Michael Nussa, both key figures in shaping USATF’s international strategy.
Can Woodson Match Freeman’s Legacy?
Replacing Mechelle Lewis Freeman’s impact won’t be easy. She leaves behind a standard of excellence, a culture of precision, and a record of delivering when it mattered most. Woodson inherits not just the baton, but the burden of expectation.
And while track and field moves fast, the questions surrounding Freeman’s departure and the dynamics within USATF leadership linger. Will the culture shift? Will respect for coaching talent, regardless of background or personality, improve? Only time will tell.
