Diljeet Taylor, who has spent eight seasons leading the women’s team at Brigham Young University, now officially has a second job—as a Nike pro coach.
She’s one of three head coaches of Nike’s new Swoosh TC, which a company spokesperson described as a network of athletes and coaches geared toward creating a top professional running team and community for current and future athletes.
All Nike distance runners, regardless of where they are currently located and who coaches them, can access the facilities and coaches of Swoosh TC at one of its three hubs in Provo, Utah; Flagstaff, Arizona; or Eugene, Oregon. For instance, Conner Mantz, Grant Fisher, Cole Hocker, and Sinclaire Johnson are four athletes who have their own coaches but could access any of the Swoosh TC resources.
The other two Swoosh TC coaches are Mike Smith, 44, who will be starting with Nike in July after leaving his head coaching position at Northern Arizona University, and Jerry Schumacher, 54, who remains the head track coach at the University of Oregon and was the head coach of the pro branch of the Bowerman Track Club in Eugene. (The Bowerman pros will now be part of Swoosh TC; Bowerman Track Club remains in Portland, Oregon, as a youth, masters, and post-collegiate community club.)
Smith will be assisted by his wife, Rachel Smith, a 2021 Olympian in the 5,000 meters who is expecting the couple’s second child in April, although she is expected to return to competition as well after giving birth. Schumacher will continue to work with Shalane Flanagan in coaching pros and college athletes.
Balancing college and pros
From a practical standpoint, not much about Taylor’s job will change. She has already been coaching college and pros for the past three years.
Since she arrived at BYU in 2016, Taylor has led the women to two national cross-country championships—most recently, in 2024—and two runner-up finishes. Whittni (Orton) Morgan won the individual title in 2021. Taylor also coached Courtney Wayment and Anna Camp-Bennett to NCAA titles on the track.
All three turned pro after graduating and have been coached by Taylor for the past three years under the team name TaylorMade Elite.
“Up to that point, I had never envisioned being on the pro scene as a coach,” Taylor said. “The opportunity just came up with those three women, and as I did it, I really just fell in love with that aspect of it, kind of a different domain.”
Morgan and Wayment competed at the Olympics in Paris last summer and made the finals in their respective events—Wayment ran 9:13.60 for 12th in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Morgan’s 14:53.57 in the 5,000 meters placed her 14th.
Taylor is open to coaching men, and she’s also willing to coach runners who are geared toward the roads, up to the marathon distance. Collegiate athletes who sign with Nike for their pro careers will be encouraged to visit each of the three hubs, talk to the coaches, and see which location and coach best fit.
In search of medals
The collective wisdom of the Swoosh TC will improve performance for all the athletes, Taylor said. “I feel like as we bring our own expertise together, it’s only going to strengthen our coaching so that we can be better suited to serve our athletes,” she said of working with Smith and Schumacher.
The hope is that women distance runners will win medals—at various world championships and the Olympics in 2028. American male distance runners scored five medals in Paris 2024, but the women came home empty-handed, despite having runners in every distance final from 800 on up.
“I think in 2028 you’re going to see more women, not just knocking on the door, but walking through the door,” Taylor said.
“Women are not men,” she continued. “And so the timeline might look a little bit different. Nothing happens overnight, and even though we may think that it does, it’s years and years of perfecting your craft and getting the right support system around you. I do strongly feel that this new collaboration and the sense of community and belonging that the athletes are going to feel is going to give women the opportunity.”
Taylor puts in full days. Her pros tend to do workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays; her college athletes do them on Tuesdays and Fridays. She still runs between 3 and 7 miles per day herself, although she jokes that now, at 47, it takes her longer than it used to. Her sons, who are 16 and 13, need her less than they used to, but she likes to wrap up work in time to make it to their basketball games at night.
She’s also something of a trailblazer for Nike in the pro space. Although women have coached elite groups with other brands, they remain in the minority, both for pro athletes and in the college coaching ranks.
“I’m hopeful that this inspires more women to get into coaching,” Taylor said. “That’s always a goal of mine, and one of the legacies that I hope to leave the sport is to be an inspiration and pave the way for other women to see that it is possible.”
Taylor has made a name for herself for the individual attention she gives her athletes. She’s known for the handwritten notes she writes to each before important races.
“I feel like if I’m purposeful and intentional about the things that matter the most to me, which is that athlete connection, then I’m going to make sure that that’s at the forefront,” Taylor said. “And in conversations from day one with my family, with Nike, a very high level of importance has been placed on doing it this way, with that personal touch. I feel like that’s kind of our magic. And so, yeah, I will continue to make sure that I’m operating at a level where my athletes feel super valued.”
Questions ahead
Taylor’s first three pro athletes are sponsored by other brands: Morgan and Bennett are sponsored by Adidas, and Wayment by On. Taylor has since started coaching Nike pros Ella Donaghu, Sadie Sargeant Mitchell, and Simone Plourde.
In Flagstaff, Smith coaches several Nike pros and athletes from other brands, including Olympians Nikki Hiltz (Lululemon), Luis Grijalva (Hoka), and Nico Young (Adidas).
A Nike spokesperson confirmed to Runner’s World that non-Nike athletes can continue training with Taylor and Smith—but only until their current contracts end. They will not have access to the physical therapists and strength coaches that Nike has assembled in each location.
After their contracts end, Runner’s World has learned, those athletes would have to either sign with Nike or find coaching elsewhere. It is not known how long each athlete’s current contract with a rival brand lasts.
Another question mark is Shelby Houlihan, who recently returned to racing after a four-year ban for doping. Before the ban, Houlihan trained with Bowerman Track Club. A Nike spokesperson said Houlihan is not a part of Swoosh TC. Houlihan is currently not sponsored by any brand.
At one point, the Bowerman Track Club was the most prestigious choice for athletes who signed with Nike coming out of college, and more than two dozen athletes were on the team at one time. But the high-mileage, non-customized approach of Schumacher wasn’t for everyone. Some athletes left and enlisted new coaches. After news of Houlihan’s ban emerged in 2021, the exodus accelerated, leaving no natural home for young Nike distance runners. The addition of Taylor and Smith to the coaching roster could make Nike appealing to top college talent.
Cindy Kuzma contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story said that Rachel Smith was an Olympian in the 10,000 meters. It was the 5,000 meters.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
