Jordan Naylon recently completed her first year as head coach of the Little Rock Cross Country program. In her debut season, she guided a young roster of 14 runners, including six freshmen, following the graduation or transfer of 15 athletes from the 2024 squad. Under Naylon’s leadership, nearly every runner recorded personal bests throughout the season. She helped lead Little Rock to three OVC All-Conference selections, including one freshman, as the Trojans exceeded conference expectations despite competing with a smaller roster.

Naylon was hired in the spring of 2025, was previously the head cross country coach at NCAA Division III SUNY Plattsburgh (N.Y.). At Little Rock, she directs the men’s and women’s cross country squads and assists with men’s and women’s track and field. Naylon, a SUNY Cortland alum, spent her entire student-athlete and coaching career in New York state until moving to the Capital City. 

Under her leadership, her PSU teams improved in conference and regional rankings. Naylon made an immediate impact with the Cardinals, leading them to a pair of sixth-place finishes in her first year while competing in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships. In her second season, the women finished fourth and the men fifth, respectively. 

Naylon also coached PSU’s first indoor regional scorer, who finished in fourth place in the mile in 2024. She was the first regional qualifier since 2020. She also served as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland for six years, coaching two regional champions and two All-Americans.

As a student-athlete at Cortland, Naylon earned All-America honors in the mile at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships and earned two All-Region honors in cross country. She also qualified for nationals five times between cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field and was named to the SUNYAC All-Decade Team (2010-19) for women's track and field.

Naylon earned her bachelor's degree in Exercise Science in 2013 and a master's in Exercise Science in 2018, both from Cortland.