Deajah Stevens
Women’s Sprint Coach
Deajah Stevens, born on May 19, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland, is an American sprinter specializing in the 100m and 200m events. Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, she attended Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside, where she became a three-time New York state champion and ranked among the nation's top high school sprinters. She began her collegiate career at the College of the Sequoias in California, capturing state titles in both the 200m and 400m before transferring to the University of Oregon.
At Oregon, Stevens quickly made her mark. In 2016, she finished second in the 200m at the NCAA Championships and the U.S. Olympic Trials, earning a spot on Team USA for the Rio Olympics, where she placed seventh in the 200m final. The following year, she won the U.S. national title in the 200m and qualified for the 2017 World Championships in both the 100m and 200m, finishing fifth in the 200m final.
Stevens' collegiate accolades include nine All-American honors, four Pac-12 titles, and contributions to Oregon's school records in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. Her personal bests are 11.00 seconds in the 100m and 22.09 seconds in the 200m, both set in 2017.
In 2020, Stevens faced an 18-month suspension due to three whereabouts violations within a 12-month period, rendering her ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics.
Beyond the track, Stevens pursued studies in English with a minor in sports broadcasting at the University of Oregon. Her journey from a standout high school athlete to an Olympian underscores her resilience and dedication to the sport.