ST. PETERSBURG – Head men's and women's cross country and track coach Aaron King has announced the addition of Gage Knight to its track and field coaching staff.
Knight will primarily work with the Tritons' 400- and 800-meter athletes, with an emphasis on speed development, running mechanics, form, and efficiency.
Knight joins Eckerd with collegiate experience as a combined-events athlete at Duke University. A standout decathlete and heptathlete, he earned First Team All-ACC honors in 2022 after placing third in the indoor heptathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships. That season, his performances in the heptathlon and long jump ranked among the top five marks in Duke program history.
In 2025, Knight placed seventh in the decathlon at the ACC Outdoor Championships, contributing to a historic season for the Blue Devils as Duke captured its first ACC Outdoor Championship in men's track and field. He was also a key member of Duke's men's decathlon squad, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Knight brings a diverse event background to the Tritons after competing across the sprints, jumps, hurdles, throws, and distance disciplines throughout his collegiate career. His experience in the combined events provides a technical foundation that will translate to his work developing Eckerd's middle-distance athletes.
Academically, Knight was a five-time All-ACC Academic Team selection. He graduated from Duke in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in psychology before pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice from Boston University, specializing in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity.
A native of Crystal Beach, Florida, Knight competed at Palm Harbor University High School, where he was a two-time AAU decathlon champion and earned All-American honors at the 2019 New Balance Outdoor Nationals and 2019 Arcadia Invite.
