Jennifer Svoboda joining the Stanford Track and Field coaching staff in September of 2019 to work with the team's throwers.
She spent the previous four years as an assistant coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she served Director of Operations for the indoor and outdoor track teams, organized and directed the flow of home meets, developed practice and training plans, and oversaw national and international scouting and recruiting. In 2018, Svoboda helped guide the women's program to a C-USA Outdoor championship, while the men's team finished runner-up. She assisted senior Alexis Chiles to a school and conference record and helped her earn a berth in the NCAA Championships in the women's shot put with a throw of 16.9m. Eight of her student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Regional meet. Svoboda also coached Nadia Maffo to a C-USA indoor championship and new school record in the women's weight throw (20.35m).
In 2016-17, three of her team members earned Conference-USA Female Athlete of the Week honors, and six advanced to the NCAA East Regional meet. Svoboda helped nine student-athletes score 65 points at the 2017 C-USA Outdoor Championships. She coached senior Emron Gibbs to the men's javelin title and sophomore Thomas Peters to a silver medal in 2015-16. Additionally, freshman Nadia Maffo won the women's hammer crown with a throw of 62.04 and walked away with the C-USA Female Freshman of the Year award. Maffo later represented Italy in the U23 World Track and Field Championships in Poland. Svoboda also mentored Brashe Wood and Donald Daley to the outdoor women's shot put and discus titles, respectively.
In 2015-16, Svoboda coached Gibbs to All-America status and a fourth-place finish in the javelin (75.73m) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She helped Thomas Peters secure a position on Team USA for the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland.
Prior to joining Southern Mississippi, Svoboda spent one season coaching throwers at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and was a graduate assistant at the Center for Academic and Tutorial Services at the University of Kentucky.
Svoboda attended the University of Kentucky from 2007-2011 and competed in the shot put, weight-throw, discus, hammer and javelin. She qualified for the first of the NCAA's in the Mideast Region in the shot put and discus, and made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll with the highest GPA on the team in 2009.
Svoboda earned a Bachelor of Science at Kentucky in Education in 2012 and a Master of Science in Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Sports Leadership in 2014.