SUNY University at Buffalo Men's Track

Mitchell enters her 17th year with the UB program in 2015-16 and serves as the director and head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track & field programs, a position she's held since 2002-03. Mitchell directs and supervises all components of the cross country and track & field programs. Mitchell manages the men's & women's budgets including OTPS and GIA, meet schedule, home event management for cross country and track & field meets and serves as the academic liaison. She continues to directly coach women's cross country, middle distance and distance events, while overseeing all other events. During the fall season, she has produced 12 men's and eight women's All-MAC cross country performers since 2002. As the director, Mitchell oversaw the coaching of Zachary Ahart to an individual men's MAC championship in 2013. In 2011, the men's squad clocked a program-best third-place finish in the MAC and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships. The team has placed in the top five at the conference championships five out of the last six years. Under Mitchell, Jenny Koeppel claimed a 2004 individual women's MAC championship and two seasons later Mary Veith raced to a runner-up finish. Koeppel became the first women's cross country runner in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The women's team had a program-best fourth-place finish at the 2004 MAC championships. Mitchell has led the track & field programs to new heights during her tenure. Twenty of UB's 21 All-Americans have been crowned during Mitchell's time as head coach, including UB's first NCAA Division I national champion in any sport, 2015 graduate Jonathan Jones. Jones won the 2015 outdoor men's shot put with a school-record heave of 20.78 meters in Eugene. Only 12 school records stand that have not been broken or matched under her guidance, including several records in events that are no longer contested. Mitchell's student-athletes set 28 school records in 2014 alone 19 men's records and nine women's and added another 19 in 2015 11 men's and eight women's. The Bulls, both men and women, placed fourth at the 2014 MAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Under Mitchell's tutelage, middle-distance standout Allison Laske competed in the 800 run at the NCAA Outdoor National Championship and went on to race at the 2004 US Olympic Trials. The women's T&F team had a program-best third-place showing at the MAC Outdoor Championships in 2013, while the 2010 season produced UB's first T&F All-American in over 10 years with Kristy Woods placing third in the outdoor shot put. Nineteen All-America finishes have followed, as well as numerous MAC champions and NCAA qualifiers. In addition, Mitchell has had several athletes qualify for the USATF Junior National Championships annually. Prior to arriving at UB in 1999, Mitchell served as the assistant cross country and track & field coach at William Jewell College in Kansas City, Missouri. Mitchell also spent five years at Holy Angels Academy in Buffalo where she taught physical education and was the head cross country and track & field coach. A native of Western New York, she is a 1987 graduate of Amherst Central School. A distinguished athlete and international competitor, Mitchell competed in the 1996 US Olympic Trials in the 10,000 run. She made her marathon debut at the 1999 Hong Kong Marathon, where she qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Marathon Trials. In 2001, she was invited to join the Fila Discovery USA training program, a program designed to develop American distance runners into elite marathon athletes able to compete with the best in the world. She has been a member of five USA national teams, including the 1993 World University Games and 1998 IAAF World Road Race Championship in Manaus, Brazil. Mitchell is the current Northeast NCAA Cross Country representative and has been an instrumental committee member in establishing the Buffalo Chapter of Girls on the Run, a national program for pre-teen girls that focuses on developing self-esteem, self-respect and healthy living through fitness and running. Mitchell also presented at the 2010 Illinois State Track Clinic, is a panel member of the Buffalo Medical Runner's Forum and is a regular speaker at several running camps each year. Mitchell received her B.S.E. in physical education from SUNY Cortland in 1991 and a master's in exercise physiology from North Carolina-Greensboro in 1994. While at Cortland, Mitchell was a seven-time NCAA champion and 10-time All-American in leading the Red Dragons to NCAA Division III national championships in cross country and track & field. In 2003, she was named Cortland's Western New York Alum of the Year, and in 2004 she was inducted to the Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame. In 2010, she was named to the Division III Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame and was a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame class of 2014. 6/15

Witzleben enters his sixth year as the Bulls men's cross country and distance coach in 2015-16. He was elevated to associate head coach for the 2013 cross country season. He also takes on the role of recruiting coordinator for track events and foreign student-athletes. Under Witzleben's direction, Zack Ahart became the first men's cross country runner in program history to win an individual MAC Championship. In five seasons as the men's cross country coach, eight athletes have earned All-MAC honors. The Bulls had their best finish as a program in 2011 placing third at the MAC Championships. That same season, UB went on to claim a program-best seventh-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional. The men's track & field team set nine school records in the distance events during 2013-14. The team scored 16 points in the distance events at the Outdoor MAC Championships. Tyler Scheving qualified for the NCAA Championships, Round 1 in the 800-meter run and the DMR established a new school record while winning the event at the Indoor MAC Championships. During the 2014-15 season, Witzleben's Bulls clocked five new school records. Scheving recorded two indoors (800 & 1,000) and Brian Crimmins accounted for a pair outdoors (800 & 1,500). The duo was joined by Cameron Bruce and Tryvon Mask in winning the indoor DMR at the conference championships to tally first-team recognition. In 2013, Crimmins set a school record in the indoor 1,000. His time of 2:24.16 was the 14th-best time in the NCAA and the 22nd-best by an American that season. Later that year, Scheving set the 800 school record clocking a time of 1:50.32. He went on to place seventh at the USATF Junior National Championships. In 2011, Witzleben coached Ryan Bloom to a MAC title and a school record in the steeplechase. He also guided UB to a runner-up finish in the DMR and John Inzina to a second-place finish in the 3,000. Witzleben was assistant coach at his alma mater, La Salle, from 2007-10 assisting with the distance runners. He coached Sean Quigley to a third-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 5,000. Quigley went on to run a 28:03 10K, the seventh-fastest time by an American in NCAA history. In 2010, La Salle set a school record of 7:23 in the 4x800 relay. He also worked with Rachel Papin as she ran 33:15 in the 10,000. In 2006-07, Witzleben served as the head cross country and distance coach at Temple, helping to rebuild the distance program after a 20-year hiatus. He got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at The College of New Jersey. During his tenure, TCNJ had Jeff Zodda win the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in the 800, while at the outdoor championships, Zodda earned a runner-up finish in the 800 and Brian Donovan had a second-place showing in the 10,000. A Western New York native, Witzleben graduated from Orchard Park High School where he won the 1999 state championship in the 3,200. He twice qualified for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships while competing in cross country and track & field at LaSalle University and won six individual Atlantic-10 Conference titles. He was also a four-time Academic All-American and was named the 2003 La Salle University Student-Athlete of the Year. Witzleben was a 2010 inductee into La Salle's Hall of Athletes. As professional runner, Witzleben was sponsored by Nike Team Run LA. He starred in Nike's Run Barefoot "Chariots of Fire" commercial and placed seventh at the 2005 Freescale Austin Marathon in 2:21.23. Todd earned his Bachelor's and MBA degrees in business administration from LaSalle. He and his wife, Megan, reside in Williamsville with their sons, Charles and Miles, and dog, Abby. 6/15

Esler is the Associate Head Field Events Coach and has taken the field events at the University to an elite level while bringing national recognition to this emerging program.   The 2017 season promises to be a very exciting year for Eslers group. We have an incredible amount of talent coming out this year in the vertical jumps and multi-events. We return some big guns in the combined events with Mike Morgan, Ryan Billian, and Emma Siuciak all coming into their last year of eligibility. We also have some extremely exciting new comers to the multi event group with transfer Martine Bye coming in, Selina Von Jackowski converting over, and Zach Jones starting his UB career.   The high jump and pole vault are also places we can do some serious damage at a conference level while having a strong group moving on to National Competitions. Captain, Dan Normoyle is poised for a breakout season, while Jenn Thill looks to bust loose after having last season cut short by injury. We also have a hungry group of talented freshman who could have serious impacts right away.   I cant say enough about this group. We are deeper than weve ever been and the quality of individual we have is something that really separates these guys from anything Ive ever worked before. To say Im excited about this season would be an understatement!   This past summer Esler was selected by the USATF to lead the men's decathletes at the Pan American Combined Events Cup which was held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from June 17-18 where Team USA swept the mens Decathlon with a 1-2 finish while defending their team title. Esler directly coaches men and women high jump, pole vault and combined events and also serves as Recruiting Coordinator for Field Events. In his tenure at UB Esler has coached three All-American, 7 NCAA Finalists, as well as advanced 32 UB students to the NCAA Preliminary Championships. Esler has coached conference champions in the mens and womens heptathlon, mens and womens high jump, mens and womens long jump, womens pole vault, mens and womans javelin, mens decathlon, womens pentathlon, mens 110m hurdles, and mens triple jump during his time at UB. He has virtually rewritten the field events record board.   A Western New York native, Eslers athletic accomplishments at UB included individual Mid-American Conference championships in the decathlon and heptathlon as well as a berth in the NCAA and USA Combined Indoor Events Championships. While competing, he earned team MVP honors twice and was also voted UBs Male Athlete of the Year in 2003. At the time, he owned school records in the high jump, decathlon, heptathlon and pentathlon.   Esler has worked under former Buffalo Sabres strength and conditioning coach Doug McKinney as a Speed and Power Specialist for Pro-Formance Training. He also served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Canisius College and is a certified USA Track and Field Level I coach as well as his USATF Technical Certification. Esler earned his B.S. in Exercise Science and M.S. in Biomechanics while at the University at Buffalo.

Jenkins enters his 17th year with the UB track & field program in 2015-16. Jenkins was appointed head coach for sprints and relays prior to the 2013 season. During his tenure with the Bulls, he has coached many of UB's horizontal jumpers and sprinters with several of his athletes earning Mid-American Conference or regional championships. Jenkins has high expectations for his student-athletes and in developing athletes with their sights set on becoming the best in the MAC and at the NCAA Championships. Jenkins is a Western New York fixture on the track & field scene. He came to UB with a very successful background in collegiate coaching. Prior to UB, he had a tenure of more than 20 years with Erie Community College, where he not only produced over 50 All-Americans, but was also elected NJCAA Coach of the Year several times. Jenkins was also the women's coach at Buffalo State for two years, concurrent with his duties at ECC. While with the Bulls, he guided UB triple jumper Biaunca McFarland to the NCAA Championships in 2003 and Roy Richards in the long jump the following season. In 2012, under Jenkins' guidance, 800-meter specialist Asia Henry earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and participated at the Jamaican Olympic Trials. Most recently, Ryan Billian qualified for the 2015 outdoor meet after a ninth-place finish at the NCAA East Preliminaries. In his three seasons as head coach for sprints and relays, Jenkins has coached 16 current school record holders in the dashes and hurdles. He is also a Master Official with the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and has officiated many national and international meets. Among the most notable of his officiating assignments have been the 1998, 2003 and 2005 NCAA Championships and the 2005 USTFCCCA Junior and Senior Championships. In 2008, he worked his third U.S. Olympic Trials and held starter's duties in the 2004 and 2008 meets. Jenkins also serves as a Past President of the Niagara Association of USATF. He is currently also the chairman of men's and women's and master's track & field with the Niagara Association. A 1981 graduate of Empire State College, Jenkins holds a degree in recreation leadership/management. 7/15

Bell joined the coaching staff for the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach for jumps, working with the horizontal jumpers. In 2014-15, he coached the men to points in the indoor and outdoor long and triple jumps at the Mid-American Conference Championships. Austin Ashby tallied points at both meets, while Austin Price led the Bulls with a third-place finish in the outdoor triple jump. Bell was a standout for the Bulls during his four-year career. He was a multi-faceted student-athlete earning Second-Team All-MAC in both the 4x100-meter relay and the triple jump. Bell was also a conference medalist in the long jump and consistent MAC scorer in the high jump. During the 2013 season, he served as team captain and was awarded the Track & Field Coaches' Award. In 2013, Bell helped the UB football team to its second-ever bowl game appearance. He played in 10 games on the kick coverage team. Bell graduated with a BS in Business Administration and a concentration in International Business. Bell, and his wife Katelyn, welcomed their first child, Tomarris Jr., in 2014. 7/15

Garnham Sr. enters his 15th season as UBs throws coach. He brings an impressive resume to UB having coached nearly 40 high school state champions, NCAA All-Americans and NCAA Regional and Championship meet qualifiers. During his time at Buffalo, he has turned the UB throws program into one of the best in the Mid-American Conference.  Coach Garnham has been recognized as the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year 5 times for his athletes successes. In 2015 Jonathan Jones set new school and MAC league records in both the indoor and outdoor shot with throws of (676.75) indoor and (68 7.75) outdoor. Jones also earned both the Indoor and Outdoor MAC Championship Shot Put titles. Jones earned First Team All-American honors with both of his indoor and outdoor finishes, placing third and first at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championship. With his first-place finish in the outdoor shotput at NCAA Championships, Jones became the first UB athlete to win a NCAA National Championship title and the highest finish by a UB male athlete in school history. Jones is a six-time NCAA All-American and is also a member of Team USA, due to his 5 place finish at the USATF Championships, and represented Team USA at the Pan Am and the NACAC Games. Jones won the NACAC shot title setting a new meet record (67 4.75). At the 2015 Outdoor MAC Championship the men swept the shot, the first time that this has been done since 1955. Jon Jones (66 7) Devon Paterson (59 6.75) Ryan Cribbin (59 4.75) finished first through third, respectively. In the 2015 outdoor season Miranda Daucher had a personal-best throw in the discus (176 3) as well as Taylor Woods threw 160 7. Garnhams athletes scored in the shot, discus, and javelin, at the 2015  MAC Championships. He also had five athletes advanced to the NCAA Preliminary Round. Under Garnhams tenure, the Bulls have competed in postseason competition at the USATF Junior National, ECAC, IC4A and NCAA Championship meets. Nearly all his mens and womens throwers have posted league championship, school or personal records. At UB, he has over 40 throwers qualify for indoor or outdoor regional championships. During the 2014 season Evan Palmer won the indoor MAC Championship weight throw setting a new school record (68 7.25), in the outdoor season he set a new outdoor hammer school record of 211 8. Jacob Sunday won the 2014 MAC Championship javelin title throwing (224 4). Megan Paterson threw a personal best, in the indoor shot of 52 3 and Rachel Roberts had a personal best, in the outdoor shot, 52 8. In 2013 Shante White was the Indoor MAC Champion in the 20-pound weight throw (69 8), which also set a school record. She also went on to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships and earned second-team All American accolades and also holds the outdoor hammer record (206 4). In 2012 Rob Golabek threw the shot (64 9), and Becky OBrian threw the shot (57 6) and the discus (193 8) with both of them earning NCAA All-American honors. Those throws set school, MAC meet and League records. Golabek is a four-time All-American and OBrian is a two-time All-American. Matt Gac earned NCAA All-America accolades during the 2011 season and is the first male track and field athlete to represent UB at the NCAA National Championships in two different events. In 2010 Garnham guided Kristy Woods to NCAA All-America status with her third place finish (55 .25) in the shot, and is UBs highest womens finish at the NCAA Championships. In the same year Jacob Madonia won the Indoor Mac Championship shot title with a throw of 59 2. In 2009, Alex Stamatakis won the MAC indoor shot put and finished second in the National Greek 23-and-under Championships. In 2007, Tina Villa won the MAC indoor shot put title, while Stamatakis reached the NCAA East Regionals. Garnham coached Sarah Vance to the 2007 indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships as she posted school records in the shot put and the discus. Vance was the first UB track and field athlete to qualify in two different events, shot put and hammer, at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. He also guided Faith Thompson to MAC records in the weight and hammer throws. Thompson also ranked 12th nationally in the hammer and 15th in the weight throw, which hit qualification marks for the 2005 USATF Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Thompson is UBs first female athlete to be a first team Division 1-A Scholastic All American.  Garnham coached 30 years at the high school level, 10 years at Tonawanda High School and 20 years at Sweet Home High School. As a boys assistant coach at Tonawanda, he coached four state qualifiers and his throwers set records in the shot put (58-4) and discus (160-11) that still stand after more than three decades. At Sweet Home as a head girls and assistant boys coach he coached 17 state track and field champions. He coached Stacey Schroeder, who won the High School Indoor National shot put Championship (49-6) and the High School Outdoor National discus Championship, Schroeder still presently holds the New York State discus record holder (172-0). Others under his tutelage include Steve Mesler, an Indoor High School National Pentathlon Champion and three time Olympic bob sled member for the USA l Team. In 2010 Mesler won an Olympic gold, in the 4 men bob sled, and was a member of the 2009 World Champion winning bobsled team. Garnham also coached his son Jim Garnham Jr. who was the former New York State pentathlon record holder.  Garnham also coached at his alma mater, Buffalo State, from 1979-81 as an assistant coach. While with the Bengals, he coached 17 NCAA Division III All-Americans. His throwers set top marks in the shot put and discus throws that remain school records.  Off the track, Garnham was a technology instructor in the City of Tonawanda school system, teaching eighth graders for 33 years.  He earned his bachelors degree in education from Buffalo State in 1968 and his Masters degree in 1976. In 1968, as a member of the track and field team, Garnham won the Atlantic Coast NCAA regional championship, in the shot put, and finished fifth in both the javelin and discus throws.  Garnham is presently and still happily married to his high school sweet heart Sharon who he married in 1968. They have 3 children, Lisa, Kim and Jim and a grandson, Sammy.     2/16 Jim Garnham Sr. enters his 15th season as UBs throws coach. He brings an impressive resume to UB having coached nearly 40 high school state champions, NCAA All-Americans and NCAA Regional and Championship meet qualifiers. During his time at Buffalo, he has turned the UB throws program into one of the best in the Mid-American Conference.  Coach Garnham has been recognized as the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year 5 times for his athletes successes. In 2015 Jonathan Jones set new school and MAC league records in both the indoor and outdoor shot with throws of (676.75) indoor and (68 7.75) outdoor. Jones also earned both the Indoor and Outdoor MAC Championship Shot Put titles. Jones earned First Team All-American honors with both of his indoor and outdoor finishes, placing third and first at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championship. With his first-place finish in the outdoor shotput at NCAA Championships, Jones became the first UB athlete to win a NCAA National Championship title and the highest finish by a UB male athlete in school history. Jones is a six-time NCAA All-American and is also a member of Team USA, due to his 5 place finish at the USATF Championships, and represented Team USA at the Pan Am and the NACAC Games. Jones won the NACAC shot title setting a new meet record (67 4.75). At the 2015 Outdoor MAC Championship the men swept the shot, the first time that this has been done since 1955. Jon Jones (66 7) Devon Paterson (59 6.75) Ryan Cribbin (59 4.75) finished first through third, respectively. In the 2015 outdoor season Miranda Daucher had a personal-best throw in the discus (176 3) as well as Taylor Woods threw 160 7. Garnhams athletes scored in the shot, discus, and javelin, at the 2015  MAC Championships. He also had five athletes advanced to the NCAA Preliminary Round. Under Garnhams tenure, the Bulls have competed in postseason competition at the USATF Junior National, ECAC, IC4A and NCAA Championship meets. Nearly all his mens and womens throwers have posted league championship, school or personal records. At UB, he has over 40 throwers qualify for indoor or outdoor regional championships. During the 2014 season Evan Palmer won the indoor MAC Championship weight throw setting a new school record (68 7.25), in the outdoor season he set a new outdoor hammer school record of 211 8. Jacob Sunday won the 2014 MAC Championship javelin title throwing (224 4). Megan Paterson threw a personal best, in the indoor shot of 52 3 and Rachel Roberts had a personal best, in the outdoor shot, 52 8. In 2013 Shante White was the Indoor MAC Champion in the 20-pound weight throw (69 8), which also set a school record. She also went on to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships and earned second-team All American accolades and also holds the outdoor hammer record (206 4). In 2012 Rob Golabek threw the shot (64 9), and Becky OBrian threw the shot (57 6) and the discus (193 8) with both of them earning NCAA All-American honors. Those throws set school, MAC meet and League records. Golabek is a four-time All-American and OBrian is a two-time All-American. Matt Gac earned NCAA All-America accolades during the 2011 season and is the first male track and field athlete to represent UB at the NCAA National Championships in two different events. In 2010 Garnham guided Kristy Woods to NCAA All-America status with her third place finish (55 .25) in the shot, and is UBs highest womens finish at the NCAA Championships. In the same year Jacob Madonia won the Indoor Mac Championship shot title with a throw of 59 2. In 2009, Alex Stamatakis won the MAC indoor shot put and finished second in the National Greek 23-and-under Championships. In 2007, Tina Villa won the MAC indoor shot put title, while Stamatakis reached the NCAA East Regionals. Garnham coached Sarah Vance to the 2007 indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships as she posted school records in the shot put and the discus. Vance was the first UB track and field athlete to qualify in two different events, shot put and hammer, at the NCAA Outdoor Championship. He also guided Faith Thompson to MAC records in the weight and hammer throws. Thompson also ranked 12th nationally in the hammer and 15th in the weight throw, which hit qualification marks for the 2005 USATF Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Thompson is UBs first female athlete to be a first team Division 1-A Scholastic All American.  Garnham coached 30 years at the high school level, 10 years at Tonawanda High School and 20 years at Sweet Home High School. As a boys assistant coach at Tonawanda, he coached four state qualifiers and his throwers set records in the shot put (58-4) and discus (160-11) that still stand after more than three decades. At Sweet Home as a head girls and assistant boys coach he coached 17 state track and field champions. He coached Stacey Schroeder, who won the High School Indoor National shot put Championship (49-6) and the High School Outdoor National discus Championship, Schroeder still presently holds the New York State discus record holder (172-0). Others under his tutelage include Steve Mesler, an Indoor High School National Pentathlon Champion and three time Olympic bob sled member for the USA l Team. In 2010 Mesler won an Olympic gold, in the 4 men bob sled, and was a member of the 2009 World Champion winning bobsled team. Garnham also coached his son Jim Garnham Jr. who was the former New York State pentathlon record holder.  Garnham also coached at his alma mater, Buffalo State, from 1979-81 as an assistant coach. While with the Bengals, he coached 17 NCAA Division III All-Americans. His throwers set top marks in the shot put and discus throws that remain school records.  Off the track, Garnham was a technology instructor in the City of Tonawanda school system, teaching eighth graders for 33 years.  He earned his bachelors degree in education from Buffalo State in 1968 and his Masters degree in 1976. In 1968, as a member of the track and field team, Garnham won the Atlantic Coast NCAA regional championship, in the shot put, and finished fifth in both the javelin and discus throws.  Garnham is presently and still happily married to his high school sweet heart Sharon who he married in 1968. They have 3 children, Lisa, Kim and Jim and a grandson, Sammy.     2/16