University of Missouri Men's Track

Halter Head Coach   Twitter: CoachHalter Experience: 5th Year Hometown:  Alma Mater: Indiana University of Pennsylvania ('93), University of Missouri ('96)  Updated: January 3, 2015 In his sixth year as Head Coach, and 23rd year with the Tigers Track & Field program, Brett Halter continues to establish himself as one of the premier coaches in the nation.  Already renowned for his work with the throwing events when he took over the program in August 2010, Halter has continued to build the success story of Mizzou Track & Field throughout the last five years and has continued to build toward success in the future. As the primary coach for the throwing events, Halter has developed and demonstrated a brilliant understanding of the various technical aspects of the throws.  He has combined those skill with a passionate approach to recruiting and effective teaching to lead a long line of talented young Tiger student-athletes.  In fact, Halters accomplishments have led to his appointment as throws coach for the 2010 U.S. World Junior Team, and he is also one of a select few coaches in the U.S. to hold the distinction of earning an IAAF Level V Certification. 2014-15 Halters fourth year at the helm of the Mizzou Track & Field program was a historic one, as he continued to mentor two of the top female throwers in the U.S. for their senior season.  Included in the multitude of achievements and honors garnered by Kearsten Peoples and Jill Rushin was the programs fourth NCAA title, first since 2001, as Peoples claimed the podiums top spot in the weight throw during the indoor championship meet.  In fact, that was only the cherry on an already-historic season for Peoples, as she also threw the No. 7 mark in collegiate history for the indoor weight throw, hitting 22.84m (74-11.25) at home during the Collegiate Challenge before going on to claim the SEC title in the event.  Rushin also mounted the podium during the Indoor SEC and NCAA Championship meets, finishing second and fifth in the shot put, respectively.  The pair also earned SEC titles during the outdoor season with Peoples winning the hammer throw and Rushin the shot put.  Peoples joined Rushin on the shot put podium, after placing third in the competition.  They closed their collegiate careers with First Team All-American finishes, with Rushin taking seventh in the shot put and Peoples eighth in the hammer throw. The post-season also some exciting finishes, with Peoples and Rushin both qualifying for the USATF Championships, and John Warren, Karissa Schweizer, Gabbi Jacobs, and Avery Carter all earning spots at the USATF Junior Championships.  Schweizer was third for juniors in the U.S. in the 3000m, while Warren claimed the junior national title in the triple jump, going on to represent the U.S. with a fifth-place finish at the PanAmerican Junior Championships.  A pair of Tigers also saw some international competition, with Markesh Woodson representing the U.S., and Katrine Haarklau representing Norway, at the World University Games. In all, the 2015 season ended with one national title, nine All-American finishes, three SEC champion, ten All-SEC honorees, eight new Mizzou school records, and 40 new All-Time Top Ten marks. 2013-14 Record book re-writes continued to be a central storyline in Halters fourth year as Head Coach, as the Tigers reset six school records and earned 69 new All-Time Top Ten marks during the indoor and outdoor season.  Leading the way with six record performances to her name was junior thrower Kearsten Peoples, who once again served as a headliner for the Tigers program, notching her second SEC title in the shot put during the indoor season and another three All-American finishes.  Peoples sat atop the national rankings for the shot put during the indoor and outdoor season, closing the latter with the overall top mark in the NCAA for the 2014 season.  Joining her at the top of the rankings for the shot put was classmate Jill Rushin, who led the NCAA in her own right for a time in the outdoor shot put.  Both women qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, tallying a total of 11 points between them to place 16th as a team, the highest for the Tiger women since 2001 when the womens DMR led them to a seventh-place team finish. The NCAA Outdoor Championships also saw a bit of history-making, with ten Tigers qualifying out of the NCAA West Preliminary Round into the finals.  The eight qualifiers on the womens side marked the largest group ever for the team at the NCAA Finals. 2012-13 In its first year as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and third under Halters leadership, the Tigers Track & Field program wasted little time in proving their commitment to raising the bar to the level of the powerhouse conference in the U.S.  The men, behind the outstanding performance by freshman Markesh Woodson who claimed the programs first SEC title with a win in the 60m dash, closed the indoor championship meet with an eighth place finish.  Woodson was joined on the podium by senior Max Storms during the outdoor championship meet, helping the team to a ninth-place finish on their home track at the Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia.  The women, who placed ninth during the indoor season, jumped to a sixth-place finish during the outdoor season behind the programs second SEC Champion, Kearsten Peoples (shot put). 2011-2012 It didn't take long for Halter to find his rhythm as the new Head Coach of the Tigers' Track & Field program.  In his second season at the helm of the team, he coached six new Missouri School Records and six new All-Time Top Ten performances for the women, and three new Missouri School Records and 12 new All-Time Top Ten marks for the men. Once again, the young throws squad continued to thrive under Halter's tutelage, with sophomore Kearsten Peoples standing out with two School Records in the shot put and discus, a pair of All-American nods, and a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the shot put. Joining Peoples on the record board was a strong mid-distance and distance contingent, with Dan Quigley (indoor/outdoor 5000m), Max Storms (10,000m), and Laura Roxberg (mile, 1500m) all making their marks on Mizzou Track & Field history.  Rounding out the new class of record holders was senior Leslie Farmer (400m hurdles), and freshman Katrine Haarklau (pole vault). Halter wrapped up the indoor season with a pair of Big 12 titles by Ricky West in the 800m and Roxberg in the mile, then an All-American finish by West in the same event.  Another couple of Big 12 Champions and three All-American performances during the outdoor season finished out year two for Halter.  Roxberg repeated her winning performance with a first-place finish in the 1500m, and was joined at the top of the podium by Peoples in the discus.  Peoples went on to earn her first two All-American honors in the shot put and discus, along with another All-American performance by West in the 800m. 2010-2011 In Halter's first year as head coach, the Tiger Track & Field program showed plenty of potential highlighted by its youth and savvy veterans.  In fact, Halter saw a couple of Missouri School Records fall, as pole vault stand-out Brian Hancock took down the indoor and outdoor records.  Hancock was one of two All-Americans from the 2011 season, and was joined on the NCAA podium by fellow-senior and combined events specialist Lars Rise. The Tigers had 15 Indoor All-Big 12 finishers, 14 Outdoor All-Big 12 finishers, a Big 12 Champion in Lars Rise, and 21 NCAA First Round qualifiers to kick off Halter's career as head coach. There were plenty of other highlights from the Tigers during the 2010-2011 season, including from a  young throws contingent that will likely be the cornerstone of the Mizzou program in the years to come.  Highlighting this group of young Tigers was freshman Kearsten Peoples, who kicked off her Tiger career with an All-Big 12 finish in the weight throw.  Halter also had a strong group of returners in the throws, as they picked up three Indoor All-Big 12 finishes, five Outdoor All-Big 12 finishes, and nine NCAA First Round qualifiers. Mizzou's post-collegiate athletes also continued to perform, with Christian Cantwell voted as the No. 3 male athlete in the world, and the top shot putter this season, by Track & Field News. 2009-2010 Despite having a very young contingent of throwers in 2010, Halter's group once again flourished under his guidance.  In fact, Halter led his student-athletes to 13 individual All-Big 12 honors in 2010 and sent six student-athletes to the first round of the NCAA Championships.  He coached Andy Oaker to a third-place finish in the shot put at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, and saw two of his athletes turn in fourth-place nods during the Big 12 Outdoor Championships - Chris Holly (hammer) and Katie Evans (discus). What may be even more impressive is that, of the 13 individuals to claim All-Big 12 honors in 2010, ten were underclassmen.  Four of the six Tigers sent to the NCAA Championships were also underclassmen, setting up a bright future for the throws at Mizzou. 2008-2009 Halter's throwers, in particular Chris Rohr and Krishna Lee, put together one of the finest seasons in Mizzou history in 2009.  Combined with what former Tiger, and current Halter understudy, Christian Cantwell did at the IAAF Outdoor World Championships over the summmer, 2009 may indeed have been one of Halter's finest.  Rohr added two more All-American honors to his already impressive ledger, picking up a pair of Big 12 Championship titles along the way.  He also reset the league's championship meet record in the hammer throw at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.  Halter's tutelage also led Rohr to a USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Field Athlete of the Year award during the indoor season, and a third-place national finish in the weight throw. Lee highlighted the throwers on the women's side, earning a pair of All-American honors and her first individual Big 12 title to close out her senior season, blasting the competition in the women's hammer throw at the outdoor conference meet.  Lee also took home the Big 12's "Most-Points-Scored" trophy, as she totaled 21 points ni her three events during the outdoor championships.  She finished first in the hammer, second in the shot put, and sixth in the discus. Cantwell put the exclamation point on the end of the season for Halter and his athletes, as he earned an IAAF World Outdoor Championship title in the shot put.  Cantwell bested 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Tomasz Majewski in the event, who had thrown the world's best throw in the fifth round at the championships.  Cantwell, undaunted by Majewski, stepped up and left little doubt about who was the best thrower in the world as he tossed a throw of 22.03m (72-3.50) in his very next attempt.  The outdoor gold for Cantwell gives hime three IAAF Gold Medals, as he picked up a pair of indoor titles earlier in his career.  He is one of only two throwers to have claimed a pair of indoor world championships. 2007-2008 The 2008 season was full of many successes for Halter's pupils.  In addition to having five Tigers earn All-American honors during the collegiate season, Halter's tutelage of post-collegian Christan Cantwell produced a second IAAF World Indoor Championship title and an Olympic Silver Medal for the elite shot putter. Chris Rohr gained his third All-American honor with the weight throw during the indoor season, accomplishing the feat after throwing a Mizzou school record and then a collegiate-leading mark of 22.26m (73-0.25) at the UCM Classic in Warrensburg.  The following week, Rohr connected on an even better throw of 22.42m (73-6.50) at the Big 12 Indoor Championships to earn second place.  Rohr would go on to also earn an All-American honor in the hammer throw during the outdoor season. Jason Morris nabbed his second All-American honor with the hammer during the outdoor season.  Shernelle Nicholls took sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn herself an All-American honor while Krishna Lee also earned an All-American finish in the same event.  Nate Englin swept Big 12 shot put titles in 2008, winning during both the indoor and outdoor championships.  He was the league's co-high scorer during the indoor championships. In total, Halter saw the Tigers to 28 All-Big 12 honors among the indoor and outdoor league meets.  The Tiger men earned four spots in the weight throw, and three in the shot put, during the indoor season.  Three Tigers also notched scoring spots during the outdoor season in the men's hammer throw, women's shot put, and women's hammer throw. SENSATIONAL SUPERLATIVE SEASONS Throughout Halter's coaching career at Missouri, several seasons have been filled with major accomplishments.  In 2007, four Tiger throwers earned All-American honors, including three during the indoor season.  Chris Rohr and Tyler Dailey earned certificates in the men's weight throw, while Elisha Hunt had a breakthrough performance after placing fourth on the women's side.  Rohr earned his second-straight honor in the event.  During the 2006 indoor season, Halter put Missouri on the map in the weight throw as four Tigers scored in the Big 12 Indoor Championships, while Rohr earned All-American honors with his national top-15 finish with the implement. It was an outstanding 2006 outdoor season that followed for the Tigers.  Five male throwers and female shot putter Elizabeth Robe qualified for the NCAA Championships.  Halter also sent more men and women throwers to the NCAA Regional Championships than any other coach in the nation in 2006.  Sophomore Jason Morris was impressive with the hammer throw, qualifying for the USATF Championships as well as the NCAA Championships, grabbing runner-up honors at the NCAA Mideast Regional, Big 12 Championships, and the Drake Relays.  Englin and Bill Hobson earned top-five regional finishes with the shot put, and Bobby Musil and Tyler Dailey joined Morris in the NCAA Championships hammer throw event.  Nine Tiger male throwers gained 13 NCAA Regional qualifying marks during the outdoor season, the most of any team in the nation. In the 2005 indoor season, Conrad Woolsey won the Big 12 men's shot put title on his final throw, claiming Mizzou's fifth title in the event over a six-year span.l Holly Scherder claimed Missouri's first conference crown in the women's hammer in 2004, setting what was then the new Tiger record. In 2003, Russ Bell became the first in Missouri history to garner All-American finishes in four separate events (2001: discus, 2002: weight throw and hammer throw, 2003: indoor shot put). That same season, Bell recorded a career-high 20 points at the Big 12 Championships while winning the conference's hammer throw title, and became a four-time Drake Relays Champion after winning two titles over his career in the shot and discus. Tiger throwers eclipsed several milestones in 2002. Christian Cantwell became the first American collegiate to throw better than 70 feet in the shot put since 1992. Cantwell's mark of 70-4.5 set the Big 12 record while ranking him seventh in the world for the 2002 season. Russ Bell, Cantwell, and Micah Shanks each threw better than 70 feet in the weight throw, making Missouri the first school in collegiate history to have three 70-foot throwers in a single season. In 2000, Cantwell set the Big 12 record in the shot put with a mark of 19.65m (64-6.25) as a freshman. This was the second-longest throw of all-time by an American college freshman. In addition, fellow first-year thrower Russ Bell earned USATF Junior All-American honors in the shot put, discus, and hammer. Bell also qualified for the junior team that toured Canada. CANTWELL SUCCESS Halter was primarily responsible for the collegiate and now post-collegiate success of Olympian Christian Cantwell. Cantwell earned seven All-American honors and a Missouri school record during his time as a Tiger, and has since gone on to become an Olympic Silver Medalist and a four-time IAAF Indoor (2004, 2008, 2010) and Outdoor World Champion. Halter has remained Cantwell's coach through his years of post-collegian status. In 2004, Cantwell won his first IAAF World Indoor Championship title in the shot put, and recorded the world's longest throws in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. In 2005, Cantwell won the USATF Championship title, and advanced to the IAAF World Championships in Finland. In 2008, Cantwell won his second indoor world title and an Olympic silver medal at the Beijing Games. Cantwell notched a second-place finish at the USATF Olympic Trials in late June to earn his first spot on an Olympic team. During the indoor season, Cantwell most likely became the first person to record a complete indoor, six-throw series with all marks topping 70 feet at the UCM Classic in Warrensburg. His best of the series, a heave of 22.18m (72-9.25), moved him to fifth on the All-Time World list indoors. A week later, Cantwell won his fifth USATF Championship title at the indoor meet in Boston. Also in 2008, Cantwell won his record-breaking sixth Drake Relays title. In 2007, Cantwell won his third U.S. crown while also claiming a big bonus check in winning the Indoor VISA Championship Series after having the best all-around American performance with a season-best throw of 21.88m (71-9.25) at the Millrose Games. In 2006, Cantwell recorded four throws better than the 22-meter mark (72-2.75), a feat accomplished only six times in the history of the World, and for the first time since 1990. Cantwell ranks fifth all-time in the World with seven career 22-meter throws. 2010 was maybe Cantwell's most dominant year on the world-wide circuit as he claimed his third IAAF World Indoor Championship - making him the only athlete to win three Indoor World Championships - and he claimed the USATF Championship title in the shot put. In 2010, Cantwell set the world's top two shot put marks and tossed three of the top five and six of the top ten. He threw the world's best mark for the year, 22.41m (73-6.25), in Eugene, OR, at the Prefontaine Classic. Cantwell also clinched the Samsung Diamond Race title in Stockholm, Sweden, after resetting the meet record with a throw of 22.09m (72-5.75). That win, along with his wins in Doha, Oslo, Rome, and Eugene clinched him the title in the Samsung Diamond Series. In all, Cantwell eclipsed the 21.00m (69-0) mark in 14 of 15 meets, and eclipsed that mark in more than 80 meets in his career, showing a mark of consistency that has not been matched in the event. Also, Cantwell had won 20 consecutive shot put titles until his streak was snapped at the Diamond League meet at Crystal Palace in London on August 15. He finished third in that event with his worst throw of the season. But the 20-event win streak is as impressive as any feat ever accomplished in the sport. Beyond the Rings Halter's administrative skills play an integral role in Missouri's success. Prior to his move into the Head Coach position, Halter served as meet director for all home meets, including the hosting of three Big 12 Championships and the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regional, and played a key role in the design, development, and construction of the championships track facility. Since he began his tenure as Head Coach, Halter helped plan and run the 2013 SEC Outdoor Championships, hosted by Mizzou during their first year in the conference. Additionally, Halter serves as the Director of the Missouri Track & Field Camp and the Missouri Thrower Development Camp. He is an active member of the USA Track and Field Coaches' Education Program. Halter has completed Levels I, II, and III certification in the throws. He was coordinator of the Level II school held at MU in 1996. He has also earned his IAAF Level V Certification, making him only one of two coaches in the nation to hold that distinction. His innovative and creative ideas have made him a popular clinic speaker. Most recently, in December 2008, Halter presented a seminar on "Moving Toward a High Level of Competence Through a Systematic Approach in the Rotational Shot Put" at the USA National Podium Project in Las Vegas. Halter also presented at the 2008 USATF Olympic Trials Super Clinic in Eugene, OR, on the topic "Coaching Big Guys in the Shot". At the 2007 USTFCCCA Convention in Phoenix, Halter conducted a symposium with Arizona State coach Dave Dumble on shot put techniques, presented to track and field coaches. In 2005, Halter wrote "Progressions for Coaching the Shot Put and Discus", an instructional book on the throwing events for entry-level high school coaches. In addition, Halter has developed an instructional video entitled "Speed and Power for the Throws", that was produced by Championship Productions in 2006. Halter competed in track and field at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He completed his bachelor's in sociology in 1993 and earned two master's degrees from the University of Missouri: the first in public administration (1995) and the second in education (1996).

Lefever Associate Head Coach - Men's Track & Field   Twitter: @CoachLefever Experience: 14 Years Hometown:  Alma Mater: Nebraska Wesleyan University  Updated: January 3, 2016 The 2015-16 year will mark Dan Lefever's 14th season at the University of Missouri working with the vertical jumps and combined events, and sixth year as the program's Associate Head Coach. Since his arrival at Missouri in 2003, Lefever has been instrumental in the development of one of the strongest combined event and pole vault programs in the nation, and has led a series of highly successful athletes on both the collegiate and post-collegiate stages. The most recent in that long line is recent Tiger graduate, Katrine Haarklau, who closed her Mizzou career in 2015 with her fourth All-American finish in the pole vault, placing tenth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship meet.  An Outdoor NCAA Championships qualifier for each of her four years, Haarklau was 15th in 2012, fifth in 2013, and sixth in 2014.  The school record holder in the outdoor pole vault (4.35m // 14-3.25), Haarklau was also an All-Time Top Ten performer in the indoor 60m hurdles, indoor pole vault, pentathlon, javelin, and heptathlon. Also leaving her mark in the Mizzou record books was Morgan Whitson, who graduated in 2015 with an All-American finish under her belt for the outdoor high jump, as well as All-Time Top Ten marks in the indoor high jump, pentathlon, outdoor high jump, and heptathlon. All in all, Lefever's athletes hold 64 of the current All-Time Top Ten marks for the pole vault, high jump, and combined events.  That includes a complete re-write of the women's indoor and outdoor pole vault record books, as all 20 spots consist of marks made since Lefever's arrival in 2003.  Nineteen of Lefever's combined event athletes also hold All-Time Top Ten marks in the individual events within the combined event competitions.  And, finally, six All-Time Top Ten mark sin the triple and long jumps were also achieved under Lefever's leadership, including the indoor and outdoor triple jump school records by Hedvig Glomsroed. Lefever came to Missouri from Boston College, where he established the pole vault as one of the strongest event areas in the Eagles' women's program, highlighted by All-Big East honors for three of his athletes.  Upon his arrival at Mizzou in 2003, Lefever made an immediate impact with the pole vault group, coaching junior Jennifer Bennett to the Tigers' first ever All-American finish in the event for the women, and first for either gender since 1958. Since then, Lefever has coached two more All-American pole vault talents:  Haarklau, and 2011 graduate Brian Hancock, who earned five All-American titles during his time as a Tiger, and currently holds the indoor and outdoor Missouri School Records. The following year, Lefever mentored his first in a long tradition of successful Norwegian student-athletes, working with sophomore combined event specialist Hans Uldal in the pole vault.  Uldal went on to become the first Tiger decathlete to qualify for the Olympic Games in 80 years, representing Norway in Athens after breaking the School Record in the event at the Norwegian Championships (7,733 points). Lefever took over the combined events group in 2006 and began to establish himself as one of the premier combined event coaches in the nation, helping Uldal eclipse the prodigious 8,000-point mark in the decathlon.  Uldal scored 8,018 points during the Audrey J. Walton Combined Events meet to qualify for the 2007 IAAF World Championships. In 2008 a trio of younger Tigers took the mainstage under Lefever's guidance: freshman Lars Rise (combined events), sophomore Nick Adcock (combined events), and sophomore Brian Hancock (pole vault).  Included among the accolades garnered by these three athletes were 14 All-American honors, an NCAA Indoor Championships Runner-Up finish, 19 All-Big 12 recognitions, two Big 12 titles, and a new Big 12 Indoor Championship record. In 2008, Hancock became the first male Tiger in 50 years to take home an All-American finish in the pole vault, joining Jennifer Bennett as the only two Mizzou pole vaulters to earn the award since 1958.  This year was also the first of the one-two punch that was Nick Adcock and Lars Rise in the combined events.  Adcock finished as runner-up at the Big 12 Championships for the decathlon, followed closely by Rise in third.  The young duo then went on to take fourth and seventh at the NCAA Championships with Adcock once again leading the way. Lefever continued to make his name known on the international stage, coaching Rise to two Nordic Junior Championship titles and an IAAF World Youth Championships, and Nick Adcock to a silver medal at the 2007 Pan-American Junior Championships, a gold medal at the USATF Junior Decathlon, and another silver at the 2007 NACAC U23 Championships. The accolades continued rolling in for Adcock, Rise, and Hancock in 2009.  Hancock and Adcock both added another NCAA Indoor All-American honor to their resumes, and Hancock went on to repeat the performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  He was joined by Rise on the NCAA Outdoor Championships' podium after his outstanding fourth-place performance in the decathlon. Adcock ended his career as a Tiger in 2010 with a pair of Big 12 titles for the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon, the Midwest Regional Athlete of the Year award, a new Big 12 Indoor Heptathlon Record (5,938 points), and another All-American finish.  Joining him on both podiums during the indoor season was Rise, who finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships and fifth at the NCAA Championships.  They both repeated their All-Big 12 and All-American performances during the outdoor season, with Adcock once again nabbing a Big 12 title in the decathlon, followed closely by Rise in second. 2011 was the final year in the black and gold for Lars Rise, and he certainly took advantage, exiting his career with two more All-American finishes, including a runner-up performance during the indoor season and a first and second place finish at the outdoor and indoor Big 12 Championships, respectively.  Probably the highlight of the year for both athlete and coach was the NCAA Indoor Championships where, in the final event of the competition, Rise moved up two places in the field to finish second in the nation with a PR and new Norwegian National Record (5,902). As an undergraduate at Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lefever was an outstanding pole vaulter and team captain.  He was the 1999 NCAA Division III and NAIA Runner-Up in the event, and finished his collegiate career having won five conference titles and placing second in the remaining conference meets.  He was honored as the Nebraska Wesleyan University's Outstanding Male Athlete in 1999. KEY ATHLETES... Lars Rise, Combined Events ('11):  Two-time Nordic Junior Champion // IAAF World Youth Championships qualifier // 2011 Big 12 Champion (decathlon) // Six-time All-American // Seven-time All-Big 12 Brian Hancock, Pole Vault ('11):  Five-time All-American // Four-time All-Big 12 // Missouri School Record Holder (indoor and outdoor pole vault) Nick Adcock, Combined Events ('10):  2007 Pan-American Junior silver medalist // 2007 USATF Junior Decathlon Champion // 2007 NACAC U23 silver medalist // Three-time All-American // Big 12 Champion // Eight-time All-Big 12 // Big 12 Indoor Championships Record Holder for the heptathlon (5,938 points) // 2010 Midwest Athlete of the Year Hans Uldal, Combined Events ('07):  2004 Olympian for Norway (decathlon) // 2007 European Cup gold medalist // 2005 NCAA bronze medalist // 2005 Norwegian National Champion // Four-time All-American // 2005 Big 12 Champion // Seven-time All-Big 12 // Missouri School Record Holder (decathlon, 60m hurdles, heptathlon) Jennifer Bennett, Pole Vault ('05):  All-American // Big 12 Champion // Six-time All-Big 12 // Missouri School Record Holder (indoor, outdoor pole vault)

Chamov Assistant Coach Experience: Second Year Hometown: Yambol, Bulgaria Alma Mater: Lindenwood University ('12) Iliyan Chamov enters his second year on the Mizzou coaching staff as the assistant coach in charge of horizontal jumps and multi-events.  Chamov comes to Columbia from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (SIUE), where he spent the past three years leading the jumps and multi-events. Chamov is a 2006 graduate of the University of Ruse (Bulgaria), where he earned a physical therapy degree and 2012 graduate of Lindenwood University (St. Charles, Mo.), where he earned his undergraduate degree in athletic training and his master's in human performance.  Chamov arrived at Lindenwood already well-decorated, qualifying for the 2004 Bulgarian Olympic Trials and winning the triple jump competition at the 2002 Balkan Peninsula Track & Field Championships.  His success continued at the collegiate level, as he collected five NAIA national championship titles during his tenure with the Lions. Prior to his move to SIUE, Chamov served as an assistant coach for his alma mater, guiding seven national champions and 16 All-Americans, including the Trinidad & Tobago national record holder in the indoor high jump, Kevin Huggins. Upon moving to SIUE in 2013, Chamov continued mentoring an elite-class of jumpers, starting with LaDerrick Ward, who earned three All-American honors and owned the No. 1 long jump mark in the NCAA in 2014.  Ward, who qualified for the 2013 and 2014 USATF Championships in the long jump, was a member of Team USA for the 2013 Pan-American Sports Festival, where he placed eighth overall. In all, Chamov has helped lead four NCAA All-Americans, six NCAA Championship qualifiers, 13 conference champions, and 18 school records thus far in his coaching career. Iliyan lives in Columbia with his wife, Celia M'Boua.

Lyles Assistant Coach - Men's Sprints, Hurdles and Relays   Twitter: CoachCarjay1 Experience: Fourth Year Hometown:  Alma Mater: Tennessee, '08 Carjay Lyles enters his fourth on the Mizzou Track & Field coaching staff and oversees the mens sprints, hurdles, and relays group. Since arriving in Columbia, Lyles has helped rewrite the Mizzou record book as he has helped guide Tiger student-athletes to 13 school records, five All-SEC performances, two individual SEC Championships and two World Junior finalists. In his first three seasons with the Tigers, his athletes have garnered 16 All-America honors, while three (Markesh Woodson, John Warren, Kahmari Montgomery) have represented the United States on various national teams over the past two years. In 2015-16, Mizzou sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers reached unprecedented success under the direction of Lyles. As a team, the Tigers reached a program-record ranking of No. 9 in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. Between the indoor and outdoor season, he coached athletes to 43 top-10 performances while 11 school records were broken.  Lyles coached freshman Kahmari Montgomery to one of the most impressive debut campaigns in program history, as Montgomery won two individual SEC Championships in the 400m, recorded top-15 times in the world in the 400m, finished sixth in the 400m at the World Junior Championships, was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Athlete of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. Markesh Woodson earned All-SEC honors for the fifth time in 2015-16 as the veteran Tiger finished runner-up in the 60m in indoor and sixth in the 100m outdoor to earn All-America honors. Valerie Thames broke three school records over the year and was the only hurdler (male or female) to make the finals in both hurdles competitions at the SEC Outdoor Championships. For all of Mizzous success in 2015-16, Lyles was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Assistant Coach of the Year for women, the second time he has been given the honor. Lyles coached 10 athletes to all-time performance lists in 2014-15. Markesh Woodsen set school records in the 60m and would go on to finish fifth at the NCAA Indoor National Championships to earn All-America honors while earning second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Laquisha Jackson became the first Mizzou women to make a sprint final in SEC history and first to make a conference sprint final in over a decade. Lyles came to the Tigers from San Diego State University, where he assisted in developing the best team in program history, culminating in an eighth-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Named the 2013 West Region Assistant Coach of the Year, Lyles coached six NCAA All-American finishers during his four years with the Aztecs, including the 2013 NCAA triple jump champion, Shanieka Thomas. Thomas was also one of the four San Diego State School Record holders who excelled under Lyles' leadership. Prior to his position at San Diego State University, Lyle worked as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee (2007-2008), was an athlete and coach at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (2007-2009), and has been a private coach since 2004. Through these positions, Lyle has worked with multiple world-class coaches and athletes, including 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Al Joyner, two Pan-American Games medalists, and two high school national record holders. Lyles was an All-American triple jumper while at the University of Tennessee, helping the Vols to the 2007 SEC Championship title and three top-five NCAA finishes. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Sociology. He is a USATF Certified Coach for the sprints, hurdles, and jumps.

Burns Head Cross Country Coach; Assistant Coach - Distance/Mid-Distance   Twitter: MBurnsMizzou Experience: 3rd Year Hometown: Wheeling, Ill. Alma Mater: Loyola University, Chicago Coach Marc Burns is the newest addition to the Tigers' track & field family, having arrived in Columbia in July 2014 to take the reins of the cross country program. An already well-established figure in collegiate cross country and track, Burns has spent 18 years as a Division I head coach. The 2009 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year and a four-time Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Cross Country Coach the Year, Burns came to Mizzou from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., where he led the Braves for four years. During his time as the head coach of the Bradley Cross Country and Track & Field program, Burns was charged with the restoration of the men's outdoor track and field team, which was disbanded in 1992. The team was reinstated in 2012 and, under Burns' guiding hand, quickly gained momentum, culminating in the first NCAA Championships qualifiers since the mid-1970's with juniors Eric Delvo and Chase Coffey competing at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the 3000-meter Steeplechase. Burns also led the women to a historic season in 2014, closing with the team's first NCAA Championships qualifier since 1998 in sophomore Kristen Busch, who placed 18th in the 10,000-meter run at the finals. Burns departed Peoria with a total of 14 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, four USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honors, eight All-MVC First Team finishers (cross country), 17 All-MVC First Team finishers (track & field), five MVC Champions, five NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifiers, one NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier, and 13 new Bradley University School Records. He added those accolades to an equally impressive resume from his time as the head cross country coach, assistant track and field coach, at Wichita State University (2006-10). A four-time MVC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year (2006-09) and the 2009 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women's Coach of the Year while with the Shockers, Burns guided the women to four consecutive MVC Cross Country titles. He also helped his student-athletes to six USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, 22 individual MVC Championship titles, seven Wichita State School Records, and three NCAA All-American performances. Burns began his career, though, at Loyola University in Chicago, where he graduated with his bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing in 1991. While there, he also donned the Ramblers' uniform, earning two NCAA All-American finishes in track and clocking the third-fastest indoor 3000-meter run time in the NCAA for 1990 (7:58.91). He also served as a two-time team captain. After graduation, Burns spent five years working in sales before returning to his alma mater in 1996 to take over the head coaching position for cross country and track & field. During his ten-year tenure at Loyola, Burns guided the men to their first NCAA Cross Country Championship team qualification (2005), claimed three Horizon League team titles, and pushed his athletes to excel in the classroom with three Academic All-Americans and 19 National All-Academic team honors. Burns also coached 53 Horizon League Champions, 49 All-Conference performers, and 16 All-Region finishers. Additionally, Burns developed the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational into one of the premier meets of the cross country season, attracting 70 university/college teams, 35 high schools, and sponsorships from Nike and Fleet Feet Sports. Burns lives in Columbia with his wife, Alana (Crisman), and four sons - Connor, Brian, Sean, and Cris.

Smith Recruiting Coordinator Stephen Smith is in his second year as the Director of Operations with the Mizzou Cross Country and Track & Field program after working as a student manager with the team for four years.  Smith is the Meet Director for all home collegiate and high school competitions, and is in charge of all the logistics surrounding the program, including all team travel, budget, equipment, fundraising efforts, recruiting, camps, and volunteer opportunities. An alum of the University of Missouri, Smith earned his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in May 2015, and is currently working toward his M.A. in Education in Positive Psychology. As a Missouri student, Smith served as an intern with the University of Missouri Hospital, was a Community Advisor with University of Missouri Residential Life, and was a Director of Weekend Service with the Mizzou Alternative Breaks organization.