Valparaiso University Women's Track

Moore begins his eight season at the helm of the Crusader track and field program in 2014 having guided numerous athletes to new heights within the Horizon League. Over the five years Moore has overseen the Valpo track and field program since joining the Horizon League, the Crusaders have boasted 23 All-League honorees, including 13 event champions.  Five times, Valpo has had athletes honored as Most Outstanding Performers at the league championship meets, while the Crusaders have also earned Athlete of the Week honors on 17 occasions.  Moores athletes have been successful in the classroom as well, as 41 Crusaders have been recognized as Academic All-Horizon League honorees. Moore helped coach one of the Horizon Leagues top jumpers, as well as one of the best leapers in program history, in 2011 in Jarrett Mickens.  Mickens was named the HL Most Outstanding Field Performer indoors after winning both the long jump and triple jump, and followed by earning All-League honors outdoors in the long jump.  Moore also saw freshman Julian Smith named the HL Running Newcomer of the Year both indoors and outdoors and receive All-League accolades outdoors in the 100m dash.  Smith also set new school records indoors in a pair of sprints, while Mickens broke three of Valpos records in the jumps. 2010 saw Moore coach an event champion outdoors in the javelin throw, as Vince Liuzzo earned top honors at the Horizon League Outdoor Championships in the event.  Mickens gained All-Horizon League honors both indoors and outdoors as well in 2010, while on the womens side, Moore saw Alyssa Bradford named a Third Team Academic All-American. In 2009, Moore guided the Crusader womens squad to a fourth-place finish at the league indoor championships, while Laura Rolf was named the Most Outstanding Running Performer at the championships. In addition, he coached Brett Maynard to the event victory at the mens outdoor championships in the javelin throw. Moore led the Crusader womens side to a fourth-place indoor finish and a third-place outdoor finish in its first year of competition in the Horizon League in 2008, matching the best conference meet finishes in program history. Individually, Emilie Marsicek was named the leagues Outstanding Field Performer at the Outdoor Championships and she was joined by Melanie Wilson as qualifiers for the NCAA Mideast Regional outdoors.  On the mens side, Steve Bartholomew was named the Horizon League Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and earned Outstanding Field Performer honors at both the indoor and outdoor meets. Bartholomew, who broke three school records on the year, competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was joined by Chris Honig as qualifiers for the Mideast Regional. In his first year at the helm, Moore took the Crusaders to new heights. The womens team matched its best finish in program history at the Mid-Continent Conference indoor meet, coming in fourth place, and surpassed its best outdoor finish with a third-place showing. Moore guided 14 All Mid-Continent Conference selections, including the Outdoor Newcomer of the Year in Lakisha Lane. He also coached two outdoor NCAA regional qualifiers and Valpos second-ever All-American, as Laura Rolf earned the accolade in the mile run during the indoor campaign. On the mens side, Moore led the Crusaders to fifth-place finishes in both the indoor and outdoor conference championship meets. He coached three All-Conference selections and one NCAA regional qualifier, as Bartholomew competed at the regional meet in the hammer throw. Moore worked extensively with the throwers in his three years as an assistant with the Crusaders. His pupils enjoyed unprecedented success during the 2006 campaign, led by Bartholomew, who was named the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, the first Crusader track and field athlete to earn the leagues top honor. Three of Moores throwers on the mens side placed in the top seven in the discus throw at the 2006 outdoor conference meet, and four of the top nine in the hammer throw were Crusaders. Bartholomew, who won both events, also qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional Meet. Twelve of Moores throwers, six men and six women, earned All-Conference honors in his three years as an assistant coach. Moores student-athletes have now broken 37 school records and more than 125 personal records. Moore arrived at Valpo from Calvin College where he ranks among the schools top discus throwers. In 2002, Moore qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships and won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association title in the discus. Moore graduated from Calvin in 2002 with a degree in parks and recreation. He received his masters degree in sports administration from Valparaiso in 2005.  Moore has earned his USATF Level II Coaching Certification in the throws, the jumps and the multi-events.

Overbo enters his eighth season as a member of the Crusader track and field coaching staff, and his third as associate head coach in 2015-16, working with the jumpers, javelin throwers and the multi-event athletes. Over his tenure at Valpo, Overbo has seen numerous athletes achieve tremendous success under his tutelage. In his first seven years, athletes Overbo has coached have set 11 program records and earned 36 spots on the Crusaders' all-time top-five charts. In addition, athletes in Overbo's events have earned 13 Horizon League championships, while 27 times his athletes have earned All-League accolades. Four of his athletes have earned spots in the NCAA Regional meet as well. During Overbo's time at Valpo, a number of Crusaders have excelled in the javelin throw. Four times in Overbo's tenure, a Valpo thrower has claimed the Horizon League title in the javelin throw - Brett Maynard (2009), Vince Liuzzo (2010) and Jeremy Getz (2013, 2015). Getz set a gold standard for Crusader javelin throwers under Overbo's tutelage, smashing the program modern-era record with a mark of 212'9" in the event and twice earning berths to the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Recently, Overbo's pole vaulters have achieved tremendous success. On the men's side, Justin Zosso has claimed Horizon League titles both indoors and outdoors in the event each of the last two seasons while setting the school record in both venues. Over the last two years, Overbo has coached the top four pole vaulters in men's program history indoors and the top two outdoors. On the women's side, Sarah Peters won the league championship in the pole vault outdoors in 2014 and indoors in 2015 and set the program record indoors. Overbos jumpers have experienced plenty of success during his time with the Crusaders as well, highlighted by the performance of Jarrett Mickens. Overbo coached Mickens as he was a four-time All-Horizon League honoree and earned Most Outstanding Field Performer honors at the 2011 HL Indoor Championships. Mickens, who seven times earned HL Male Field Athlete of the Week honors while being coached by Overbo, broke school records in both the long and triple jump indoors and the long jump outdoors, surpassing 35-year-old records in all three events. On the women's side, Overbo mentored Jazmin Taylor as she became the most prolific high jumper in program history. Taylor set school records both indoors and outdoors in the high jump and was a four-time All-Horizon League honoree in the event, including winning the league title outdoors in 2015. Overbo came to Valparaiso from McNeese State University, where he competed in the pole vault for the Cowboys' track and field squad for four years. He has also served as an assistant coach at the Lone Star Pole Vault Club. A native of Austin, Texas, Overbo earned a bachelor's degree of general studies with a concentration in health promotion from McNeese State in 2008. Overbo has earned his USATF Level 1 Certification, as well as certification as an official. He also owns his USATF Level 2 Certification in the jumps and throws and is also a USTFCCCA Certified Jumps Specialist. He is also a USTFCCCA Certified Multis Specialist and is in the process of becoming certified as a Master's Endorsed Horizontal Jumps Coach.

Hicks was a sprinter on the mens track team and also served as a team captain. Hicks currently holds the school record for the mens indoor 400m, which he set in 2014 with a time of 49.53, while he set a personal best outdoors in the 400m dash with a time of 48.21 as a senior. During his senior outdoor season, Hicks ran in multiple sprint events including the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m, and 4x400m in 2015. A native of Sugar Land, Texas, Hicks spent the summer of 2014 coaching at the Afterburners TC as an assistant coach. Hicks is a 2015 graduate from Houston Baptist University, where he graduated with his bachelors of science degree in kinesiology. He is a USATF Level 1 certified coach and holds his USTFCCCA Technical Certification. Hicks has worked with USATF biomechanist Mike Young and also participated in the 2014 NCAA Career in Sports forum.

Pukstys enters his first year with the Crusader Track and Field program. He will work with the throwers. A two-time Olympian and six-time U.S. javelin champion, Pukstys brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the program. He was an assistant coach with the United States team in the 2012 Olympics in London.  Falling in love with the javelin after his brother brought one back from his native country of Lithuania, Putskys quit his high school baseball team and joined the track team, throwing 155 feet in his first meet. He attended the College of DuPage and set the American Junior record (71.34m/234-1) his freshman year before transferring to the Univeristy of Florida following his sophomore campaign, where he trained with John Kennison. He set his first American record in 1993. He personal best is 87.12m/285-10. Putskys graduated from Florida with a degree in public relations in 1990.

Straubel enters his 23rd season leading the Crusader men's and women's cross country teams. Straubel led the Crusaders into the Horizon League in 2007 and guided both the men's and women's squads to mid-pack finishes in their debuts at the competitive league championships. Both squads boasted two All-League honorees, and Laura Rolf captured the individual championship on the women's side. Those squads continued the recent success of the Crusader cross country program. In 2006, their last year competing in the Mid-Continent Conference, Straubel guided both the men's and women's sides to their respective best finishes in the Mid-Continent Conference. Straubel led the Crusader men to a fourth-place finish, matching the best placement in team history, while the women finished second after three consecutive third-place finishes. The two teams combined to earn seven All-Conference honors, the most in a single season in Straubel's career. Individually, many of Straubel's runners have enjoyed tremendous success. The Crusader mentor has seen his runners earn 41 All-League awards, 10 All-Indiana honors, five All-Region commendations, two Newcomer of the Year awards, and two Runner of the Year awards. Straubel has also coached two Indiana State Champions. Three Crusaders have stood out individually during Straubel's tenure, rewriting the Valpo record books and representing the Crusaders on a regional and national stage. Collette Liss, who donned the Valpo uniform from 1996-99, is a member of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame and was a two-time All-Region honoree, Mid-Con Individual Champion and named the conference's Runner of the Year. Aaron Crague, who ran for the Crusaders from 1998-2001 and is also a Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, earned First Team All-Conference honors three times under Straubel's guidance and set Valpo's 8K and 10K records. Most recently, Straubel has coached Rolf as she has dominated the cross country scene for the Crusaders. In her first three seasons, she has earned All-Region honors all three years and has posted top-five finishes in 12 of her 20 career races. The three-time First Team All-League honoree captured the Horizon League championship last year and earned the league's Athlete of the Year honor, joining Liss as the only runners in program history to receive their league's most prestigious honor. A full-time professor in Valpo's Law School, Straubel took three students from his Valparaiso Sports Law Clinic to Torino, Italy for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. In Torino, Straubel and his staff provided free advice to any athletes in need of some type of legal support. An avid runner, Straubel ran collegiately at both Marquette University and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. While in Canada, he was a member of Quebec's national championship qualifying 4x800 relay team which won a Provincial Championship. Straubel became a Masters All-American in the mile in 1998 and in the 3,000m in 2000. In 1991, he took third place in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Track Athletics Congress (TAC) National Masters Championships. Also an assistant coach with the Crusader track and field team, Straubel earned his bachelor's degree in 1979 from Western Michigan, picked up his J.D. from the Marquette Law School in 1982 and earned a LL.M. degree from McGill in 1987.