Walsh University Men's Track

Walsh University Alum Rob Mizicko (’94) has led the Cavaliers Cross Country and Track & Field programs since 2012. Under his leadership, the Cavaliers have earned national prominence in all six programs. Since coming to Walsh, Mizicko has earned nineteen Coach of the Year awards. He was named the All-Ohio Men's and/or Women’s Cross Country DII Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. He was also selected Coach of the Year in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference after the Cavaliers won the G-MAC Cross Country championships in 2017 (Men), 2018 (Women), 2019 (Men), 2020 (Men & Women), 2021 (Men), 2022 (Men), 2023 (Men), 2024 (Women) .  The 2017 Coach of the Year honor came after Walsh's first team conference championship in its NCAA era.  That same season he was also named the Midwest Region's Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. That same school year he led the Cavaliers to a second conference title at the 2018 G-MAC outdoor track & field championship and earned another Midwest Region Coach of the Year award for the Men's Track & Field season.  Mizicko has also led the Cavaliers to national prominence with multiple national rankings and All-Americans. In 2015, he led the Walsh Men’s team to its first ever NCAA DII National Championship Meet.  Since then the cross country programs have qualified for the NCAA DII National Cross Country Championships in 2017 (Men & Women), 2018 (Men & Women), 2019 (Men & Women), 2020 (No National Meet), 2021 (Men & Women), 2022 (Men), and 2023 (Men). The women’s cross country team has a best national meet performance of 10th (2019) and the men’s cross country team has a best national meet performance of 18th (2018, 2021, 2022).  The success carried over to track & field where Mizicko has led the Walsh men and women to 6 Top 20 performances.  The highest coming in 2016 were they had a 9th place finish at the Women's Indoor National Championships. Through the results at the national championships, All-Americans have become a staple for the cross country and track & field programs (73 as of 2023 Season). Stephanie Foster became the first in the NCAA era after placing in the pole vault during the indoor and outdoor national championships in 2014. Since then, Mizicko and his staff have coached Sarah Berger (x11), Andra Lehotay (x10), Alexa Leppelmeier (x9), Kaitlyn Barber (x5), Marcus Myers (x4), Zach Kreft (x4), Jetaiya Smith (x3), Ndidi Anaraodo (x3), Kelsey Hartsock (x3), Stephanie Foster (x2), Tori Reeves (x2), Bre Bakan (x2), Kya Epps (x2), Micah Gremling (x2), Dominic Nutter (x2), Gabe Miller (x2), Bri Coy (x1), Jacob Kernell (x1), Cassidy Bookless (x1), Josh Conrad (x1) Jesse Houle (x1), Nathan Moore (x1) and Mitchel Dunham (x1)  to All-American status. At the 2018 outdoor national championships, both Berger and Myers won national championships, the first for Walsh in its NCAA-era. Berger's national championship is the first for the women's program and just the second in the history of Walsh University women's sports along with women's basketball in 1998. In 2022, Alexa Leppelmeier was a the National Runner-up in the Women’s Steeplechase. Mizicko earned his bachelor of science in education (K-12) in physical education from Walsh.  He lettered four times in each cross country and track and field and was a five-time national qualifier.  He earned his health education certification (7-12) from Malone University (’96). Rob began his coaching career at Lake High School in 1994 and coached the Blue Streaks’ cross country and track and field programs through 1998.  In 1998, he took the helm at Perry High School, where he coached through spring of 2012.  At Perry, he was a four-time Stark County Coach of the Year and nine-time Federal League Coach of the Year.  He led his teams’ to six Stark County Championships and seven Federal League Championships. Rob taught physical education and health education at Perry from 1998 to 2012. He was named the 2011 State (OAHPERD) Health Teacher of the Year and was selected as a Top 25 Educator nine times. He was the founder and meet director of the Stark County Track and Field Championship Meet from 2003 to 2012 and is a former Executive Board member of the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country coaches. Rob and his wife of 21 years, Jennifer, reside in North Canton.

Coach Roger Herstine has been apart of the Walsh University Track & Field Program since 2013. Coach Herstine is primarily in charge of the Cavaliers sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, and multi-event athletes. He is USATF Level I certified. As a former Decathlete at the collegiate level, Coach Herstine has used his knowledge and experience to guide his athletes to numerous provisional national qualifying marks and numerous school records that continue to improve every season. In 2025, sprinter, Micah Gremling won G-MAC titles in both the Indoor and Outdoor championships, competing in the 60m and 100m. He earned All-American honors at the Indoor National Championships, placing 3rd overall.  At the 2024 Indoor Track and Field Indoor Championships, two of Herstine's Student-Athletes had outstanding performances. Kya Epps finished 6th place in both the 60m and 200m earning her All-American honors in both events. Her times of 7.41s and 23.79s shattered school records. Junior, Micah Gremling, had a phenomenal 60m finish, placing 3rd with a time of 6.70s. He also earned All-American honors!  In 2023, Kelsey Hartsock received her second All-American in Pole Vault and Kya Epps received her first All-American award in the 200m as a freshmen to go along with her three second team All-American awards. Micah Gremling earned two second team All-American. Coach Herstine is most proud of the team success that has been achieved with the staff during his time at Walsh University. In the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, the Women’s indoor and outdoor track and field program has consistently placed at the top three of the Conference. The Men’s programs have consistently been at the top of the conference as well highlighted by a conference championship in 2018. “The greatest part of coaching is having the opportunity to develop young men and women to reach their full potential. I have coached athletes to All-Americans, national qualifying standards, conference champion and all conference marks, and personal best. They all have great meaning to the athlete and myself regardless of the level at which they are achieved.” Coach Herstine received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education as an intervention specialist from Malone College. In addition to coaching track & field, Coach Herstine has five years of education experience teaching special education students, and 20 years of experience in Catholic Church ministry. He is married to Marcy and has five children: Roger, Benjamin, Daniel, Theresa, and William. He lives in Paris, Ohio.

Coach Jeff Jakmides, known as Coach Jak, has been as the Head Throws Coach for the Walsh University Track and Field program since 2024. He previously was at Walsh from 2014-2022. In his time away from North Canton, Jakmides led the University of Akron Throws program. Coach also has prior experience as an assistant at Ohio Dominican University (2013-14), where he also worked as the Strength and Conditioning Coach, and as a volunteer assistant at Capital University (2012-13). In his first season with the Maroon and Gold in 2014, he coached Walsh’s first national qualifier in a throwing event. Under his leadership, athletes have broken 11 of 12 school records, produced 65 NCAA DII national qualifiers (with representation in every throwing discipline), earned 11 individual conference championship titles, and achieved six First Team All-American awards, two Second Team All-American awards, and Walsh's first NCAA-era national champion, Marcus Myers, who won the 2018 NCAA DII national title in the men's hammer throw. During the 2022-2023 season, Coach Jak led the University of Akron Throws program. His athletes secured four individual qualifications to the East Regional Championships, one Mid-American Conference individual championship, one NCAA National Championship qualifier with a Second Team All-American finish, and a Men’s Team Mid-American Conference Championship, highlighted by a sweep of the men's hammer throw event. Jakmides earned a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Ashland University, where he focused on strength and conditioning and was named Academic All-GLIAC. As a student-athlete, he earned All-GLIAC honors in the decathlon as a freshman and twice in the javelin under the mentorship of four-time Olympian Jud Logan. He also received mentorship in strength and conditioning programming from Thomas Myslinski, the current Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally from Alliance, Ohio, Jakmides attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where he lettered in track and field and was a two-time state qualifier in the discus. Coach Jak resides in Canton, Ohio, with his wife, Theresa (Walsh class of 2012), and their sons, Atlas Joseph and Roman Judson.