Poole named Head Coach of USATF Resident Program in Chula Vista

INDIANAPOLIS – Longtime Brigham Young University Head Coach Craig Poole has been named the new Head Coach for the USA Track & Field Resident Program at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in California.

The U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista (CVOTC), near San Diego, is a 150-acre facility dedicated to the development of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Opened in 1995, the CVOTC serves athletes year-round in a variety of sports. Some athletes are residents of the center training in residence on campus a year at a time, while others access the facilities for short term programs.

As head coach of the USATF Resident Program, Poole’s responsibilities include coaching staff and athlete training supervision and oversight of USATF programs conducted at the Olympic Training Center. His responsibilities will also include, but are not limited to, individual coaching in a specialty area, planning and oversight of the budget for the program, scheduling, and training plans for all resident athletes.

“We are pleased to have coach Poole join USATF to lead our efforts at the Training Center,” said Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Chief of Sport Performance with USATF. “His experience and record of success made him an easy choice for this important position as we look to provide the resources needed for our athletes, particularly in the throwing and jumping events, as they prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.”

Since taking over the BYU women’s track program in 1980, Poole has built a program that is consistently among the best in the nation. Poole’s athletes have earned a total of 169 All-American honors and 14 of his athletes have earned 18 National Championships.

Under his guidance, the Cougar track team has recorded an almost perfect record on conference and regional levels and has consistently been national contenders. Since 1983, his teams have won all eight HCAC crowns, seventeen of eighteen WAC titles, nine of 11 MWC indoor titles and nine of 11 MWC outdoor titles since the inception of the conference in 1999.

Poole has been honored as the MWC Coach of the Year nine times, including the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons, and WAC Coach of the Year 10 times. He also received HCAC Coach of the Year and IAC Coach of the Year awards.

In 2004, Coach Poole was the head coach for the United States at the World University Games in Beijing, China. He also served as coach and advisor to the Taiwan National team at the Asian & World Championships in 1987 and technical coach for Taiwan at the Asian games in 1991. He served on the coaching staff for the West Team at the 1989 Olympic Festival and as head coach for the U.S. National Team vs. Great Britain in 1990 and for the U.S. World Indoor Championships Team in 1993.

He was named to the 2004 Olympic coaching staff, traveling to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he led the U.S. athletes in the Heptathlon, Long Jump and Triple Jump.

Poole is a respected force in USA Track & Field where he served as the Development Coordinator for the women’s combined events for over ten years.

Poole received an Ed.D. in physical education and educational administration from the University of Utah in 1970. He is a full-time professor at BYU in sports psychology. He is married to Sharon Woodland. The couple has four children.

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Posted by Eastlaketimes on Jul 20 2010. Filed under Community of Eastlake, Eastlake News, Eastlake Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry