Wilson Promoted To Associate Head Coach
8/1/2019 1:45:00 PM | MTF, Track & Field
Chippewa jumps/vault coach features outstanding track record
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Bryant Wilson has been promoted to associate head coach of the Central Michigan track & field team, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jennifer Swieton announced today.
Wilson, who joined the staff in 2013, specializes in the pole vault, the triple jump, and the long jump. Among his protégés is long jumper Nadia Williams, a senior-to-be who, in 2019, became the first female in program history to earn All-America honors during both the indoor season and during the outdoor season.
"I couldn't be more excited that we are able to elevate Bryant Wilson to the associate head coach," said Swieton, a former CMU student-athlete who is entering her third year in charge of the program. "He has been instrumental in my transition back to CMU and also to the success of the team.
"He is able to take on nearly any role. He develops great relationships with the student-athletes, administration, alumni, donors, and the community. He has the ability to coach nearly any event at a very high level and is someone that will continue to make our program better."
Wilson's promotion comes during a busy summer for the program as Swieton named three new assistant coaches in mid July.
"This summer has been very productive for our program," said Swieton, who in February was named the MAC Indoor Women's Coach of the Year after leading the Chippewa women to their first indoor league title since 2004.
Wilson is a rising star in track & field coaching circles. He mentored Calli Stemple to the Mid-American Conference title in the women's high jump in April and he coached Rebekah Petty and Siobhan Szerencists as the teammates waged a season-long head-to-head battle in the women's pole vault, setting and then breaking the program record in the event several times.
A Hale, Mich., native, Wilson previously worked at Northwood, at Saginaw Valley State, and at Illinois, where he mentored five vaulters to lifetime bests in the event. Among those five was Matt Bane, whom Wilson coached to the Big Ten Conference indoor title as a freshman in 2011.
Wilson, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State in 2010, was inducted into the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. He was a four-time NCAA Division II champion in the pole vault as a student-athlete at Grand Valley.
Wilson, who joined the staff in 2013, specializes in the pole vault, the triple jump, and the long jump. Among his protégés is long jumper Nadia Williams, a senior-to-be who, in 2019, became the first female in program history to earn All-America honors during both the indoor season and during the outdoor season.
"I couldn't be more excited that we are able to elevate Bryant Wilson to the associate head coach," said Swieton, a former CMU student-athlete who is entering her third year in charge of the program. "He has been instrumental in my transition back to CMU and also to the success of the team.
"He is able to take on nearly any role. He develops great relationships with the student-athletes, administration, alumni, donors, and the community. He has the ability to coach nearly any event at a very high level and is someone that will continue to make our program better."
Wilson's promotion comes during a busy summer for the program as Swieton named three new assistant coaches in mid July.
"This summer has been very productive for our program," said Swieton, who in February was named the MAC Indoor Women's Coach of the Year after leading the Chippewa women to their first indoor league title since 2004.
Wilson is a rising star in track & field coaching circles. He mentored Calli Stemple to the Mid-American Conference title in the women's high jump in April and he coached Rebekah Petty and Siobhan Szerencists as the teammates waged a season-long head-to-head battle in the women's pole vault, setting and then breaking the program record in the event several times.
A Hale, Mich., native, Wilson previously worked at Northwood, at Saginaw Valley State, and at Illinois, where he mentored five vaulters to lifetime bests in the event. Among those five was Matt Bane, whom Wilson coached to the Big Ten Conference indoor title as a freshman in 2011.
Wilson, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State in 2010, was inducted into the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. He was a four-time NCAA Division II champion in the pole vault as a student-athlete at Grand Valley.
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
High Jump
/ Track & Field
Jumps/Sprints
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