Nathan Ott - Track & Field Coach - Abilene Christian Athletics

Nathan Ott

Title:
Assistant Coach - Throws
Email:
nro25a@acu.edu

Nathan Ott is in his second season at Abilene Christian as the assistant track coach for throws.

Ott's first season was highly successful with two event champions (Rhet Punt in the weight throw and Mariana VanDyk in the shot put); plus coaching six other all-conference performances (Punt in the shot put; Rylan Smart and Matthew Udemba in the weight throw; Sterling Glenn and Cierra Tilley in the shot put and Avery Myrick in the weight throw).

During the outdoor season, the men earned one champion (Punt in the hammer throw) plus four other All-WAC performances (Justin Smithey and Udemba in the discus, and Udemba and Smart in the hammer throw). The women's team had two podium finishes – Ciara Tilley placed 2nd in the shot put and Mariana Van Dyk was 3rd in the hammer throw. Other all-conference throwing performances were Glenn and Van Dyk in the shot put, Tilley in the discus and Myrick in the javelin.

Immediately prior to ACU, Ott spent three years as the assistant coach at throws at Penn State. During his coaching career, Ott has coached All-Americans in each of the throws events – indoors and outdoors. In his three years at Penn State, Ott mentored a pair of First Team All-Americans (Mallory Kauffman and Tyler Merkley) and coached athletes who broke three school records. During his time at Penn State, Ott coached throwers to 17 All-Big 10 spots.

Ott has also had tremendous success with throwers in the post-collegiate world. These throwers include Brooke Andersen (gold medalist at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the hammer throw), Nayoka Clunis (Jamaican national hammer throw champ), Beatrice Llano (Norwegian national hammer throw champ and a 2024 Olympian), and Stamatia Scarvelis (Greek national hammer throw champ and 2024 Olympian). When Clunis qualified for the 2023 World Championships, she became the first Jamaican in history to go to the championships in that event.

Before Penn State, Ott spent a season at ACU's former conference foe Grand Canyon, where he coached Israel Oloyede to the best collegiate hammer throw of the year (sixth-best of all-time) to take fifth place at the USATF Championships. Ott coached Oloyede to a second-team All-American selection and a 10th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the weight throw during the indoor track season. Ott also mentored Marten Gasparini to an NCAA Championships qualification in the javelin throw during his time at GCU.

From 2018-21, Ott was at Kansas State as the throws coach. He guided seven NCAA Division I All-American athletes in women’s hammer, men’s hammer, women’s weight and women’s discus. Ott produced four Big 12 Champions and multiple runner-up finishers. In 2019, he was named Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

Prior to Ott’s time at Kansas State, he spent 2014-18 at Northern Arizona as the throws coach. He coached another seven NCAA Division I All-American athletes, including NCAA Championship runner-up Brooke Andersen and five-time Canadian National Champion Adam Keenan.

Ott graduated from Southern Utah in 2007 with a bachelor of science in physical education with a coaching emphasis. Ott was an accomplished student-athlete, finishing his career as the Thunderbirds' program record holder in the hammer throw and fifth overall in shot put. During the 2006 season, he qualified for regionals in hammer throw and was the leading scorer in the squad’s victory at the outdoor Summit League Championships. After graduation, Ott spent his first years in coaching at his alma mater, where he coached throws from 2007-2013.

Ott is originally from Cedar City, Utah. He and his wife Jessica have three sons – Kallan, Kohen, and Kainen.