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Mark Rodriguez
Assistant Track and Field Coach (Throws)
Phone: 513-529-7099
Email Coach Rodriguez
Mark Rodriguez enters his second season as the throws coach for the Miami University women's track and field program.
Rodriguez began his collegiate coaching career at Manchester College, in North Manchester, Ind., then spent the next nine years as the throws coach at Indiana State, where he built an impressive body of work. He spent two years developing the Louisville Cardinals track & field program into a nationally-ranked team and his throws squad into a dominating force in the Big East. A family emergency cut short his tenure there, but he emerged back onto the coaching scene as an assistant at Buena Vista in Storm Lake, Iowa. He arrived at Miami in the fall of 2007.
Rodriguez commented on his arrival to Oxford. "I am very excited to be at Miami University and back in collegiate athletics, I accepted this position based largely upon the vision and commitment that (athletic director) Brad Bates has for Miami athletics, especially in the strategic planning and concept of the `Culture of Champions' that has recently been implemented here. I'm thrilled with the chance to be at the forefront of a new era of winning for Women's Track and Field and Miami University Athletics."
Last year was a rebuilding year, to say the least, for Coach Rodriguez. He came to the program knowing Miami had no true throwers on the roster for 2007-08, but immediately started recruiting from the high school ranks and from within the team. He was able to recruit athletes who ranked 15th, 25th and 62nd in the nation among senior shot putters, plus the 34th-ranked senior discus thrower. From the team, he took a pole vaulter, a hurdler and a triple jumper and turned them into javelin throwers with one finishing ninth on Miami's Top-10 list. He also took a high jumper, another hurdler and another triple jumper and turned them into hammer throwers. The best of this group also finished ranked ninth on Miami's Top-10 list.
Head Coach Rita Arndt-Molis commented on Rodriguez and the Miami throws program. "I felt very lucky to retain Mark as a member of my staff here at Miami; he is well-regarded in the profession for his professionalism, knowledge and passion. I'm confident in his ability and vision to rebuild the Miami throws program. He recruited some outstanding women in his first season here. With his guidance, I'm sure that they will quickly develop from conference scorers to national level athletes in short order. We will look to continue to grow the throws program here under his tutelage. He brings a balance of hard work and laughter to each session; the women really respond to his instruction."
At Manchester College, Rodriguez's athletes broke 30 school records and 11 conference marks. They qualified for nationals 19 times with 14 of his athletes becoming Academic All-Americans and one athlete qualifying for the Olympic Trials. The teams placed as high as fifth and sixth in the nation and ranked as high as Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation academically.
While at Indiana State, Rodriguez had throwers enter or improve on the top 10 all-time list 517 times, set school records in the throws 51 times, break meet records 37 times and break Missouri Valley Conference records 13 times. His athletes became MVC place-winners 205 times, all-conference 93 times and MVC Champions 35 times. His throwers qualified for NCAA Regionals (21 times), NCAA Nationals (14), US Championships (32), US Junior Nationals (5), and Olympic Trials (6), while finishing in the world rankings 62 times -- as high as fifth and eighth. The Sycamore track teams won six MVC Championships and finished in the top 20 in the nation four times.
At Louisville, Rodriguez's athletes posted numerous bests, including 25 school records and nine meet records. His throwers became Big East Conference place-winners 40 times, while earning all-conference honors 29 times and championships on nine occasions. His throwers qualified for NCAA Regionals 17 times and NCAA Nationals nine times, while also making appearances at US Junior Nationals, US Championships and Canadian Nationals. The Cardinals finished as high as Big East Runner-Up, fourth at NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and 30th in the country.
Rodriguez coached a Buena Vista team that was comprised mostly of freshmen, but still saw eight school records broken. Both the men's & women's teams posted their highest conference finished ever and the women's team garnered academic honors.
Rodriguez began his collegiate career as a thrower and computer programming major at Purdue. An injury ended his career early and led to a transfer to Manchester College, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education in 1994. He earned a master's degree in Exercise Science from Indiana State in 1997.
He is certified by USA Track & Field as a Level I & Level II Coach, Level I Instructor and as a National Level Official. He was voted 2004 Official of the Year for Indiana after making officiating improvements for the 2002 and 2004 NCAA Cross Country Nationals.
Rodriguez resides in Oxford, Ohio.
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