NDSU Promotes St. Clair to Associate Head Track & Field Coach

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State’s Justin St. Clair has been promoted to associate head coach of the Bison men’s and women’s track & field teams, head coaches Don Larson and Stevie Keller announced Tuesday.

St. Clair is entering his fifth season directing the NDSU throwers in 2015-16.

In four years at NDSU, St. Clair has established himself as one of the premier throws coaches in the nation. Under his direction, the Bison throwers have carried out a complete overhaul of the school’s record books, as well as gaining more prominence on the national stage.

“Justin has been a critical part of our program since he arrived,” said Larson, the head coach of the Bison men. “He has taken our throws program to new heights, and he works tirelessly to make sure we continue to improve. More importantly, though, he’s a great leader and role model for our athletes.”

In 2015, the NDSU men had nine entries in the throwing events for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, which stood as the second-most in the nation. The Bison men and women combined for 17 entries in the throws at the NCAA Prelims – the most in NCAA Division I under a single throws coach.

“Justin has played a huge role in the success we’ve had at North Dakota State,” said Keller, the head women’s track & field coach. “It’s remarkable how he has elevated the whole team – even beyond the achievements of our throwers. Our student-athletes mirror his work ethic and dedication, and we’re lucky to have him representing the Bison.”

In the last three seasons, St. Clair has guided Bison throwers to new school records in 11 of the 12 throwing events.

St. Clair coached sophomore Matti Mortimore (7th in the javelin) and freshman Austin Schmidt (16th in the javelin) to the two highest finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in NDSU’s Division I era. On the women’s side, he directed Sierra Rosenau to the first Division I national meet appearance by a Bison woman in a throwing event.

NDSU’s throwers destroyed the competition at the 2015 Summit League Outdoor Championships. The Bison men scored 114 of a possible 156 points in the throwing events – meaning all other schools combined for just 42 points. The NDSU men finished 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 in the javelin at the league meet, as well as placing six in the shot put, five in the hammer throw, and four in the discus.

The Bison women racked up 106 of a possible 156 points at the league meet in 2015, winning all four throwing events with four different women. The Bison also swept all four second-place spots in the throws. The NDSU women had four performances that ranked in the NCAA’s top 50 and eight marks in the top 100 for the season.

St. Clair has also served as the throws coach for Team USA at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in 2014 and at the World University Games in 2015. On the international scene, he has coached NDSU alum Riley Dolezal to an American title in the javelin and two World Championships appearances, as well as helping current Bison Payton Otterdahl to a gold medal in the discus at the 2015 Pan American Junior Championships.