K-State Track and Field Hires Nathan Ott as Assistant Coach

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto announced the addition of Nathan Ott to the Wildcat coaching staff on Tuesday, as Ott will serve as an assistant coach specializing in throws.

"He will fit in really well here. Personality wise, he is a really, really good fit," Rovelto said of Ott. "He has a similar training philosophy, I think he will fit in great and he will be a really strong coach. He has been very successful."

Ott comes to K-State after working as an assistant coach with the Northern Arizona University throws unit. At NAU, Ott was a part of a program that swept the 2018 Big Sky indoor and outdoor conference titles, while also coaching some of the top throwers in the country.

"I have always enjoyed places that encourage work-ethic. K-State across the board seems to epitomize a true sense of effort-based success," Ott said. "The team is highly talented, the administration is incredibly supportive, and the facilities are top notch, everything a coach could dream of."

In 2018, Ott coached NAU standout Brooke Andersen to a second-place finish in the women's hammer throw at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a throw of 72.87m/239-01, before Andersen went on to place third at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June.

A year prior, Andersen appeared in her first national meet, where she placed second at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships, earning the highest NCAA finish by a Lumberjack since 1996. Andersen went on to become a three-time All-American while coached under Ott, while owning both the women's hammer throw and weight throw school records.

In addition to Andersen, Ott coached Adam Keenan to two All-America certificates in the men's hammer throw, including a seventh-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Keenan also coached Julia Viberg to All-America status in the women's discus, where she placed 14^th at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Under Ott's coaching, three Lumberjacks set Big Sky Conference records in the men's hammer throw, women's hammer throw and women's weight throw.

Prior to coaching at NAU, Ott coached at Texas State, where he coached one national qualifier, four NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers and eight Sunbelt Conference Champions in one year with the Bobcats. Ott also coached for six seasons at his Alma Mater, Southern Utah, where he coached 19 conference Champions, 11 NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers and one All-American. Under his tenure, the Thunderbird throwers broke 13 school records and earned three team MVP honors.

As a student-athlete at Southern Utah, Ott set the school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 61.39m/201-05. Ott won the Mid-Continent Conference Championship in the hammer throw in 2007 and was the team's leading scorer during the 2006 season. Ott also went on to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary on two different occasions.

Ott will join a K-State throws program that has had great success in recent years, including two All-Americans in the women's hammer throw in each of the last three seasons. Ott takes the place of Greg Watson, who accepted an assistant coaching position at LSU.

For the latest on K-State track and field follow @kstatesports and @KStateTFXC on Twitter or Kansas State Track & Field/Cross Country on Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

K-State Track and Field Hires Nathan Ott as Assistant Coach

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