CAREER AT A GLANCE
· Ott begins his third season guiding Penn State’s throws group in 2024-25. During his coaching career, Ott has coached All-Americans in each and every one of the throws events. In his first two season with the Nittany Lions, Ott has mentored a pair First Team All-Americans and has seen three school records toppled.
· During the summer of 2023, Ott returned to the World Athletics Championships, this time with a contingent of four professional hammer throwers under his guidance. Brooke Andersen (U.S.A.), Nayoka Clunis (Jamaica), Beatrice Llano (Norway), and Stamatia Scarvelis (Greece) traveled to Budapest with Ott as their coach. Clunis became the first Jamaican hammer thrower ever to make the World Championship final in the event.
AT PENN STATE
· Ott welcomed Samaria McDonald to the Nittany Lion squad in 2024, and she went to work right away during her final season of outdoor eligibility. McDonald took down the 18-year-old Penn State school record in the hammer throw with a 67.05-meter toss at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Her heave won her the conference’s silver medal in the event. Ott’s hammer throw coaching continued through the summer, as he guided multiple throwers through competition at national championship events, including Nittany Lions McDonald and Tyler Merkley.
· Shot put star Mallory Kauffman excelled during the 2023-24 indoor campaign, winning silver at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, her highest-ever conference finish. Ott also coached Collin Burkhart to become one of just five Penn State men ever to eclipse 21 meters in the weight throw. The men’s shot put squad spent multiple weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation this season, with Pizarro, Duane Knisely, Dylan Lambrecht, and Jakub Korejba combining to form the top group in the country. Pizarro, Knisely, and Lambrecht all qualified to the NCAA East Region Prelims in the shot put for the second year in a row under Ott’s guidance.
· During NCAA competition in 2023, Ott coached Kauffman (shot put) and Merkley (hammer throw) to First Team All-America finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in their respective events. Both Kauffman and Merkley set Penn State records in their respective events in 2023 and went on to compete at the USATF National Championships following the conclusion of their collegiate seasons.
· Additionally, Pizarro set the No. 4 mark in Penn State history in the shot put, trailing only World Champions and Olympians on Penn State’s all-time list. Pizarro led Penn State’s shot put squad to a No. 9 ranking nationally.
BEFORE PENN STATE
· At Grand Canyon, Ott led 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 also coached Oloyede to a second-team All-American selection and a 10th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships during the indoor track season. Ott also mentored Brett Neely to an NCAA Championships qualification in the javelin throw during his time at GCU.
· From 2018-21, Ott was at Kansas State as an assistant 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 an assistant coach. He coached another seven NCAA Division-I All-American athletes and a total of sixteen throwers qualify for National Preliminaries, including NCAA Championship runner-up 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. He stayed on with his alma mater and coached at Southern Utah until 2013.
· Before his coaching career began, Ott himself was an accomplished student-athlete. At Southern Utah, he held the school record in the hammer throw (now second overall) and is 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. He followed up with a ninth-place finish at the 2007 Regional Championships in hammer throw.
COACHING HONORS
· 2019 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
PROMINENT ATHLETES COACHED (COLLEGIATE)
· Tyler Merkley (Penn State, Professional)
o 2022 NCAA Silver Medalist in the hammer throw
o 2x First Team All-American (’23 hammer, ’22 hammer)
o 1x Second Team All-American (’21 hammer)
o 1x Big Ten Outdoor Men’s Field Athlete of the Year (’22)
o 4x Second Team All-Big Ten (’23 hammer, ’22 hammer, ’22 weight, ’21 hammer)
o 1x Big Ten Bronze Medalist (’23 weight)
o 1x Penn State school record holder
§ Hammer Throw (73.67m)
o No. 3 in Penn State history in the weight throw (22.05m)
· Mallory Kauffman (Penn State)
o 1x First Team All-American (‘23 outdoor shot put)
o 1x Second Team All-American (‘22 indoor shot put)
o 2x Mid-Atlantic Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year (‘23 outdoor, ‘22 indoor)
o 1x Big Ten Silver Medalist (’24 indoor shot put)
o 1x Penn State school record holder
§ Outdoor shot put (18.00m)
· Samaria McDonald (GCU & Penn State)
o 1x Big Ten Silver Medalist (’24 hammer throw)
o 1x Penn State school record holder
§ Hammer throw (67.05m)
· Marten Gasparini (GCU)
o 1x NCAA Outdoor Championships qualifier in the javelin throw (’22)
o 1x GCU school record holder
§ Javelin throw (76.28m)
· Brett Neelly (K-State)
o 1x First Team All-American (’19 discus)
o 1x Big 12 Champion (’17 outdoor shot)
o 4x Big 12 Silver Medalist (’19 discus, ’19 indoor shot, ’18 outdoor shot, ’17 indoor shot)
o 2x Big 12 Bronze Medalist (’19 outdoor shot, ’18 indoor shot)
· Adam Keenan (NAU)
o Became a 5x Canadian hammer throw National Champion.
PROMINENT ATHLETES COACHED (PROFESSIONAL)
· Brooke Andersen (NAU, Professional)
o 2022 hammer throw World Champion
o 2x U.S. hammer throw National Champion (’23, ’22)
o Owns No. 3 hammer throw mark in world history (80.17m)
o Two-Time NCAA Silver Medalist at NAU under coach Ott.
· Nayoka Clunis (Professional)
o Began training with coach Ott in 2022.
o Qualified for 2023 World Championships in the hammer throw with Ott as her coach.
o 2023 Jamaica National Champion in the hammer throw…Became the first Jamaican hammer thrower to make the world championship finals.
· Beatrice Llano (Professional)
o Began training with coach Ott in 2022
o 2023 World Championship, 2024 Olympic qualifier under coach Ott.
o 2023, 2024 Norwegian National Champion in the hammer throw.
o Norway national record holder in the hammer throw.
· Stamatia Scarvelis (Professional)
o Began training with coach Ott in 2022.
o 2023 World Championship, 2024 Olympic qualifier under coach Ott.
o 2023, 2024 Greek National Champion in the hammer throw.
THE OTT FILE
Personal
Year at Penn State: Third
Hometown: Cedar City, Utah
Education: Southern Utah, 2007 – B.S. in Physical Education (with coaching focus)
Family: Wife: Jessica. Sons: Kallan, Kohen, and Kainen.
Coaching Career
2022-Present – Penn State (Assistant Coach – Throws)
2021-22 – Grand Canyon (Assistant Coach – Throws)
2018-21 – Kansas State (Assistant Coach – Throws)
2014-18 – Northern Arizona (Assistant Coach – Throws)
2013-14 – Texas State (Assistant Coach – Throws)
2008-13 – Southern Utah (Assistant Coach – Throws)