AMES, Iowa – One of America's top decathletes is coming to Iowa State as Kurtis Brondyke has joined the Cyclone coaching staff as assistant coach responsible for sprints, hurdles, jumps and multi-events, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeremy Sudbury announced Tuesday. Brondyke, a native of Clinton, Iowa, has spent the past nine seasons as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at Central Missouri. Brondyke's hiring is pending a University background check.
"Kurtis has built a great reputation within the state of Iowa dating back to his prep and collegiate days," Sudbury said. "His experience in the decathlon makes him incredibly versatile in his coaching abilities. ISU has a great history of multi-event student-athletes, and I believe Kurtis is the best fit for our program to build this area, along with our sprints, hurdles and jumps groups."
As a coach, Brondyke helped coach student-athletes to 25 All-America honors in the multi-events while being a member of the UCM coaching staff that helped the Mules and Jennies win a combined six MIAA Conference titles and the 2015 NCAA Division II Women's Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. He helped coach three individuals to multi-event national titles, with Brent Vogel winning the Division II Men's Indoor Heptathlon national title in 2013 and Erin Alewine winning consecutive Division II crowns in the indoor pentathlon in 2013 and 2014.
As an athlete, Brondyke concluded his competitive career at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, competing at the USATF National Championships for a fifth time in his career. He finished in the top-10 four times, including a seventh-place finish in the 2019 Championships in Des Moines, just missing out on his personal best at 7,785. He owns a PR of 7,795 from 2016.
Brondyke has represented the United States three times at the Thorpe Cup, an annual multi-events competition between the USA and Germany, finishing fifth in 2016.
As a student-athletes at Central College in Pella, Brondyke was the 2011 Division III National Champion in the indoor pentathlon. A four-time All-American with the Dutch, Brondyke was second in the Division III decathlon in 2011.
Brondyke received his Bachelor's Degree from Central in 2012 and his Master's Degree from Central Missouri in 2014.
