March 20, 2009
(release courtesy of Mark Adkins, Wartburg College sports information)

WAVERLY, IOWA . . . Less than a week removed from his women’s team gaining its first indoor national team championship, Wartburg College head men’s and women’s track and field coach Marcus Newsom was tabbed the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Division III women’s indoor Coach of the Year Thursday, March 19. The award was based on vote of all NCAA Division III head coaches.

Already a combined 11-time indoor and outdoor men’s and women’s USTFCCCA Central Region honoree, the national award is the third for Newsom. He was also the top Division III women’s indoor track and field coach in 2004 and 2007. Newsom guided his women’s team to the indoor national championship, as Wartburg scored 51 team points at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., March 13-14. The Knights picked up two first place finishes in the women’s triple jump and in the women’s 4x400 meter relay. The program earned 14 USTFCCCA All-American honors during the two-day event, which was the highest by any program at the 2009 meet.

“This is such a special award,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a tremendous group of athletes (at Wartburg). This honor is the culmination of the 2009 team’s work for the last three years to get to the national championship, and it’s great to be recognized by such a fine group of coaches.”

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