NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State Track & Field welcomed Austin West to the coaching staff on Aug. 29. West will serve as an assistant coach with the jumps/combined event groups.
West replaces Jake Jacoby, who served as Illinois State's jumps/multis coach for two seasons and is now the jumps coach at Indiana.
"We are thrilled to add Austin to the staff, as he brings a ton of energy to the team and adds a wealth of knowledge in both the vertical and horizontal jumps and combined events," said Jeff Bovee, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.
West brings experience as both a coach and All-American athlete. He spent the 2024 season as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln working with the high jump and combined event groups.
During this role, West helped the Huskers to an individual NCAA title, five Big Ten event titles, bronze medals in both the European and World Indoor Championships and national qualifiers in the men's and women's high jump, women's long jump and decathlon.
Prior to his role with the Huskers, West acted as an assistant coach at Iowa City West High School, where he worked with the hurdle and horizontal jumps groups from 2022-2024. Under his direction, athletes earned two state titles, six state meet medals, one Drake Relays Boys Athlete of the Year award and two top-five team finishes at the state meet in Iowa's largest high school division.
West attended the University of Iowa, where he earned bachelor's degrees in Exercise Science and History in May 2023. He obtained his master's from Iowa in Sport and Recreation Management in December 2024. West earned CSC First-Team Academic All-American honors in 2023-24.
While in Iowa City, West competed for the Iowa track and field team, earning first-team All-American honors in the combined events three times from 2022-24. He owns the Iowa school record in the decathlon with a score of 8331. West took home an individual Big Ten title in 2023 in the 400m hurdles with a mark of 49.34, the second-fastest time in University of Iowa history. He has medaled at four United States Championship meets, including earning a bronze medal at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships. West has represented the U.S. three times in international competition and was the 2025 NACAC champion in the decathlon.
"As a Hawkeye, Austin developed into one of the top decathletes in the NCAA and in the USA," said Bovee. "Being raised in Iowa City and competing in the Big Ten conference, Austin brings a competitive edge. He will be able to hit the ground running with all of his recruiting connections around the Midwest."
