Brenton Emanuel enters his fourth year with the Illinois State University Track and Field Program, specializing in sprints, hurdles, and relays. The 2017-18 season marks the first year for Emanuel in the role of Associate Head Coach.
During his three years with the Redbirds, Emanuel has coached two NCAA National qualifiers in Anderson Devonish and Derrius Rodgers, 22 NCAA West Preliminary First Round qualifiers, and three USATF Junior qualifiers. He has helped the Redbirds break six school records, guided his athletes to 18 MVC Championships, and aided in 78 All-MVC performances.
The 2016-17 season saw Emanuel coach freshmen D’Jenne Egharevba and Derrius Rodgers to MVC Freshman of the Year honors following not only the indoor season, but the outdoor season as well.
Egharevba was crowned MVC Champion in the 200-meter dash at the 2017 Indoor Championships, posting the second-fastest time in ISU history. She followed this showing with All-MVC performances in the 100-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay at the 2017 Outdoor MVC Championships.
Rodgers broke the 60-meter dash record which had previously stood for 21 years en route to an MVC Championship in the event. His mark of 6.64 qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championships where he finished 13th and earned Second-Team All-American honors as a freshman.
Emanuel also led his athletes to a clean-sweep in the 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay at the 2017 MVC Indoor Championships. Both Amanda McClain and Ben Montgomery claimed gold in the 400-meter dash, while the men’s and women’s 4x400-meter relay teams each posted convincing victories on their way to an MVC Championship.
During the outdoor campaign, Emanuel helped Amanda McClain defend her MVC title in the 400-meter dash and guided the men’s 4x100-meter relay team to an MVC Championship.
The 2017 season also saw Demetria Anderson tie the 23-year-old 60-meter hurdles record and shatter the 100-meter hurdles record, a mark which had previously stood for 30 years. The indoor women’s 4x400-meter relay record fell as well, as the team of Ally Christiani, Rayanne Wright, Amanda McClain, and Ashleigh Wilson posted a new ISU-best.
Emanuel joined the ISU staff after serving as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles and the recruiting coordinator at California University of Pennsylvania. While at CALU, Emanuel guided one young man to the World Junior Championships in the 200 meter dash.
Before joining the Vulcans’ staff, Emanuel spent five years as the assistant track and field coach and recruiting coordinator for Eastern Illinois, where he helped coach the Panthers to nine team championships. In addition to guiding All-American sprinter Zye Boey, Emanuel coached 44 OVC individual champions, 55 All-Ohio Valley honorees, and aided in eight school records. He also served as Eastern Illinois’ meet manager, ran Illinois State high school meets, and managed National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championships.
Before embarking on his coaching career, Emanuel served as a compliance assistant, Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor, and game day operations assistant for the Eastern Illinois athletic department.
Emanuel was also a respected student-athlete at EIU, earning second-team All-OVC honors as a sprinter and serving as the Panthers’ team captain for four years.
Emanuel graduated from Eastern Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management and a business minor. He also received his Master’s degree from EIU in sports administration.
Emanuel resides in Normal, Illinois, with his wife, Jessica.
