TicketsAug. 10, 2009
CINCINNATI - Following six seasons as an assistant coach for the Stanford University track and field program, Kris Mack has accepted an assistant coaching position with the University of Cincinnati men's track and field staff, head coach Bill Schnier announced today. Mack will coach the jumps for both the men's and the women's teams.
"Kris' experience in the Big Ten at Indiana and at Stanford in the Pac-10 will be invaluable to our student-athletes," said Schnier. "He will coach with intelligence and put our jumpers at a technical advantage."
In 2008, Mack led a trio of athletes to all-America honors with Graeme Hoste (pole vault), Josh Hustedt (heptathlon), and Dani Maier (javelin) earning accolades. Hoste completed a season where he set Stanford's indoor school record in the pole vault (18-4 ¾) and finished fourth at the indoor nationals, while Hustedt finished as the national runner-up in the heptathlon. On the female side, Mack coached Maier to a school record in the javelin by throwing 174-0. She was also the Pac-10 runner-up and finished ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Prior to Stanford, Mack enjoyed success coaching athletes at various levels. In 2003, Mack served as an assistant coach at Bloomington North High School in Bloomington, Ind. In one year at Bloomington North, Mack led four athletes (two throwers/two vaulters) to the Indiana State Track and Field Championship meet and helped Bloomington North to the 2003 Sectional and Regional Track and Field Championship titles.
While working as a graduate assistant coach at Indiana University from 2000-02, Mack worked with Dino Efthimiou as he placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault and claimed all-America status.
In 2002, Mack earned his M.S. in Biomechanics from Indiana University, where he studied under Jesus Dapena, the Sports Biomechanics high jump specialist for USA Track and Field.
During the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, Mack was an assistant coach for Sky Jumpers Vertical Sports Club and coached Paula Serrano to a 10th-place finish in the women's pole vault. While working at Sky Jumpers (1996-2000), Mack assisted with the development of many elite high school pole vaulters, including Chelsea Johnson, Shayla Balentine, Monica Pacas, and Kasey Lundgren.
Mack completed his education at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 2000, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Kinesiology and Biochemistry. While on the track team at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Mack obtained a personal best of 17-4 in the pole vault and his team qualified five pole vaulters to the 1998 and 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Mack and his wife Paula (Serrano), the 1999 NCAA Champion in the women's pole vault, have two sons, Travis Calahan and Caleb Laim.