Rutledge joins Pitt State track & field staff

Written by www.pittstategorillas.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Pittsburg State head track and field coach Russ Jewett is pleased to announce that Kyle Rutledge will join the PSU staff as an assistant coach.

“We are excited to have Kyle join our coaching staff,” Jewett said “He has been very successful coaching and recruiting at the NCAA Division II level and is certainly familiar with the MIAA, having been an All-American pole-vaulter at Missouri Southern.

Kyle has experience coaching just about every event in track & field, and he has great organizational skills as well as a super work ethic.  He will be a strong asset to Gorilla Track & Field and to Pittsburg State University."

Rutledge comes to Pittsburg State after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo. Rutledge worked with sprints, hurdles, jumps, pole vault, throws and multi events for the Miners.

Rutledge spent one season at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan. after starting his coaching career at Missouri Southern. He spent two seasons with the Lions, coaching high jump, long jump, pole vault and multi events.

Since 2007, Rutledge has coached 32 NCAA II Championship qualifiers, six NJCAA National Qualifiers, 20 All-Americans in pole vault, high jump, hurdles, relays and decathlon and three NJCAA All-Americans. In his three seasons at Missouri S&T Rutledge coached athletes set 19 school records and had athletes named the GLVC Championship Indoor Field Athlete of the Meet, Indoor Freshman of the Meet and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Meet., as well as the 2010 Midwest Regional Track Athlete of the Year.

Rutledge spent four seasons as a member of the Missouri Southern track & field team. He qualified for both the indoor and outdoor NCAA-II Championships in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 in the pole vault, earning All-America honors in 2003, 2005 and 2006. He placed second at the 2006 indoor NCAA-II Championship and third at the 2005 Outdoor Championship.

Rutledge is married to the former Natalie Noe and the couple has a daughter, Emery, who was born on Feb. 12, 2012.