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Mark Conover
Director of Track and Field/Cross
Country
Second Season (Track), 15th Season (Cross Country)
Humboldt State 1983
After coaching the men’s cross country team to seventh
straight and 10 Big West Conference Championships during his
tenure, Mark Conover was named Cal Poly's Director of Track and
Field / Cross Country on Dec. 30, 2009
Conover is currently in his 15th season at Cal Poly and has led
the Mustangs to 12 appearances at the NCAA Cross Country
Championships, six of those as a team. He has coached the
men’s team to four top-20 finishes, including 13th in 2003,
10th in 2004, 13th in 2006 and 11th in 2007.
“I am honored to be selected as the Director of Track and
Field and Cross Country at Cal Poly,” Conover said
in December. “To be in the position to lead the program
into the next decade is a coach's dream. Cal Poly offers everything
that is necessary when it comes to having a successful program due
to its prestigious academic standing and the 'learn by doing'
experience that is offered to the student-athlete in a setting that
is second to none.
“I look forward to providing a positive environment that
will allow the student-athlete to obtain academic and athletic
excellence. I also look forward to recruiting and coaching bright,
energetic and passionate young men and women who seek the
outstanding education and athletic opportunity that Cal Poly
offers.”
Conover has been named the Big West Conference Men’s Coach
of the Year eight times and the United States Track and Field and
Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) West Region coach of
the year twice (2000 and 2003).
During his tenure at Cal Poly, Conover has coached a pair of
two-time All-Americans in both track and cross country. He has
coached 23 NCAA West Region men’s and women’s track and
field qualifiers and 28 individual NCAA All-West Region men and
women in cross country.
Conover also has coached 26 Big West Conference individual
champions in track and cross country, produced three Big West
Conference Track Athletes of the Year, seven Big West Cross Country
Athletes of the Year, two Freshman Track Athletes of the Year and
seven Freshman Cross Country Athletes of the Year.
He has coached 27 men and women to Cal Poly top-ten all-time track
and field marks, including the school record-holder in the
men’s 5,000 meters and women’s steeplechase
The women’s cross country team, which he assisted before
assuming full duties, had their highest conference finish in eight
years in 2009 (third). Women’s cross country also earned NCAA
All-Academic team honors in 2007 and won the 2004-05 and 2007-08
Big West Conference team GPA awards.
“Cal Poly has a long-standing tradition of excellence in the
sports of track and field and cross country, with numerous
All-Americans as well as alumni who went on to become
Olympians,” Conover said. “That fact, combined with the
number of successful coaches who came before me and the number of
alumni who are currently successful high school and collegiate
coaches, truly make it special to be the Director of Track and
Field and Cross Country at Cal Poly. The program has a special
place in the hearts of many alumni and fans of the sport who have
been associated with Cal Poly.”
Conover coached the Cal Poly athlete of the year in 2007 as well
as the Big West Conference scholar-athlete of the year in 2005 and
the Cal Poly scholar-athlete of the year in both 2005 and 2008.
Conover was a nine-time All-American distance runner at Humboldt
State, and earned the rare distinction of becoming an All-American
in all three NCAA divisions (I, II and III). He was the national
champion in the 10,000 meters in track in 1981 and in cross
country, also in 1981.
In 1988, Conover was the Olympic Trials Champion in the marathon
and went on to run at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He competed
professionally from 1984-96 and was a four-time U.S. Olympic Trials
qualifier.
A graduate of Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif., Conover
earned his bachelor’s degree in natural resource planning and
interpretation at Humboldt State in 1983 and earned his
master’s degree at Cal Poly in city and regional planning in
1989.
Conover, who survived a battle with Hodgkin’s Disease in
1993 and 1994, was inducted into the Humboldt State University Hall
of Fame in 1993.
Prior to his coaching stint at Cal Poly, Conover was an assistant
planner with San Luis Obispo County from 1989-92 and editor of a
magazine, The Runner’s Schedule, from 1992-95. He served
internships in the planning departments for the city of San Luis
Obispo in 1985 and Morro Bay in 1987.
Mark lives with his wife, Kelly, in San Luis Obispo. They had
triplets in May 2007 -- two girls, Audrey and Marley, and a boy,
Cordell.
Danny Williams
Assistant Coach
Ballistic Events
Eighth Season
Occidental, 1978
Assistant coach Danny Williams begins his eighth season as a
member of the Cal Poly track and field program. Williams serves as
the program's recruiting coordinator and strength and development
coach as well as his day-to-day track and field
responsibilities.
The 1978 Occidental College graduate brings to Cal Poly a vast
expertise and experience ranging from collegiate to international
competitions.
Most recently Williams has served as the USA Men’s Manager
at the Pan American Junior Championships (2005) and served as the
head coach of the Guatemala National Track and Field Team
(2002-03).
He has served as the head coach for the USA Women’s World
Indoor Championship Team (2001), assistant with the World
Championship Team in 1999 (Seville, Spain) and as the head coach
for the Women’s Junior Pan American Championship Team in 1997
(Havana, Cuba).
In 2003 he became the USATF Women’s Sprint Development
Coordinator and continues to serve.
As a collegiate coach at South Carolina State University
(1992-94), Williams coached All-American high jumper Ken
Washington. During his tenure at SCSU he served as an assistant on
the World Junior Championship Team (France) and as US Olympic
Festival Team.
Prior to joining the SCSU staff he coached five All-Americans and
32 conference champions while at UC Irvine (1981-92) and two
national champions and the national record holder (men’s high
jump) at his alma mater (1978-79).
In 1994 he formed the Ballistic Sports Development in Norwalk
Connecticut, where he developed training concepts for professional
athletes and corporate executives and it continues today.
Jack Hoyt
Assistant Coach
Throws, High Jump, Multi-events
Seventh Season
Seattle Pacific University in 1987
Jack Hoyt is in his seventh season as Assistant Coach of field
events with the Cal Poly track and field program. The versatile
coach of the Cal Poly throws, vertical jumps and combined-events
has been developing collegiate athletes for the past 17 years. His
time at Cal Poly has been highlighted with 1 Olympian, 4 NCAA I
All-Americans, 37 Regional Qualifiers, and 16 Conference Champions.
Prior to coaching at Cal Poly, Hoyt coached 10 years at Seattle
Pacific University and developed 29 Division II All-Americans;
javelin (4), shot put(2), high jump (2), pole vault (5), and
heptathlon/decathlon n (16). Two of his Seattle Pacific athletes
went on to USA Track & Field top-10 rankings.
It took Hoyt two seasons at Cal Poly to start producing Division I
All-Americans. At the 2007 NCAA I Championship Meet, Hoyt coached a
javelin thrower (Aris Borjas) and a high jumper (Sharon Day) to 3rd
and 4th place. The two went on to top 10 finishes at the 2008
Olympic Trials, highlighted by Sharon Day's 3rd place finish and
spot on the 2008 USA Olympic Team.
While making the Olympic Team fulfilled a dream for Sharon Day,
the big surprise for her was becoming one of the nation's top
heptathletes under Hoyt's tutelage. In 2009, Sharon Day was ranked
#1 in the USA after placing 10th at the World
Championship Heptathlon. She also competed for the USA in the high
jump at the 2009 World Track and Field Championships. Following
graduation in 2008, Day signed a professional contract with ASICS
and has continued her training toward the 2012 Olympic Games with
Hoyt and the Cal Poly Team in both the high jump and
heptathlon.
As the Head Coach of Seattle Pacific University from 2000-2005,
Hoyt was a five-time conference Coach of the Year, and was voted
West Region Indoor Coach of the year for 2005. He led the Falcon
women to 13th in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field
Championships and eighth indoors in 2005. His teams won a total of
five outdoor and indoor conference championships during his tenure
at Seattle Pacific.
A former All-American in the decathlon at Seattle Pacific, Hoyt
still holds the school record in the high jump. He competed at the
1992 Olympic Trials and held the American Record in the Decathlon
High Jump at 7'2.75". In 2004, at age 40, Hoyt won the USA Masters
Decathlon Title and set 3 American Records along the way for the
decathlon, decathlon pole vault (15'1") and decathlon high jump
(6'5"). In 2005, Hoyt placed 2nd in the decathlon at the World
Masters Championships in San Sebastian, Spain.
A graduate of Valley Christian High School in San Jose,
California, Coach Hoyt earned his bachelors degree in Psychology at
Seattle Pacific University in 1987, and his Masters of Education in
School Counseling in 1997. Hoyt currently lives in Grover Beach
with his wife Mary and children, Vanessa and Keenan.
Kelly
Strong
Arizona State, 2002
Cal Poly track and field director Mark Conover completed his
staff during the 2010-11 season as the Cal Poly Athletics
Department announced that former University of Washington assistant
coach Kelly Strong has joined the Mustang program in a similar
capacity.
Strong arrives on the central coast following a nine-year stint
with the University of Washington, where she helped form one of the
nation’s elite distance programs, accentuated by the women
winning the 2008 NCAA Team Championship in Cross Country. Over the
past two years, due to Strong’s involvement in recruiting and
coaching, UW garnered two Pac-10 titles, two podium finishes, four
Olympic Trials qualifiers, and 27 All-American honors in cross
country and on the track.
Much like Coach Conover, the former Arizona State graduate has a
history of elite success both as a runner and as a coach. After
helping build the distance program as an athlete in Tempe, the
Oregon native went back to the Northwest to help guide the young
women in Seattle. In her nine years as a coach, the Washington
teams qualified for NCAA’s all but twice, and the last three
finishes (8th, 1st, 3rd) were
highest in school history.
Her reputation as one of the nation’s best recruiters, as
well as her ability to connect with student-athletes played a large
part in that success, and it is the reason Conover is excited
having her take part in the growing distance tradition in San Luis
Obispo.
"Kelly is a great addition to the staff, said Conover. “Her
experiences as a top-level athlete and coach are assets that will
be valuable to the program. Her ability in recruiting, aiding in
daily operations of a program, along with her skill in helping the
student-athlete find success have all been proven. She fits all the
criteria I had for this position, so ultimately we can continue to
provide a great overall experience for our student-athletes both
academically and athletically at Cal Poly."
The newest Mustang is a 2002 graduate of Arizona State. During her
collegiate career, she earned five All-America honors and three
Pac-10 titles, and she set five school records. Following that, she
ran for Asics, and represented them in three Olympic Trials. In
2008, she also set the American record in the 2,000-meter
steeplechase (6:25.98), and ranked seventh in U.S. history in the
3,000-meter steeple (9:47.68).
She was recognized in 2002 with ASU's Pac-10 Medal, and was ASU's
Athlete of the Year in 2001-02.
“I am overjoyed with the opportunity. In a place like Cal Poly, there are so many things that are distinct. San Luis Obispo is such a beautiful town that is fifteen minutes from the Pacific Ocean, hosts an elite institute of higher learning, and has a history of great distance running. Mark’s coaching ability and success speaks for itself, and I am enthusiastic about how our styles will mesh in helping the Mustangs continue to rise to the top. I think we have a lot of good things to look forward to, starting with Cross Country 2010.”
Andy Sverchek
Assistant Coach
Throwing Events
3rd Season
Cal Poly, 2000
Andy Sverchek has been working with the Cal Poly throwing athletes since 2010, while also pursuing a master’s degree in Kinesiology. He is also a NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and is currently working as an assistant strength coach in the Cal Poly weight room.
The 2011 season saw three of Cal poly’s throwing athletes qualify for the NCAA Div. 1 West Regional, and this upcoming season there is a solid group of talented young athletes looking to take a step forward in both the Big West Conference and at the NCAA national level.
Andy grew up in San Luis Obispo, graduating from San Luis Obispo High School in 1994, and is a former Cal Poly student athlete and school record holder in the Shot Put.
He was Big West Conference Champion in the shot put in 1997 and also qualified for the NCAA national championships twice, earning All-American honors in 1999, where he set the school record at 61 feet 5 inches.
Andy was also a four year starter at defensive end for the Mustang football team from 1995 through 1998, following in the footsteps of his father, Don, and uncle, Paul, who both played defensive line for the Mustangs.
After graduating from Cal Poly Andy continued to train and compete in both the shot put and the discus, as well as coaching both football and track and field at San Luis Obispo High School, where he helped his younger brother Tom break his school record in the shot put.
Andy earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Cal Poly in 2000. He returned to Cal Poly in 2009, after a 6 year career working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer in Los Angeles
“Cal Poly has a rich Track and field history, which includes All-American athletes, national champions, American record holders, and an Olympic gold medalist. My goal is to keep up the tradition of coaching athletes to break old records and to help maintain the tradition of a premier collegiate Track and Field program at Cal Poly.”
Corbin Duer
Cal Poly, 2011
Following a stellar four year career at Cal Poly, Corbin Duer will begin his first season on the Cal Poly Staff as a volunteer coach for the pole vault.
Duer’s coaching knowledge has been tutored by working with some of the sports best coaches and athletes. He has extensive experience working under world champions, national record holders, Olympians, and national team coaches.
Duer holds the Cal Poly school record in the decathlon and has a pole vault best of 16 feet 3 inches.
He was the Big West Conference decathlon runner-up in both 2009 and 2011.
When he is not coaching, he will be training full-time in the pursuit of reaching a qualifying score for the 2012 Olympic Trials Decathlon.
