Brian Etelman - Track & Field Coach - Ball State University Athletics

Photo by: Don Rogers, Ball State University

Brian Etelman

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
baetelman@bsu.edu
Phone:
765-285-5168

Highlights at Ball State
• Best Mid-American Conference Championship finishes:
Indoor - 3rd in 2020 / Outdoor - 9th in 2019 / Cross Country - 6th in 2019
• Coached his student-athletes to six program records
1. Indoor Weight Throw by Marie Lumpkin (18.55m / 60’-10.5”) on Dec. 5, 2015
2. Indoor High Jump by Regan Lewis (1.81m / 5’-11.25”) on Feb. 25, 2017
3. Outdoor Shot Put by Kelsey Walters (14.77m / 48’-5.5”) on April 28. 2018
4. Outdoor 4x100m Relay by Peyton Stewart, Bryeana Byrdsong, Ivy McKee & Jasmine Harris (45.20) on May 11, 2019
5. Indoor Shot Put by Kelsey Walters (15.33m / 50’-3.5”) on Feb. 29, 2020
6. Indoor 400m Dash by Amber Jones (54.46) on Feb. 29, 2020
• Helped mentor Regan Lewis to second team All-American honors and a 10th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
• Guided his student-athletes to five appearances at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships
• Coached his student-athletes to nine Mid-American Conference individual championships, with five MAC Indoor event titles and four MAC Outdoor event titles
• Helped his student-athletes earn 25 Mid-American Conference Championship medals; 9 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze
• His student-athletes have earned first team All-MAC accolades nine times in track & field and second team All-MAC honors 12 times in track & field and once in cross country
• Mentored his student-athletes to 125 Academic All-MAC honors and 26 MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete awards

Brian Etelman, a two-time All-American sprinter at the University of Georgia, enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Ball State track & field and cross country programs in 2020-21.

In his first five seasons, Etelman has helped lead a resurgence of the Cardinals track & field and cross country programs. This past season, Ball State placed third in the 2020 MAC Indoor Championships for its best indoor finish since 2009 and took sixth at the 2019 MAC Cross Country Championships for its best effort since 2007.

Unfortunately, the year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Cardinals did not get to start the 2020 outdoor season.

Etelman has also helped the program reemerge on the national scene by mentoring Regan Lewis to a 10th-place finish and second team All-America honors at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

In addition, his student-athletes have made five appearances at the NCAA East Preliminary Championships. Highlighting the list is Bryeana Byrdsong, who become the first Cardinal since 2009 to qualify in a pair of events, competing in both the 100m and 200m at the 2019 NCAA East Preliminary Championships.

Byrdsong also became the latest member of the program to be named Most Valuable Performer of the MAC Outdoor Championships when she won the 100m, took second in the 200m, ran the second leg for the second place 4x100m relay and ran the third leg for the third-place 4x400m relay in 2019.

Overall, the Cardinals have enjoyed tremendous success at the MAC Championships under Etelman’s tutelage, winning nine individual league titles and earning 25 total medals (9 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze). In addition, his student-athletes have earned first team All-MAC honors nine times in track & field and second team All-MAC honors 12 times in track & field and once in cross country.

The Ball State record book has also been heavily impacted by Etelman’s presence, with six program records being broken so far during his tenure. The first came in his very first track meet as the program’s coach when then-senior Marie Lumpkin broke the program standard in the weight throw at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 6, 2015). Overall, his student-athletes’ marks can be found 18 times on the indoor top five individual performance list and 17 times on the outdoor list.

Ball State has also been enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom during Etelman’s tenure, with his student-athletes earning Academic All-MAC honors 125 times and MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete accolades 26 times.

Prior to leading the Ball State programs, Etelman spent four seasons on the Miami (Ohio) women’s track & field coaching staff where he made a dramatic impact as the program’s sprints, hurdles, jumps and relays coach.

He has helped RedHawks’ student-athletes capture seven Mid-American Conference event championships over his four-year stint in Oxford, as well as establish 11 program records and a pair of MAC Championship meet marks. In addition, his student-athletes captured nine All-MAC honors and advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary Round on five occasions.

Miami’s sprinters and hurdlers dominated the 2013 MAC Outdoor Championships under Etelman’s tutelage, winning five event titles including both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. It marked the first time since 2009 a program had swept the relays and was just the second time in program history the RedHawks had won each event. Miami went on to place fourth in the meet, with Etelman’s group accounting for 68 of the team’s 105 points.

Prior to joining the Miami staff, Etelman served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Central Missouri for the 2010-11 season, where he worked with both the men’s and women’s sprinters, hurdlers and relays. As a member of the UCM staff, he coached numerous NCAA Division II Championship qualifiers and helped guide the women’s squad to sixth-place finishes at both the indoor and outdoor championships, while the men’s program placed fourth at the indoor meet and eighth at the outdoor event.

During the 2008-09 season, Etelman was a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Georgia, where he helped instruct the men's and women's sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. While working on the Bulldogs’ staff, he assisted in the development of several student-athletes who earned All-America honors and SEC event championships. He also worked with Olympic trials finalists.

As a student-athlete at Georgia in 2007, Etelman earned All-America accolades in the 4x400m relay which turned in a runner-up finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and continues to boast the second-fastest time in program history. Etelman also ran in the 4x100m relay which placed third at the 2007 Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships with the sixth-best time in Bulldogs’ history.

A member of the 2007 NCAA All-East Regional team, Etelman placed seventh in the 200m dash at the 2007 SEC Outdoor Championships. He also finished his Georgia career ranked eighth on the program’s all-time indoor performance list in the 200m dash. In the classroom, Etelman served on the Academic Roundtable at Georgia and was named to the 2007 SEC Spring Honor Roll.

Following graduation from Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., Etelman attended Clayton State University before transferring to Georgia in 2005. At CSU, Etelman was an NCAA Division II All-American and Peach Belt Conference All-Academic team selection. He still holds school records in the 55m dash, 60m dash, outdoor 200m dash, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.

A native of Marietta, Ga., Etelman earned his bachelor's degree in history from Georgia in 2007. He went on to earn his master's degree in Kinesiology from Central Missouri in the fall of 2017. He is a certified USATF Level I coach.