Track & Field
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- adrian.wheatley@bsu.edu
- Phone:
- 765-285-5168
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
Ball State (2021-Present)Â
USTFCCCA Team Academic AwardÂ
2023 MAC outdoor championship teamÂ
Five All-MAC athletesÂ
11 MAC champions Â
Four NCAA regional qualifiersÂ
Five NCAA qualifiersÂ
Five All-AmericansÂ
NCAA indoor team top 32 finishÂ
NCAA outdoor team top 17 finishÂ
Nine school recordsÂ
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (2019-2021) Â
Nine All-ACC athletesÂ
Two ACC championsÂ
17 NCAA first-round qualifiers Â
Five All-AmericansÂ
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2010-2018)Â Â
Seven school recordsÂ
Big Ten men’s championship teamÂ
27 Big Ten champions Â
36 All-Big Ten athletesÂ
93 NCAA first-round qualifiersÂ
58 NCAA final-round qualifiersÂ
67 All-AmericansÂ
Big Ten record holderÂ
Olympic hurdlerÂ
University of Virginia (2008-2011)Â Â
Three NCAA qualifiersÂ
ACC championÂ
ACC runner-upÂ
Six school recordsÂ
Austin Peay (2006-2009)Â
Two long jump conference titlesÂ
Two long jump NCAA regional qualifiersÂ
College of Charleston (2004-2006)Â
Weight and hammer throw conference titleÂ
Weight and hammer throw regional qualifier Â
Weight and hammer throw NCAA qualifierÂ
MAJOR AWARDS/HONORSÂ
2023 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Head Coach of the YearÂ
2023 MAC Head Coach of the YearÂ
Three-time USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the YearÂ
2015 Coaching Staff of the Year honor with Illinois Â
2015 Indoor and Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
2013 Indoor Assistant Coach of the YearÂ
2009 Coaching Staff of the Year honor with VirginiaÂ
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The proverbial arrow of the program will continue to point due north with the announcement of former North Carolina assistant coach and three-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Assistant Coach of the Year Adrian Wheatley as the program's next head coach, Ball State announced Aug. 20, 2021.
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Wheatley arrived in Muncie with 17 years of experience as an assistant and associate head coach, highlighted by a pair of team conference championships. Including his first year at Ball State, he's mentored 80 All-Americans, 36 conference champions and 118 NCAA First Round Qualifiers during stops at North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Austin Peay State and the College of Charleston.
In his first season at Ball State, the Cardinals captured five individual Mid-American Conference titles and had three All-American honors.
Charity Griffith captured individual titles in the high jump and pentathlon during the indoor season and the high jump during the outdoor campaign. Karlie Zumbro repeated as the MAC outdoor champion in the heptathlon for the second consecutive season after scoring a MAC Championship program record 5,403 points in the competition. Kayla Jones captured the MAC outdoor title in the 800-meter run after running a time of 2:07.61.
Griffith picked up three All-American honors, including first-team recognition for a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and second-team honors after placing 15th in the high jump and 16th in the pentathlon during the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Following a fifth-place finish, Griffith became the third-highest-finishing performer in program history at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in addition to Ball State Hall of Fame inductees LaTasha Jenkins (1998, 1999) and Bonita Harrington (1983, 1984).
Griffith became one of two in the Ball State record book to be a multi-event All-American in the same indoor season, joining Patricia Soman, who competed in the long jump and triple jump in 2003.
Griffith was named the MAC Indoor Most Outstanding Field Performer and shared the MAC's Most Valuable Performer honor. She became the first Cardinal ever to be named the top field performer in the MAC and fourth to be named the overall most valuable performer, joining Julie Focht (1996), Jill Scully (2005, 2006) and Ali Bishel (2009).
Griffith, Jones and Zumbro earned First Team All-MAC honors at the conference outdoor meet. Payton Barlow, MaQuila Norman, Alexis Thigpen, Griffith and Zumbro earned All-MAC laurels following the league's indoor meet. The five All-MAC selections are the second-most by a Ball State team at the annual indoor meet since the league begin tracking data in 2006.
Karlie Zumbro was named a recipient of the MAC Medal of Excellence, given annually to one male and one female student-athlete from each institution who participate on the varsity level in a conference sponsored sport and shown evidence of academic success with a minimum 3.50 accumulative grade-point average, exhibited athletics excellence, leadership and service.
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Additionally, Wheatley has played key roles in recruiting, travel coordination, meet management and compliance coordination. He was also part of two conference coaching staffs of the year (Virginia, 2009; Illinois, 2015).
In Chapel Hill, Wheatley coached All-ACC performers Brianna White (400m), Anna Keefer (200m), and Isaiah Palmer (400m, 200m).
While helping build the Fighting Illini program in Urbana-Champaign into a Big Ten men's championship team, Wheatley mentored the likes of All-Americans David Kendziera (2nd in the 110h and 3rd in the 400h), Devin Quinn (7th in the NCAA, 100m), and DJ Zahn (3rd in the NCAA, 400m). His guidance also helped develop Cam Viney (110h, 400h), Stephon Pamilton (400m), and Brandon Styrganek (4 x 100m) into NCAA finalists.
His most high-profile pupil from Illinois is Kendziera, a 10-time All-American and United States Olympic hurdler whom Wheatley accompanied to Tokyo last month.
While at Virginia, Wheatley guided Adams Abdulrazaaq, Steve Delice, and Ayla Smith to NCAA qualifications.Â
Early in his coaching career, Wheatley helped coached Kosha Lance (Southern Conference, weight and hammer throw), Keyvia Davis (Ohio Valley Conference, long jump), and Leeann White (Ohio Valley Conference, long jump) to conference titles during his stints with Charleston and Austin Peay, respectively.
The Worthington, Ohio native was an All-SEC (800m) and All-American (4x400m relay) member of the 2001 national championship team while competing at Tennessee. Wheatley was named the Ed South Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2002 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning.
Wheatley and his wife Hollie have five children.
