ITHACA, N.Y. — Rich Bowman, The Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Head Women's Coach and Director of Cornell Track & Field/Cross Country, and Adrian Durant, The George E. Heekin '29 Head Men's Coach, have announced the hiring of Kevin Phipps as an assistant coach for the track and field teams. Phipps will be working with the Big Red throwers.

Phipps, who spent the last five years as an assistant coach at Baldwin-Wallace University coaching throws, pole vault and multi-events, was named the 2016 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association DIII Women's National Assistant Coach of the Year. 

"We are ecstatic that Kevin Phipps has chosen to join the track and field staff at Cornell," Bowman said. "He is one of the great young coaches in the country. He has the enthusiasm and commitment to develop scholar-athletes on the national level.  We couldn't be more pleased to welcome him to Big Red track and field." 

Phipps helped the Baldwin-Wallace women's indoor team to the 2016 NCAA DIII national championship and the women's outdoor team was the national runner-up. Phipps worked with thrower Kim Gallavan, who earned 20 of the YellowJackets' 42.2 points at the national indoor meet and won individual national titles in the weight throw and shot put. The women's indoor squad was also named the USTFCCCA 2016 Women's Indoor Track and Field Scholar Team of the Year.

On the men's side Phipps coached Tyler Burdorff to NCAA runner-up status in the weight and hammer throws and helped him garner USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honors. He also mentored Mitch Suppan who was a three-time NCAA All-American in the shot, discus and hammer.

Overall, Phipps coached three national champions, 11 All-Americans, 36 NCAA national championship meet qualifiers, 16 Ohio Athletic Conference champions and six school record holders. He was also the 2012 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Before his coaching days, Phipps was a successful athlete himself at his alma mater. He was a six-time DIII All-American and was a seven-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion and earned all-conference honors 12 times. He also played four years of varsity football for the YellowJackets and captained the team as a senior. He earned all-conference honors as a defensive tackle.

The Pataskala, Ohio native earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Baldwin-Wallace in 2011. He is also a USTFCCCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach.