Coaching Achievements
• 112 All-Conference Athletes • 64 NCAA Regional Qualifiers • 35 Conference Champions • 25 School Records • 15 NCAA Championship Qualifiers • 8 All-America Awards
Coaching Experience
• Wichita State: Assistant Coach/Throws (2000-Present) •
Athletic Achievement
• Competed at Kent State (1996-2000) • Two-Time NCAA All-American (1997,1998) • Two-Time MAC Javelin Conference Champion • 1997 Penn Relays Javelin Champion • Three-Time Olympic Trials Qualifier (2000, 2004 and 2008) • 11-Time USATF National Championship Qualifier (1997, '99, '03, '05, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11) •
John Hetzendorf enters his 25th year as assistant track and field coach responsible for the Shocker throwers.
2021-22: Michael Bryan added two All-America honors to his resume, placing 14th in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships and fifth in the hammer at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Taran Taylor joined Bryan on the podium at the outdoor championships, placing fourth in the javelin. Both men set new school records, recorded the highest-ever NCAA finishes by Shockers in their events and became First Team All-Americans.
Bryan (hammer), Taylor (javelin) and Matt Everett (discus) all won individual titles at the AAC Outdoor Championships to contribute to the men's team title, and Taylor was named the AAC Most Outstanding Field Performer. Bryan (weight) also won an indoor title this season and was named the AAC Most Outstanding Field Performer for indoor after breaking his own school record.
In the shortened 2020 year, Hetzendorf’s throws group saw successes on the men’s and women’s side. Michael Bryan and Alex Adams had excellent seasons.
Bryan steadily improved his weight throw PR throughout the year, capping off his season with a new personal best at the AAC Indoor Championships and a seventh-place finish at the championship meet. Adams powered her way to success in the weight throw ring as well. She improved her weight throw mark all six weeks she competed in the event. Her season culminated with a huge throw to move into No. 3 in school history in the weight throw and finish sixth at the AAC Championships.
In the most recent outdoor season, Hetzendorf coached Aaron True to an All-American finish in the javelin throw for the second consecutive year. True became the seventh All-American under Hetzendorf.
Hetzendorf coached the No. 1 javelin group during the 2018 season, the core group of Aaron True, Damine Odle, Taran Taylor and John Hoplin was No. 1 in all seven weeks of the USTFCCCA event squad rankings.
At the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships his javelin squad placed five athletes in the top-10, including Aaron True winning the event with a school and conference record mark of 77.49m/254-03. Taran Taylor earned All-Conference honors placing second, followed by John Hoplin in fifth, Damien Odle in seventh and Jeff Ast in ninth.
Aaron True finished the 2018 season with first-team All-American honors placing sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Taran Taylor won the 2018 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships, where he finished his 2018 campaign at the IAAF U20 World Championships.
In 2016, Damien Odle and Skylar Arneson qualified for the NCAA Championship and placed ninth and 20th, respectively. Nine Shockers earned All-Valley honors in the throws area at the MVC Championship while WSU again swept the men’s javelin at the event. Odle and Carlea Miles (Holt) swept the men’s and women’s MVC javelin titles, as well, and also set the school records in the javelin in 2016. Indoors at the MVC, Jamesia Milton won the women’s weight throw, as well, while Weston Cottrell won the Hammer Throw at the Outdoor Championship.
In addition, three athletes under his watch have qualified for the USA Olympic Trials — Chandra Andrews in the hammer and Trent Mazanec, Brett Trudo and Damien Odle (2016) in the javelin.
Mazanec set the WSU school record in the javelin and finished eighth at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Another WSU graduate, Allison Berry, was a four-time MVC Champion in the javelin and was named an NCAA All-American under Hetzendorf’s tutiledge.
During the 2010 outdoor season Hetzendorf’s throwers accumulated 29 points on the men’s side to help the Shockers win the Missouri Valley Outdoor title. Capps, Mazanec and Brian Tapia received all-conference honors for their efforts during the meet.
Heztendorf has also had a successful athletic career. In the summer of 2007, he competed in the USA Track and Field Championships and placed fourth in the javelin competition with a throw of 243-8. In the summer of 2005, Hetzendorf threw 256-8 to finish second in the USATF Championships, qualifying him for the World Championships. He also competed in the 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2005 USATF National Championship and the 2000 and 2004 Olympic trials. Hetzendorf’s highest finish was second at the 2005 USATF National Championship.
He was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American in the javelin and two-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) champion at Kent State. Hetzendorf is a former team captain of the MAC championship squad and recorded two top 15 finishes in the javelin at the NCAA outdoor championship, placing seventh in 1997 (218-3) and 14th in 1998 (222-0). Hetzendorf won the javelin title at the Penn Relays with a throw of 232-11 in 1999.
Hetzendorf placed second in the USA Track and Field Junior Championship in the javelin (215-7) and also competed at the IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championship in Sydney, Australia in 1996.
A native of Turbotville, Pa., Hetzendorf graduated from Kent State in May 2000 with a bachelor of science degree in biology.
Hetzendorf and his wife Amber reside in Wichita, Kan. Amber and John have two sons, Jack and Max.
