The Eastern men’s and women’s track and field programs didn’t have to look too far to help replace their coaches who left.

Eastern head coach Tom Akers was in a bind as former jumps coach JaRod Tobler left to train for the Olympics and former distance coach Geoff Masanet went to Texas to follow his wife’s job opportunity.

Akers was able to have former Eastern track athletes to step in and help. While Akers already had help from Jessica Sommerfeld as an assistant head coach, he received additional assistance as Clint Coffey, Brenton Emanuel, Brad Butler, Kyle Ellis and Mary Wallace.

Wallace, assistant athletic director and senior women’s administrator, works in administration during the day, and helps out with long and triple jumps in the afternoon.

Butler took over the distance runners; Coffey took on the mid-distance crew and Emanuel coaches the sprinters. Ellis is in his second year continues to coach the vaults and assists with the javelin.

“When we come out to practices, I think those guys are a big part of (making sure practices run smoothly),” Akers said. “(The athletes) accepted the change well. They’ve worked hard for it. We’ve got to thank the athletes for that.”

All but Wallace, Akers and Sommerfeld are former Eastern athletes.

Wallace re-joined the team this year as an assistant coach and has significant experience under her belt, because she was the Eastern head women’s track coach from 2003-2008. She was also the assistant men’s and women’s coach at Illinois State

(1997-2002) for six years. She also was the assistant women’s coach at Central Michigan (1995-96), Arkansas (1991-94) and Rice (1990).

Ellis has helped the women’s pole vaulters to new heights this season. Those pole vaulters have tied for the fourth-best mark in program history during the indoor season and the fourth, seventh best mark during the outdoor season.

Newbies form cluster of assistant coaches

Butler is a former OVC outdoor champion in the 10,000-meter run in 2006 and 2009.

Coffey was part of a successful ‘800-crew’ after completing his eligibility last season. Emanuel was a top sprinter.

“I think we all have this little rivalry to see who can get their group to perform the best. It kind of goes unsaid,” Coffey said.

Coffey also couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when talking about his fellow coaches.

“In a way, it does bring back old times,” he said. “But in a way, it’s also more mature, cause we’re coaches now. It’s been a blast.”

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ets to coach the mid-distance crew, a coach for those races, that hasn’t always been there in the past. This year the group has blossomed and on Saturday dominated at the Vanderbilt Invitational.

Five mid-distance runners had career bests as two women’s runners moved into second and seventh all-time in the 800-meter run and three male runners moved into third, fifth and eighth all-time in the 800-meter run.

“They were just making me smile,” Coffey said. “They even exceeded my expectations.”

Coffey said having known most of the runners going into the season has been helpful.

“I always wanted to coach,” he said. “It’s been a blessing honestly. I can understand what they’re going through.”

Eastern senior Meghan Carney is one of those athletes benefiting this year from the efforts of Coffey. Carney is seventh all-time in the 800-meter run and a part of that is having Coffey’s experience guiding her.

“It’s nice to have that base build-up,” Carney said. “He really knows the race. It’s also nice having a specialist coach. Before we would go back and forth (between sprinting and distance). It’s nice to have some consistency in our own defined crew.”

Having a defined crew isn’t always the easiest, as was the case with Butler. Butler picked up coaching both distance squads when Masanet departed but had difficulty with the women’s distance crew.

Eastern senior Erin O’Grady said communication in workouts was the biggest problem. O’Grady said she would arrive to practice and the guys would already be working out, and she didn’t know what she was doing with the rest of the women’s distance crew. She was in Akers’ office every day.

“I’m not going to lie,” O’Grady said. “I kinda got in his face about it. I talked to him about (having a coach). I had a heart-to-heart.

But all of that has changed.

“I think he felt the pressure at first,” O’Grady said. “Now, he’s getting the hang of it. He’s doing a great job. I really appreciate it when he tries to give me feedback on my running. It’s really a comforting feeling to know that someone really cares about you. He’s more than a coach; he’s a friend out there.”

Butler acknowledges that he always didn’t pay attention to women’s splits and was comfortable with the men’s distance runners. He said Akers coached more of women’s distance runners during the indoor season.

When O’Grady and the other female runners came up to him, that’s when he started carrying a bigger load for the rest of the season.

“Well, OK, you’re right, I should be,” Butler said. “Things have been a lot better for outdoors.”

The outdoor season and second semester has worked out better for Emanuel.

Emanuel transitioned to coaching track after working in the compliance office during the first semester.

“It’s kind of nice to have one duty,” said Emanuel, who now spends all of his time with the track program.

Akers prepares all the workouts, and Emanuel, or B as he’s also known as, supervises all the workouts.

“It’s been a great experience,” Emanuel said. “I love helping people.”

Emanuel’s smile wouldn’t go away as he talked about the sprinters this season.

“It’s nice, good atmosphere, he said. “I’m having fun with what I’m doing.”

The athletes see that in return.

“I enjoy it,” senior Brandon Jelks said. “He’s a little bit more personal. It’s been a good year to work with B.”

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmurphy@eiu.edu