John Hartpence was hired in the fall of 2021 as an assistant coach for the Utica College cross country and track & field programs. He will coach the sprint, hurdle, jump and multi-event athletes during the track & field season.
Recently finishing up a six-year stint at Hamilton College, Hartpence was an assistant with the track & field and cross country programs. He worked primarily with the jumpers, sprinters and hurdlers, producing a NESCAC Champion and NCAA qualifier at 200m, All-NESCAC performers at 100m, 200m, Triple Jump, Pole Vault and the 4x100m Relay and eleven school record performances.
Hartpence was the head coach at Defiance College from 2007 until the spring of 2015 and was the head track & field coach at Dickinson College from 2000 to 2007. He has been voted the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional coach of the year twice.
At Defiance, Hartpence guided athletes to four all-America performances, including the 2013 NCAA champion in the men's hammer throw. He led the women's track & field program to Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) indoor and outdoor team championships in 2014 and picked up a pair of conference track & field coach of the year awards. He directed athletes to eight HCAC most outstanding freshman and seven most outstanding performer awards. His athletes captured 47 individual titles in 17 different events at the HCAC championships. One of his athletes was selected the 2013 USTFCCCA Field Event Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Hartpence led the Dickinson women to six Centennial Conference track & field championships and directed the men's team to four runner-up finishes at the conference meet. He produced seven all-Americans and his athletes qualified for the NCAA championships in 11 different events. He coached five men and women to USTFCCCA regional athlete of the year awards and 11 conference championships athlete of the meet honors. His athletes posted more than 50 individual conference titles in 21 different events.
Hartpence completed a USA Track & Field Level 1 instructor training course in 2009 and has been a USATF Level 1 coaching education instructor since 2010. He is a USATF Level 1-certified track & field coach and is Level 2 certified for the throwing and jumping events. He holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY Cortland and earned his master's degree in health and human performance at the University of Montana.
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