Westmont track and field assistant coaches Josh Priester and Tom FitzSimons were named West Region Assistant Coaches of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Priester was honored as Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year, while FitzSimons was named Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
“Both Josh and Tom have high expectations of what is a proper way to approach training and competition, and that helps the athletes,” said Westmont head coach Russell Smelley.
Priester is in his eighth year as an assistant coach at Westmont and has coached the men’s track and field team to seven consecutive Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) titles. Priester is predominantly responsible for coaching combined events, jumps, sprints, and hurdles.
“Josh is thorough, he’s practice oriented. He does things in a particular way and once the athletes learn how to do that, it helps them perform better,” said Smelley. “He’s a good consultant. He has good opinions that help me decide things and see them in a different way.”
This year, Priester has led three Westmont decathletes (Pieter Top, Jackson Nemitz, Marcus Alvarez) to qualify for the upcoming NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Gulf Shores, Ala. from May 23-25. Top is the reigning National Champion in the event and is ranked first entering nationals, while Nemitz and Alvarez are ranked fourth and eighth respectively.
FitzSimons has coached the Westmont women’s track and field team to three consecutive GSAC championships in his four years as an assistant. He primarily coaches pole vault and helps with sprints.