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Track and Field
Bryan Clay Invite
Iowa State University Athletics
ISU Welcomes Dan O'Mara Back as Throws Coach
07.19.2021 | Track and Field
AMES, Iowa – One of the top throws coaches in the NCAA, Dan O'Mara, is returning to Iowa State. ISU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeremy Sudbury announced on Monday that O'Mara will be joining the Cyclones as an assistant coach after 12 years as an assistant coach at UNI. O'Mara was previously an assistant at Iowa State from 1992-2007. O'Mara's hiring is pending a university background check.
"Dan O'Mara is a veteran of our sport and has built a powerhouse throws program during his time at the University of Northern Iowa." Sudbury said. "I have been most impressed with his work-ethic and drive to want to build a culture of excellence that embodies the state of Iowa. He is a great fit for the vision I have of the program, and I look forward to seeing his experience become an asset to our success."
In his 12 seasons in Cedar Falls, O'Mara coached throwers to six All-America honors, with Darius King earning First Team All-America honors with his seventh place finish in the men's shot put at last month's NCAA Outdoor Championships. King was one of O'Mara's top pupils at UNI, claiming three All-America honors, two MVC conference titles, UNI's indoor and outdoor school records in the shot put, the MVC Most Outstanding Field Athlete at the 2021 conference championships and a berth at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month.
Depth in O'Mara's throwing events has been a crucial piece to UNI winning the last three MVC Outdoor Conference Championships and last two MVC Indoor Conference Championships. The UNI men's throwers combined for 61 points outdoors and 37 points indoors en route to helping the Panthers win the men's league titles in 2021.
Across his tenure, O'Mara coached Panthers to 62 entries at the NCAA West Preliminaries, 12 individual conference titles, 11 school records, six All-America honors and an all-time MVC conference record.
O'Mara's 15 seasons at Iowa State saw Cyclone throwers earn 22 conference titles, 21 All-America honors, eight U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers and seven school records. Among his most successful student-athletes at ISU were ISU Letterwinners Club Hall of Famers Jamie Beyer and Lisa Griebel, while ISU's school record in the men's indoor shot put (Beyer) which was set under O'Mara's watch remains.
Prior to his time as a Cyclone, O'Mara served as an assistant coach at South Carolina and, his alma mater, Kansas State. As a Wildcat student-athlete from 1986-89, O'Mara earned All-America honors in the discus as a senior, finishing eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. His senior year also saw him claim Big Eight titles in the discus outdoors and the shot put indoors. A K-State Track and Field Hall of Honor member, O'Mara still ranks second in school history in the outdoor discus and fifth in the indoor shot put.
O'Mara earned his Bachelor's Degree from Kansas State in 1990 and his Master's Degree from Iowa State in 1997. His wife, Denise, is Associate Director of Athletic Training at Iowa State and an instructor in the Kinesiology department. They have two daughters, Maggie and Ruby.
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