Entering his 15th season as the head Track & Field coach at Whitworth in 2010-11, Dr. Toby Schwarz has transformed the Whitworth Track & Field team into one of the top programs in the nation.

The last two seasons have been tremendous for the Pirates. In 2010, the Whitworth men won the Northwest Conference title after accumulating 266 points. The team went on to post 22 individual national qualifying marks, sent eight athletes to the NCAA Division III Championships and came home with four All-American performances. During the 2009 season the men’s team finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships and sixth at the Outdoor Championships while bringing home two individual national champions, nine All-Americans, and three coach of the year awards - including the 2009 Indoor National Coach of the Year. The Whitworth men were named the USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Schwarz has revitalized the Track & Field program at Whitworth, winning the Northwest Conference men's and women's title in 2001 and again the men's title in 2008. Over the last ten seasons more than 75% of the team has qualified for the NWC championship meet. And over the last ten years Schwarz has coached 37 athletes to NCAA Division III All-American honors, including Kristin Shields to a national championship in the 100 meter dash in 2004, and two time national champions Emmanuel Bofa (800 meters) and Cody Stelzer (High Jump) in 2008 and 2009.

Schwarz has earned 16 Coach of the Year awards, including the Indoor 2009 NCAA West Region and National Indoor Men’s Coach of the Year awards. Members of Schwarz’s coaching staff have also won the past three NCAA DIII West Region Assistant Coach of the Year awards.

Following the 2006 Track & Field season, a decision was made by the coaching staff to cease the continuous growth of the program and move to a philosophy of a smaller, more focused and committed group of student-athletes. Through a process of tryouts and cuts, a more streamlined group of Track & Field athletes make up the current and future Whitworth program.

Schwarz is excited about the philosophy that has been adopted in this new era of Whitworth Track & Field. With a smaller, more committed group of student-athletes, the level of excitement at practice is extremely high and this excitement has lead to the national championship caliber program that finished fourth nationally in the inaugural Al Carius Program of the Year award that was based on the team’s overall finish at the NCAA DIII cross country, indoor and outdoor Track & Field national championships.

Schwarz has also been the head coach of the very successful Pirate cross country program since 1998. The Whitworth women reached the NCAA Division III championships in 2001 and 2009, finishing 6th in the nation in last fall. In addition to their national championship appearances, the women's team finished as NWC runners-up in 2002-04 and again in 2008. The Pirate men have improved their conference standing every year since 1997, finishing 3rd in 2002-07 and winning the NWC and NCAA West Region titles in 2008 and sending the Whitworth men’s team to their first ever NCAA national championships in school history. Schwarz has led Whitworth runners to the NCAA championships every season since 2001.

Dr. Schwarz is also a Professor in the Kinesiology Department. Schwarz fills his "spare time" when he is not teaching and coaching by being very active in youth ministry. He is the advisor for Whitworth’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is also the Chair of North Spokane Young Life. Schwarz lives with his wife, Sally, in north Spokane’s Mead neighborhood.

If you are interested in more information on the Whitworth Track & Field teams, you can contact Coach Schwarz at tschwarz@whitworth.edu or 509.777.4361.

Whitworth T&F Honors (1997 to present)
NCAA DIII Outdoor National Top 10 Finishes:	2008 (3rd) 2009 (6th)
NCAA DIII Indoor National Top 10 Finishes:	2009 (3rd)
USTFCCCA Scholar Team of the Year:	2008 (OD) 2009 (ID/OD)
NCAA DIII National Coach of the Year:	2009 (ID M)
NCAA West Region Coach of the Year:	2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
NWC Coach of the Year:	2000 (M) 2001 (M/W) 2008 (M) 2010 (M)
West Region Asst. Coach of the Year:	2008, 2009, 2010
NCAA DIII Individual Champions:	5
NCAA Div. III Individual All-Americans:	37
NWC Team Champions:	2001 (M/W) 2008 (M) 2010 (M)
NWC Individual Champions:	77

Assistant Coaches

Travis Howell - Head Assistant and Horizontal Jumps (6th year)
Travis Howell is in his sixth year with the Whitworth Track & Field program. Howell is Whitworth's first full-time assistant coach and also serves as Whitworth's Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities, Game Management, and Intramurals.

Howell is a graduate of Clarkston High School (2000), where he was a sprinter and jumper for the Bantams, and Gonzaga University, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education (2004) and Master’s in Sport and Athletic Administration (2008). Howell spent five years coaching the long jump and triple jumpers at West Valley High School in Spokane. Among the several horizontal jump success stories at the district, regional and state levels for both boys and girls, Howell coached Rashad Toussaint to three state championships in the triple jump, with a best of 50'-8.75", which is the current all-time best in the state of Washington.

Howell has helped guide the Whitworth horizontal jumpers toward the top of the Northwest Conference, qualifying 43 athletes in the horizontal jumps for the conference championships the past four years. Most notable was Kristen Dormaier in 2008, who broke the Whitworth school record in the triple jump with a mark of 37’-9.5” and became the first female Pirate to qualify for the NCAA DIII Outdoor National Championships in the triple jump. In 2009 Whitworth freshman Allyssa Thompson broke the Whitworth Indoor school record in the triple jump while qualifying for the NCAA DIII Indoor National Championships with a mark of 37’-1”. In 2010 the Whitworth men scored a total of 36 team points between the long and triple jumps while going 3-4-5 in the long jump and 2-3-5-6 in the triple jump to help win the 2010 NWC championship.

Howell also acts as the programs recruiting coordinator and works closely with Schwarz on developing the Whitworth Track & Field program into one of the best in the nation.

You can contact Coach Howell at thowell@whitworth.edu or 509.777.3455.

Gary Baskett - Head Throws Coach (6th year)
Gary Baskett, one of the most successful high school Track & Field coaches ever in the state of Washington, joins the Whitworth staff for his sixth season. A graduate of West Seattle High School (1960) and Central Washington University (1967), Baskett has created an extremely impressive athletic and coaching resume. Baskett began his Track & Field career as a school record holder in the shot put at both West Seattle and CWU. Baskett then moved into coaching where he quickly led the Mead High School boys program to an unprecedented 159-0 dual meet record in 17 years. During that undefeated 17-year stretch, the boy’s team finished in the top four at the 3A state meet 15 times, including five state team championships and 29 individual event champions. Baskett-led Mead teams were ranked as high as thirrd in the nation two times (1990 and 1995).

In only five seasons with the Whitworth program, Baskett has turned the Pirate throwers into not only the top in the conference, but in the nation. At the 2010 NWC championships the Whitworth men’s throwers dominated the field by accumulating 96 points while winning all four throwing events and placing 1-2-3 in the shot put and 1-2-3 in the discus. The Pirate women also won the shot and the discus at the 2010 NWC championships. Baskett has coached 31 NCAA national qualifiers and eleven All-Americans in his five seasons at Whitworth, and in 2008, 2009, and 2010 was honored for his coaching success by being named the NCAA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Baskett continues to teach Art at Mead High School.

Bob Omlin - Vertical Jumps (6th year)
Bob Omlin, a graduate of Quincy High School, where he was a state-level standout Track & Field athlete in several events, continues coaching Pirate athletes for the sixth year in 2010-11.

Omlin previously coached with Toby Schwarz at Pullman High School in 1996. Since that time, Omlin became a Big Sky qualifier in the decathlon at Eastern Washington University and has extended his coaching resume as well. Omlin has coached multi-event competitors at Eastern Washington University, along with other jumping events.

Omlin has created one of the most successful vertical jump programs in the Northwest. He has qualified 15 vaulters and 20 high jumpers to the NWC championships where 13 of the vaulters and 14 high jumpers have earned All-Conference honors while winning five conference championships and setting one NWC high jump record. He has coached eight NCAA national qualifiers, eight All-Americans, and in 2008 coached Cody Stelzer to the NCAA DIII Outdoor National title in the high jump and again in 2009 to the NCAA DIII Indoor National title.

Omlin is a personal trainer in Spokane, where he works with individuals from all demographics, including several professional athletes. Omlin lives in Spokane with his wife Teresa, and their two children.

Dr. Jeff Rahn - Long Distance (14th year)
Dr. Jeff Rahn is the senior member of the Whitworth Track & Field coaching staff. A graduate of Mead High School (1977), Whitworth (1982) and University of Nevada - Reno (1988), Rahn has an extremely impressive high school and college resume. A member of the first team to win a state championship at Mead High School, Rahn continued that success at Whitworth where he still holds the school record in the 1500 meters (3:47.34).

After returning to Whitworth as a coach, Rahn has helped to build both men’s and women’s programs to a level where they can challenge for the conference championship each year. Rahn is also the assistant coach for the Pirate cross country program, helping the Whitworth women finish 6th at the 2009 NCAA Division III championships.

Rahn is a Professor of Chemistry at Eastern Washington University and resides in Spokane with his wife Annette and two children.

Derek Dewindt - Hammer (4th year)
Derek Dewindt enters his fourth season as the Pirates' hammer coach. Dewindt was a very successful hammer thrower at Whitworth, where he was the Northwest Conference Champion in 2006 and an NCAA DIII Outdoor National Qualifier. Dewindt has instituted a quality strength and conditioning program that has helped guide the Pirate throwers in their dominance over the NWC competition in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2010 Dewindt was instrumental in helping the Pirate throwers dominate the Northwest Conference in the throwing events while his men’s hammer throwers took 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 8th. Derek had four of his Pirate throwers qualify for the NCAA DIII outdoor national meet with Erica Cox also breaking the Whitworth school record with a throw of 165’10”.

Drew Ulrick - Discus (2nd year)
Drew Ulrick joined the Pirate track and field coaching staff for the 2010 season. Ulrick has had, and continues to have, a very successful track career throwing the discus. He attended Mead high school where he finished 2nd at the 4A state meet while having a personal best of 183’-3”. Drew went on to throw for Washington State University where he has the 7th best all time throw at WSU with a mark of 191’-10” while finishing 5th at the PAC 10’s, 6th at the NCAA West Regional, and was a two-time NCAA DI national qualifier. In 2008 Ulrick was ranked 25th in the nation with a throw of 198’-11”, and in 2009 he held the 7th best throw for an American at 206 feet.

In just his first year coaching for the Pirates, his discus crew went 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th on the men’s side while scoring 27 points and helping the Pirate men win the 2010 NWC championships. He coached three athletes to NCAA DIII national marks with freshman Carter Comito placing 10th at the national meet.

Drew is currently working as a personal trainer for Oz Fitness in Spokane.

Sarah Marken – Graduate Assistant (2nd year)
Sarah Marken returns to Whitworth athletics in 2010-11 as a graduate assistant with both the cross country and Track & Field programs. Marken was a four year letter winner and team captain for the Pirates from 2003 – 2006 where she led the Whitworth women by scoring a total of 87 points at the NWC track and field meet. She was an NCAA DIII national-level competitor in both the heptathlon and the 4x100m relay during her time at Whitworth. During her first year coaching with the Pirates she was instrumental in helping coach the 2010 NWC champions as well as recruiting a strong class for the 2010-2011 school year.