Michael Gusbeth is heading into his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Phoenix. Gusbeth started at Elon University in July of 2011 after serving as an assistant coach at Chadron State College in Chadron, Neb., for two years. In his role with the Elon track and field program, Gusbeth works primarily with the team’s throwers. Every throwing record at Elon has been set under Gusbeth's tutelage.
In 2013-14, Gusbeth added a pair of All-conference performers during the indoor season in Charlise Morgan and Breanna Warren. Under the watch of Gusbeth, Warren put up a solid freshman campaign during the outdoor season, winning the conference championship in the discus throw with a new school record mark of 153' 2" (46.68m). Morgan made the All-SoCon teams in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in the shot put.
The 2012-13 track and field campaign was a fine season for Gusbeth's throwers. Under his guidance, Phoenix throwers Charlise Morgan, Kimberlyn Holt and Suzanne Martin rewrote the school record books and earned All-SoCon honors. Morgan set school-records in both the shot put and the weight throw during the indoor season and set another school-record in the shot put in the outdoor campaign. Holt (hammer throw) and Martin (javelin) also made edits to the program record books during the outdoor season and earned conference titles at the 2013 SoCon Outdoor Championships.
In his first season at Elon, Gusbeth coached the Phoenix throwers to three new school records and seven all-conference selections. School records came from Charlise Morgan (weight throw), Suzanne Martin (javelin) and Alyssa Girvin (hammer throw) under Gusbeth’s guidance in 2012. Martin (javelin), Morgan (shot put, weight throw) and Girvin (hammer throw, weight throw) were all named All-SoCon after their performances at the conference indoor and outdoor championships, while Gustbeth also saw Martin and Jennifer Jarvis (javelin) to SoCon all-freshman honors.
Gusbeth saw many fine achievements from his throwers during his two years at Chadron State, highlighted in 2011 by a runner-up finish by Jessica Horsley in the women’s hammer throw at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships and an All-American finish by Cody Hunt in the shot put at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships.
While at Chadron State, Gusbeth’s throwers rewrote five school records, including in the men’s indoor (18.62m/61’1”) and outdoor (17.86m/58’7.25”) shot put, the women’s weight throw (19.24m/63’1.5”), the women’s hammer throw (57.65m/189’2”) and the women’s discus (48.02m/157’6”).
Prior to Chadron State, Gusbeth previously coached the Western State College of Colorado throwers during the 2008-09 season. That season, the Mountaineer throwers saw great success in achieving four NCAA D-II All-American honors. Gusbeth coached the 2009 NCAA D-II Discus National Champion Ashley Stevens, who also earned All-American honors in the hammer throw and indoor weight throw during the 2008-09 campaign. Gusbeth also coached Ryan Walstrom to All-American honors in the men’s discus. Throughout the season, the Western State throwers rewrote school records in the women’s discus (53.90m/176’10”), hammer (56.52m/185’5”) and weight throw (19.12m/62’10.25”), as well as the men’s discus (56.17m/184’3”).
Gusbeth, a former Western State track and field athlete, threw 213-feet, 8-inches in the hammer throw to set a Mountaineers’ record in 2006. He was an All-American in both the 35-pound weight and hammer throws, becoming the school’s first All-American in those events.
A native of Torquay, Australia, Gusbeth earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Western State College of Colorado and a master’s degree in organizational management from Chadron State College. He and his wife, Tiffany, reside in Burlington, N.C.
