WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue track & field head coach Tony Miller has announced four additions to his inaugural coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.
Jamaal Barnes, Ryan Hershberger, Rebecca Richtman and Paul Zalewski all join Miller's staff as assistant coaches. Barnes will coach the Boilermaker sprinters and Hershberger will take charge of the throwers. Richtman will lead the distance and cross country runners and Zalewski will guide the Purdue jumpers. Additionally, Raffael Craig is back for his third season as an assistant coach and will once again lead the Boilermakers' combined event athletes.
JAMAAL BARNES – SPRINTS
Barnes joins Purdue from Tennessee, where he was an assistant coach in 2023-24. With 10 years of coaching experience, Barnes will lead Purdue's sprinters.
"Jamaal is a great addition to our coaching staff, and he brings a wealth of experience to Purdue," Miller said. "Jamaal and I coached together at Louisville, and I saw first-hand his dedication to his student-athletes and his commitment to doing the little things right to create a winning program. I am looking forward to having him be a Boilermaker and seeing our program excel under his leadership.
At Tennessee, Barnes coached horizontal jumps and combined events, and led the Volunteers' recruiting efforts. A sprinter at Auburn as a student-athlete, Barnes' career also has included stops as an assistant coach at Louisville, Southern Miss, Georgia State and Augusta University. He also was head coach at Pratt (Kansas) Community College from 2017-19.
"I want to express my utmost gratitude to Coach Miller and Associate Athletics Director Calvin Williams for providing me with this opportunity," Barnes said. "It's an honor to be given this opportunity to work at such a prestigious university like Purdue. I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running and helping to grow this program within the confines of Coach Miller's vision. Go Boilermakers!"
In his 10-year coaching career, Barnes has led his athletes to 25 All-America honors, 18 individual conference titles and 157 all-conference honors.
With Louisville in 2022-23, Barnes coached his athletes to two ACC titles and seven All-America finishes. He guided freshman high jumper Brion Stephens to the 2023 USATF U-20 title and a runner-up finish at the U-20 Pan American Championships.
In three seasons at Southern Miss from 2019-2022, Barnes helped the Eagles to back-to-back Conference USA women's indoor team titles, in 2021 and 2022. He coached high jumper Corvell Todd to a national runner-up finish indoors in 2022 and C-USA Field Athlete of the Year accolades.
From 2017-19 at Pratt, Barnes led the program to its first top-25 NJCAA finish since 1983. His athletes collected 12 All-America honors and 45 school records in two years.
Two stints as an assistant at Georgia State, from 2014-15 and 2016-17, featured four individual Sun Belt crowns and 19 all-conference accolades. Ravin Gilbert was named Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer under Barnes' leadership.
Barnes served as an assistant and residence life assistant at D-II Augusta (Ga.) University in 2015-16. He helped his team to an individual conference title, 12 earned all-conference distinction and two were bestowed with all-region awards.
From 2011-14, Barnes' coaching career began as associate head coach at Opelika High in Opelika, Alabama. The boys team were state runners-up in 2014 as more than 15 athletes received NCAA or NAIA scholarship offers.
Off the track, Barnes' athletes have totaled 19 individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and seven All-Academic Team accolades.
A 2011 graduate of Auburn with a degree in exercise science, Barnes earned his master's in sport management from Southern Mississippi in 2022. He has achieved USATF Level 1, USTFCCCA Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and USTFCCCA Strength & Conditioning coaching certification.
RYAN HERSHBERGER – THROWS
Hershberger is a Boilermaker after three seasons as an assistant coach at Army. An All-American as a student-athlete, Hershberger will coach Purdue's throwers.
"Ryan comes highly recommended, and I am eager to see the impact he will make on our program," Miller said. "He has quickly established a track record of success as a coach with his throwers, and I know that will continue with Purdue, and he will be a positive addition to our coaching staff."
Hershberger coached throwers at Army West Point since 2021, and previously was at UNC Charlotte, also coaching throws. He competed at Kansas State and earned All-Big 12 and All-America accolades in the shot put.
"I am excited to start my role working with the Boilermaker throwers," Hershberger said. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Coach Miller has given me to develop student-athletes at Purdue. I'm looking forward to applying consistent, focused effort over time and relentlessly pursuing excellence with a fantastic group of staff and student-athletes."
In three years at Army, Hershberger's throwers won 19 conference titles, including a sweep of all four women's throwing events outdoors in 2023. Twenty-five NCAA First Round berths were earned, with three NCAA Championships appearances. That included the squad's first by a women's thrower since 1990, in 2022 and again in 2024.
The 2024 season alone saw Army's throwers win 15 Patriot League medals indoors and outdoors, with three titles and a sweep of the women's shot put medals indoors. Five of the team's nine NCAA First Round entries were from Hershberger's throwers, with one national championship qualifier who placed 10th in the hammer throw.
Hershberger coached Emily Fink to a USATF U-20 championship in the hammer throw, and she then placed 15th at the World U20 Championships. This summer, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials under Hershberger's guidance and was 10th overall, while Brooke Stratman, another Army athlete coached by Hershberger, finished 21st in the javelin throw at the trials.
REBECCA RICHTMAN – DISTANCE AND CROSS COUNTRY
Richtman came to Purdue as an assistant in the spring of 2024 and will now oversee the Boilermakers' distance and cross country runners.
"I am excited to have Rebecca stay on our staff and take on an elevated role with our distance and cross country student-athletes this season," Miller said. "She made a big impact on our team in her short time here last spring, and I know our team will continue to grow under her guidance."
Previously, Richtman was at Montana Tech, where she helped guide her athletes to five All-America honors and 13 all-conference accolades in 2022-23. As a student-athlete at Montana Tech, Richtman won four NAIA national titles and earned 10 All-America honors. She was recognized as the 2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and swept the 2022 NAIA Most Valuable Performer award, indoors and outdoors.
"I am very excited to continue working with the Purdue track & field and cross country team," Richtman said. "Thank you to Coach Miller for this opportunity and his confidence in me to lead our distance runners. I have quickly learned that Purdue is a special place, and our potential on and off the track is limitless. I can't wait to get to work with everyone this season, and to continue the momentum we had outdoors last year."
Outdoors with the Boilermakers in 2024, Richtman helped lead the Boilermaker distance runners to historic success. Emma Squires and Caleb Williams each qualified for the NCAA First Round in the 3,000m steeplechase for the first times in their careers. Squires was Purdue's first distance runner to qualify for NCAAs, indoors or outdoors, since 2018. Five top-10 times in school history were achieved outdoors with Richtman's guidance, including two in the women's steeplechase, the first since 2018, and one in the women's 10,000m, Purdue's second record-book mark in the event since 2017.
As an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Montana Tech from 2022-24, Richtman used a scientifically-based training program to lead her athletes while optimizing fitness and performance. Her first year yielded 13 all-conference honors, nine nationals qualifiers and five All-Americans. Richtman also served as the cross country program's director of operations during her time at Montana Tech.
A 2022 graduate of Montana Tech, Richtman earned a bachelors of science degree in interdisciplinary studies. Her NAIA national titles came in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2021, the indoor mile and 3,000m in 2022 and the outdoor 10,000m in 2022. Along with being recognized as the USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2022, she is a two-time USTFCCCA West Track Athlete of the Year honoree.
PAUL ZALEWSKI - JUMPS
Zalewski comes to the Boilermakers after eleven seasons as an associate head coach at Virginia Tech. He brings 19 years of coaching experience to West Lafayette and will coach the Boilermaker jumpers.
"I have known Paul a long time, and we are really excited to have him join our staff here at Purdue," Miller said. "Paul's track record of helping student-athletes exceed their potential speaks for itself, and I know he will positively influence our jumpers. Paul will be a great addition to our program in many ways."
Zalewski coached numerous All-Americans and ACC medalists during his Virginia Tech tenure, which came after an eight-year run at East Carolina. He has been a part of conference-championship squads both as a coach and as an athlete.
"I am incredibly excited to be joining the Boilermaker family," Zalewski said. "My family and I have heard wonderful things about West Lafayette and the people here, and we are blessed to be coming to such a warm and inviting community. A huge thank you to Coach Miller, Calvin Williams, and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski for this opportunity and for putting their faith in me. Coach Miller and I have known each other for years, and I couldn't be happier to join his staff. His vision for the program is simple, he wants to win, and I can certainly get behind that plan. Under his direction and leadership, the Big Ten and NCAA better buckle up, because the Boilermakers are coming. It's awfully hard to stop a freight train once it's rolling. I'm ready to get to work."
In 2022-2023, Zalewski led his jumps group to five All-America finishes, four ACC gold medals and four school records. Victoria Gorlova was named the ACC Most Valuable Field Performer at the indoor championships on her way to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Zalewski's jumpers broke school records in the long jump, triple jump and decathlon, and his high jump and triple jump squads were ranked second and third nationally.
In 2021-22, Zalewski coached his athletes to an ACC gold medal and All-America honors indoors in the triple jump, a pair of silver medals outdoors and an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. School records in the long jump, triple jump, heptathlon and decathlon all fell during the season, as one of Zalewski's athletes was bestowed with Most Valuable Performer honors at the ACC Championships.
Zalewski's jumpers and combined event athletes totaled 23 points at the ACC Indoor Championships in 2020-21 to help lead the Hokies to a team conference title. Four medals were won, and school records set during the season included the decathlon, heptathlon and long jump. Second team All-America distinction concluded the season outdoors.
The ACC Field Most Valuable Performer in 2018-19 was awarded to one of Zalewski's athletes. Virginia Tech won its first decathlon ACC title, with a school-record mark after a silver medal in the heptathlon. Medals also included two in the triple jump and another in the decathlon, while long jump and triple jump school records also were set during the campaign.
In 2017-18, the Hokies finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in the triple jump. Zalewski's first team All-American broke the Tech records for both the long jump and triple jump indoors and outdoors, winning three gold medals at the ACC meets.
Zalewski made a quick impact at Virginia Tech, as his second season, in 2014-15, featured an ACC champion in the triple jump with a school and conference record. Before being named the ACC Field Athlete of the Year, Zalewski's triple jumper placed fourth at the indoor national championship meet.
Prior to his time at Virginia Tech, Zalewski coached at East Carolina from 2005-13. He helped guide his athletes to two All-America honors, seven individual Conference USA titles and a women's team title in 2012, the first in program history. In his eight seasons, Zalewski coached sprints, hurdles, jumps and combined events.
As an athlete at Cortland, Zalewski won four SUNY Athletic Conference individual championships. He helped his team to three SUNYAC titles and two Eastern College Athletic Conference crowns. He also was a seven-time All-ECAC awardee.
Zalewski graduated from Cortland with a bachelors degree in kinesiology and exercise science and received his masters degree in biomechanics from East Carolina. Along with coaching at ECU, Zalewski served as degree director for the bachelor's degree in sports studies and taught classes in sport management, sport sociology and coaching theories.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.
Jamaal Barnes, Ryan Hershberger, Rebecca Richtman and Paul Zalewski all join Miller's staff as assistant coaches. Barnes will coach the Boilermaker sprinters and Hershberger will take charge of the throwers. Richtman will lead the distance and cross country runners and Zalewski will guide the Purdue jumpers. Additionally, Raffael Craig is back for his third season as an assistant coach and will once again lead the Boilermakers' combined event athletes.
JAMAAL BARNES – SPRINTS
Barnes joins Purdue from Tennessee, where he was an assistant coach in 2023-24. With 10 years of coaching experience, Barnes will lead Purdue's sprinters.
"Jamaal is a great addition to our coaching staff, and he brings a wealth of experience to Purdue," Miller said. "Jamaal and I coached together at Louisville, and I saw first-hand his dedication to his student-athletes and his commitment to doing the little things right to create a winning program. I am looking forward to having him be a Boilermaker and seeing our program excel under his leadership.
At Tennessee, Barnes coached horizontal jumps and combined events, and led the Volunteers' recruiting efforts. A sprinter at Auburn as a student-athlete, Barnes' career also has included stops as an assistant coach at Louisville, Southern Miss, Georgia State and Augusta University. He also was head coach at Pratt (Kansas) Community College from 2017-19.
"I want to express my utmost gratitude to Coach Miller and Associate Athletics Director Calvin Williams for providing me with this opportunity," Barnes said. "It's an honor to be given this opportunity to work at such a prestigious university like Purdue. I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running and helping to grow this program within the confines of Coach Miller's vision. Go Boilermakers!"
In his 10-year coaching career, Barnes has led his athletes to 25 All-America honors, 18 individual conference titles and 157 all-conference honors.
With Louisville in 2022-23, Barnes coached his athletes to two ACC titles and seven All-America finishes. He guided freshman high jumper Brion Stephens to the 2023 USATF U-20 title and a runner-up finish at the U-20 Pan American Championships.
In three seasons at Southern Miss from 2019-2022, Barnes helped the Eagles to back-to-back Conference USA women's indoor team titles, in 2021 and 2022. He coached high jumper Corvell Todd to a national runner-up finish indoors in 2022 and C-USA Field Athlete of the Year accolades.
From 2017-19 at Pratt, Barnes led the program to its first top-25 NJCAA finish since 1983. His athletes collected 12 All-America honors and 45 school records in two years.
Two stints as an assistant at Georgia State, from 2014-15 and 2016-17, featured four individual Sun Belt crowns and 19 all-conference accolades. Ravin Gilbert was named Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer under Barnes' leadership.
Barnes served as an assistant and residence life assistant at D-II Augusta (Ga.) University in 2015-16. He helped his team to an individual conference title, 12 earned all-conference distinction and two were bestowed with all-region awards.
From 2011-14, Barnes' coaching career began as associate head coach at Opelika High in Opelika, Alabama. The boys team were state runners-up in 2014 as more than 15 athletes received NCAA or NAIA scholarship offers.
Off the track, Barnes' athletes have totaled 19 individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and seven All-Academic Team accolades.
A 2011 graduate of Auburn with a degree in exercise science, Barnes earned his master's in sport management from Southern Mississippi in 2022. He has achieved USATF Level 1, USTFCCCA Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and USTFCCCA Strength & Conditioning coaching certification.
RYAN HERSHBERGER – THROWS
Hershberger is a Boilermaker after three seasons as an assistant coach at Army. An All-American as a student-athlete, Hershberger will coach Purdue's throwers.
"Ryan comes highly recommended, and I am eager to see the impact he will make on our program," Miller said. "He has quickly established a track record of success as a coach with his throwers, and I know that will continue with Purdue, and he will be a positive addition to our coaching staff."
Hershberger coached throwers at Army West Point since 2021, and previously was at UNC Charlotte, also coaching throws. He competed at Kansas State and earned All-Big 12 and All-America accolades in the shot put.
"I am excited to start my role working with the Boilermaker throwers," Hershberger said. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity that Coach Miller has given me to develop student-athletes at Purdue. I'm looking forward to applying consistent, focused effort over time and relentlessly pursuing excellence with a fantastic group of staff and student-athletes."
In three years at Army, Hershberger's throwers won 19 conference titles, including a sweep of all four women's throwing events outdoors in 2023. Twenty-five NCAA First Round berths were earned, with three NCAA Championships appearances. That included the squad's first by a women's thrower since 1990, in 2022 and again in 2024.
The 2024 season alone saw Army's throwers win 15 Patriot League medals indoors and outdoors, with three titles and a sweep of the women's shot put medals indoors. Five of the team's nine NCAA First Round entries were from Hershberger's throwers, with one national championship qualifier who placed 10th in the hammer throw.
Hershberger coached Emily Fink to a USATF U-20 championship in the hammer throw, and she then placed 15th at the World U20 Championships. This summer, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials under Hershberger's guidance and was 10th overall, while Brooke Stratman, another Army athlete coached by Hershberger, finished 21st in the javelin throw at the trials.
REBECCA RICHTMAN – DISTANCE AND CROSS COUNTRY
Richtman came to Purdue as an assistant in the spring of 2024 and will now oversee the Boilermakers' distance and cross country runners.
"I am excited to have Rebecca stay on our staff and take on an elevated role with our distance and cross country student-athletes this season," Miller said. "She made a big impact on our team in her short time here last spring, and I know our team will continue to grow under her guidance."
Previously, Richtman was at Montana Tech, where she helped guide her athletes to five All-America honors and 13 all-conference accolades in 2022-23. As a student-athlete at Montana Tech, Richtman won four NAIA national titles and earned 10 All-America honors. She was recognized as the 2022 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and swept the 2022 NAIA Most Valuable Performer award, indoors and outdoors.
"I am very excited to continue working with the Purdue track & field and cross country team," Richtman said. "Thank you to Coach Miller for this opportunity and his confidence in me to lead our distance runners. I have quickly learned that Purdue is a special place, and our potential on and off the track is limitless. I can't wait to get to work with everyone this season, and to continue the momentum we had outdoors last year."
Outdoors with the Boilermakers in 2024, Richtman helped lead the Boilermaker distance runners to historic success. Emma Squires and Caleb Williams each qualified for the NCAA First Round in the 3,000m steeplechase for the first times in their careers. Squires was Purdue's first distance runner to qualify for NCAAs, indoors or outdoors, since 2018. Five top-10 times in school history were achieved outdoors with Richtman's guidance, including two in the women's steeplechase, the first since 2018, and one in the women's 10,000m, Purdue's second record-book mark in the event since 2017.
As an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Montana Tech from 2022-24, Richtman used a scientifically-based training program to lead her athletes while optimizing fitness and performance. Her first year yielded 13 all-conference honors, nine nationals qualifiers and five All-Americans. Richtman also served as the cross country program's director of operations during her time at Montana Tech.
A 2022 graduate of Montana Tech, Richtman earned a bachelors of science degree in interdisciplinary studies. Her NAIA national titles came in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2021, the indoor mile and 3,000m in 2022 and the outdoor 10,000m in 2022. Along with being recognized as the USTFCCCA Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2022, she is a two-time USTFCCCA West Track Athlete of the Year honoree.
PAUL ZALEWSKI - JUMPS
Zalewski comes to the Boilermakers after eleven seasons as an associate head coach at Virginia Tech. He brings 19 years of coaching experience to West Lafayette and will coach the Boilermaker jumpers.
"I have known Paul a long time, and we are really excited to have him join our staff here at Purdue," Miller said. "Paul's track record of helping student-athletes exceed their potential speaks for itself, and I know he will positively influence our jumpers. Paul will be a great addition to our program in many ways."
Zalewski coached numerous All-Americans and ACC medalists during his Virginia Tech tenure, which came after an eight-year run at East Carolina. He has been a part of conference-championship squads both as a coach and as an athlete.
"I am incredibly excited to be joining the Boilermaker family," Zalewski said. "My family and I have heard wonderful things about West Lafayette and the people here, and we are blessed to be coming to such a warm and inviting community. A huge thank you to Coach Miller, Calvin Williams, and Athletic Director Mike Bobinski for this opportunity and for putting their faith in me. Coach Miller and I have known each other for years, and I couldn't be happier to join his staff. His vision for the program is simple, he wants to win, and I can certainly get behind that plan. Under his direction and leadership, the Big Ten and NCAA better buckle up, because the Boilermakers are coming. It's awfully hard to stop a freight train once it's rolling. I'm ready to get to work."
In 2022-2023, Zalewski led his jumps group to five All-America finishes, four ACC gold medals and four school records. Victoria Gorlova was named the ACC Most Valuable Field Performer at the indoor championships on her way to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Zalewski's jumpers broke school records in the long jump, triple jump and decathlon, and his high jump and triple jump squads were ranked second and third nationally.
In 2021-22, Zalewski coached his athletes to an ACC gold medal and All-America honors indoors in the triple jump, a pair of silver medals outdoors and an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the heptathlon. School records in the long jump, triple jump, heptathlon and decathlon all fell during the season, as one of Zalewski's athletes was bestowed with Most Valuable Performer honors at the ACC Championships.
Zalewski's jumpers and combined event athletes totaled 23 points at the ACC Indoor Championships in 2020-21 to help lead the Hokies to a team conference title. Four medals were won, and school records set during the season included the decathlon, heptathlon and long jump. Second team All-America distinction concluded the season outdoors.
The ACC Field Most Valuable Performer in 2018-19 was awarded to one of Zalewski's athletes. Virginia Tech won its first decathlon ACC title, with a school-record mark after a silver medal in the heptathlon. Medals also included two in the triple jump and another in the decathlon, while long jump and triple jump school records also were set during the campaign.
In 2017-18, the Hokies finished fifth at the NCAA Championships in the triple jump. Zalewski's first team All-American broke the Tech records for both the long jump and triple jump indoors and outdoors, winning three gold medals at the ACC meets.
Zalewski made a quick impact at Virginia Tech, as his second season, in 2014-15, featured an ACC champion in the triple jump with a school and conference record. Before being named the ACC Field Athlete of the Year, Zalewski's triple jumper placed fourth at the indoor national championship meet.
Prior to his time at Virginia Tech, Zalewski coached at East Carolina from 2005-13. He helped guide his athletes to two All-America honors, seven individual Conference USA titles and a women's team title in 2012, the first in program history. In his eight seasons, Zalewski coached sprints, hurdles, jumps and combined events.
As an athlete at Cortland, Zalewski won four SUNY Athletic Conference individual championships. He helped his team to three SUNYAC titles and two Eastern College Athletic Conference crowns. He also was a seven-time All-ECAC awardee.
Zalewski graduated from Cortland with a bachelors degree in kinesiology and exercise science and received his masters degree in biomechanics from East Carolina. Along with coaching at ECU, Zalewski served as degree director for the bachelor's degree in sports studies and taught classes in sport management, sport sociology and coaching theories.
For more on the Purdue track & field and cross country program, visit PurdueSports.com/TrackField and follow and connect with the Boilermakers on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook.