David Kaiser recently completed his sixth season as the Head Coach of the Patriot Cross Country/Track & Field programs at UT Tyler over the 2024-2025 academic year. Kaiser now has a total of 30 years of collegiate coaching and administrative experience and as he continues to usher in the Tyler programs into the upper levels of NCAA Division II.
In just five short seasons at UT Tyler, Kaiser has established a new precedent in the Cross Country and Track & Field programs. UT Tyler track and field has set 128 new school records in the five seasons that Kaiser has been at the helm. 29 athletes have been named NCAA Division II All-Americans, and 57 athletes have earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors. In addition to this, Kaiser has coached 15 individuals to LSC Championships and has earned 107 All-LSC selections.
On the academic side, Kaiser has added 20 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team selections, 28 USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes, 3 CSC Academic All-America selections, and 11 CSC Academic All-District selections. In addition to this, his athletes have earned the LSC Academic Runner of the Year, LSC Women's Outdoor Academic Athlete of the Year, twice won the LSC Men's Academic Athlete of the Year, the LSC Male Scholar Athlete Award, and the LSC Wes Kittley Award.
During the 2024-2025 season, the Patriots again enjoyed a big season. In the cross country season, David Soto earned both an All-LSC nod and a USTFCCCA All-Academic nod, and both teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors. In the indoor season the awards kept rolling, as four athletes earned LSC All-Academic honors and 10 athletes earned All-LSC awards while the Patriots broke 15 school records during the indoor season and earned 9 USTFCCCA Indoor All-South Central Region awards. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Ashton Turner earned a First Team All-America honor in the 60 meter hurdles and joined Landon Smith, Caleb Williams, and William Davis as they earned First Team All-America honors in the 4x400 relay. On the women's side, Aerin Thompson, Hannah Lakin, Kymia Woodard, and Kamaria Carr also made First Team All-America in the 4x400 meter relay.
In the outdoor season, the Patriots broke 11 more school records on their way to 10 USTFCCCA Outdoor All-South Central Region honors. Four more Patriots earned LSC All-Academic awards, and 11 athletes were named to All-LSC teams. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the men's 4x100 relay consisting of Dylan Bennett, Ashton Bates, Nicholas Davis, and Landon Smith earned Second Team All-America honors for their efforts.
During the 2023-2024 season, the Patriots continued to shine as they added nine total USTFCCCA All-Americans with three first team selections and six second team selections over the indoor and outdoor seasons. Juliane Frueh earned USTFCCCA First Team honors after finishing fourth in the indoor high jump and seventh in the outdoor high jump. Aerin Thompson earned First Team honors in the outdoor 400 meters as she finished sixth and placed ninth in the indoor 400 meters to be on the second team. Abeni Kratzmeyer continued to cement her legacy as one of the best pole vaulters in program history, as she earned USTFCCCA Second Team honors in the indoor pole vault, and the Patriots outdoor 4x400 meter relay earned Second Team honors after placing 10th overall. Three athletes made the NCAA Championships for the first time during the indoor season, and the Patriots sent athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in four different events, marking new program best.
In addition to the NCAA honors, the Patriots posted program best finishes on both sides in the LSC Championships as the men placed fifth in indoor and third in outdoor, and the women finished third in indoor and fourth in outdoor. 15 total men's athletes earned All-LSC honors, while 16 total women's athletes earned All-LSC honors over the course of the indoor and outdoor seasons. Six athletes also were crowned Lone Star Conference Champions, a new program best mark for the Patriots in a single year.
Kaiser in the 2022-2023 season continued to put a tremendous mark upon the Patriots Track & Field program. Kaiser coached Abeni Kratzmeyer to a pair of USTFCCCA First Team All-American honors in the indoor and outdoor women's pole vault, and then also coached Brooklyn House to a USTFCCCA Second Team All-American nod in the women's discus throw. 10 different NCAA provisional marks were set during the season for the program, with the Patriots ending up qualifying three athletes to the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships, marking the first time in the Division II era of the program that three athletes made the same championships.
The highlight of the 2021-2022 season for the Patriots was the qualification of three different athletes into the NCAA National Championships. Summer Grubbs became the first individual UT Tyler athlete to qualify for an NCAA Division II Championship when she posted top marks in the pentathlon and the 200 meters over the indoor season. She carried that strong momentum into the finals where she placed 4th overall in the pentathlon, securing USTFCCCA First Team All-American honors.
In the outdoor season, Abeni Kratzmeyer and Corey Perryman were able to build momentum throughout the season in their respective disciplines. For Kratzmeyer, her hard work came to fruition at the Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. There she cleared a height of 4.06 meters in the women's pole vault, setting a new LSC meet record and a new LSC record for any athlete at any meet. She parlayed that success into the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she cleared a height of 4.05 meters to secure an 8th place finish and earn USTFCCCA First Team All-American Honors.
For Perryman, he blasted his way into the field at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a blistering school record time of 14.12 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles at the NCAA Tune-Up meet at West Texas A&M. That secured a spot for Perryman and he took that and ran his way to a 13th place finish overall.
19 of Kaiser’s athletes at UT Tyler went on to make all-conference teams in their respective sports. In addition to making athletic all conference, another 11 athletes under Kaiser have made an academic all-conference team. After winning her three conference championships, Grubbs also was the recipient of the Fred Jacoby Academic Award for the Lone Star Conference, which recognizes the top academic athletes in men’s and women’s sports. She is also the recipient of the Wes Kittley Award as Outstanding Female Track Athlete.
Kaiser's coaching successes envelop a career that has included working with 42 NCAA All-Americans, 8 Olympic Trials qualifiers, the Mexican National record holder in the shot put, 46 total conference champions and 96 NCAA Regional and/or Championship qualifiers. In fact, Kaiser has coached field event athletes to NCAA qualifications in every single field event. Throughout his career, Kaiser-coached athletes have set and reset 160 school records, and 10 All-time conference records in the Big Ten, ACC, C-USA, and LSC.
Prior to joining the UT Tyler Athletic Department, Kaiser served on the men and women's coaching staffs at the University of Michigan (2004-2010), East Carolina (2002-03), DePaul (2002), Purdue (1998-2001), Clemson (1993-98), Wake Forest (1991-93) and Kansas (1986-91). Through his vast experience, Kaiser has gained respect and recognition among his coaching colleagues as well as the nation's top field-event athletes.
During his six seasons in Ann Arbor, Kaiser established new standards of excellence with Michigan school records in the weight throw, hammer throw, indoor & outdoor triple jump, heptathlon and decathlon. In addition, numerous Kaiser-coached athletes have placed themselves on to the Michigan All-Time performers lists; shot put, discus, weight, hammer, triple jump, long jump, heptathlon and decathlon. Sean Pruitt and Frank Shotwell became the first Wolverines to win Big Ten Championships in the weight throw, heptathlon and decathlon events, respectively.
The 2008 season was highlighted by the 2008 Big Ten Conference Team Championship; the programs first such championship in 25 years. Highlighting the season were sophomore Frank Shotwell, securing Big Ten titles in the indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon as well as shattering Michigan's school record in both events. Junior Adam Harris took some time away from sprinting duties to claim the Big Ten Indoor Long Jump title and finished runner-up outdoors. Sophomore John Kipf took third place honors in the high jump at the outdoor conference meet.
The 2008 field events were represented at the NCAA Mid-East Regional meet with sophomores Sean Pruitt (shot, discus & hammer), Brendan Lodge (hammer) and Vince Belitsos (hammer) holding down the throws. Junior Adam Harris (long jump) and sophomore John Kipf (high jump) took the reins in the jumps. Sophomore Frank Shotwell qualified for the NCAA Championship indoor and outdoor meets in the heptathlon and decathlon respectively.
Over his coaching career, Kaiser has instructed numerous athletes that have found national and international experiences. In 2002, DePaul's Carey Ryan won NCAA All-American accolades in the weight and hammer throws, and then went on to represent Team USA in the hammer throw at the 2002 North America Central America (NACAC) U-23 Championships held in Texas, which he won. Kaiser also tutored Frank Guzman to two Mexican national titles and the Mexican national record while also setting DePaul school indoor and outdoor records in the shot put event. In addition to the success of Guzman, Kaiser coached Wake Forest's Catrina Bindel to NCAA All-America honors in the heptathlon before she competed in the 1997 World University Games and boasted a top-five finish at the 1998 USA Nationals. Michael Whitehead also went on to represent TEAM USA at the 2004 World Jr. Championships in Italy and the 2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships in the Dominican Republic where he finished third in the triple jump.
As the men and women's field events coach at Purdue, Kaiser's athletes gained recognition at both the conference and national levels. Among his notable Boilermaker athletes are Chris Brown, a three-time NCAA All-American in the weight and hammer events, and six-time Big Ten champion (weight, shot put, hammer), and Serene Ross, a two-time All-American (hammer, javelin) under Kaiser's guidance. In 2002, Ross went on to capture U.S. and NCAA individual titles and went on to twice set the U.S. javelin record. The Boilermaker women pole-vaulter’s captured the first five Big Ten pole vault titles following the event's inception at the conference meet in 1999. Among the athletes he coached were Kierstin Doyle who claimed both indoor and outdoor titles during that first season while becoming the first female vaulter to reach the 12-foot plateau in Big Ten history. Amy Spellmeyer -- an NCAA All-American, was the first to clear 13 feet.
In addition to the on the field coaching successes, Kaiser has demonstrated his ability to recruit top American high school athletes as well as international talent. In his first three seasons at Michigan, Kaiser secured three of the nation's top recruits in their respective events. Sean Pruitt was the No. 1-ranked high school discus thrower while Brendan Lodge, was listed among the top five in both the weight and hammer throw. Frank Shotwell was ranked among the top-10 intermediate hurdles in the US while Jamaican jumper Robert Peddlar came to Michigan equally well respected in the long and triple jumps.
While at Purdue, Kaiser signed the top American hammer thrower, John Paul Smolenski, as well as a pair of Croatian-born athletes, Igor Kirin and Nedzad Mulabegovic. Mulabegovic went on to become a two-time NCAA All-American and a member of the 2004 and 2008 Croatian Olympic team. While at Clemson, he was able to secure sign 5 top junior level athletes from Finland in multi-event specialists Katja Pettinen, Annu Montell, Aija Kortesoja, triple jumper Jessica Hartikainen and 400-meter hurdle specialist Annika Kumlin.
Kaiser graduated from the University of Kansas in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. In 1992, he earned an M.S. in education with a concentration in sports administration and biomechanics from Kansas.
What Other People Are Saying About David Kaiser...
"Coach Kaiser is an excellent coach. He definitely knows what he's talking about. Through the years, we had developed a relationship where I could trust him with whatever he told me. The amount of trust that we have for each other allowed us to be dynamic in everything that we did." -
Michael Whitehead, U-M track & field, NCAA Triple Jump Runner-up, 2004-07
"I had the opportunity to work with Dave at the University of Kansas and for a while post-collegiately. He brought a sincere dedication and enthusiasm for track and field to practice every day. I knew I could trust his eye for technique analysis, and I often relied on his feedback during my vault sessions
." - Scott Huffman, 1996 Olympian and three-time U.S. pole vault champ
"In the three years under coach Kaiser's wings, I noticed that not only was he a good coach; he was a mentor and a friend as well as a listener and a leader. He had a very well planned-out training routine and devoted much `blood, sweat and tears' to his athletes."
- Chris Brown, three-time NCAA All-America at Purdue
“I do not believe I know anyone more experienced and suited to take on the position of Head Coach of the Cross Country and Track and Field programs at the University of Texas at Tyler. As a consummate leader and motivator, David has and will continue to prove that he possesses the skills and knowledge to build this program into a conference powerhouse and beyond. David has a well-rounded knowledge in all areas of Cross Country and Track and Field and I feel that he will create and foster a culture through academics and athletics that cannot be matched. David has coached athletes to the highest level in the sport and will continue to do so based solely on his passion to succeed and more importantly his ability and need to make those that surround him better”.
– Joel Skinner, Athletics Canada National Team Staff Coach
“Coach Kaiser brings years of collegiate experience and boundless energy to take UT Tyler to the next level”
- Lance Harter, Head Women's XC/Track & Field Coach, University of Arkansas
“Congratulations to David Kaiser and UT Tyler Track and Field on his hiring. David has been an exceptional leader and educator during his entire career as evidenced by a record of achievements that stands alone. A true generalist in his trade with team members remaining in touch for decades after they leave his watch.”
- Dan Pfaff, Pfaff Sports Consultancy
“I would like to congratulate my friend of more than 20 years coach David Kaiser on being named head Track and Field coach at UT Tyler. UT Tyler made a great choice in selecting him. His passion to teach and mentor young men and women has not waned in all the years I have known him.”
- Norbert Elliott, Director of Cross Country/Track and Field, Purdue University
Career Achievements:
- 28 NCAA Division I All Americans
- 29 NCAA Division II All Americans
- 148 NCAA National Championship Qualifiers
- 42 Conference Individual Champions
- 116 All Conference performers
- 26 All-Conference Academic Team members
- 10 All Time Conference Records (C-USA, Big Ten, ACC, LSC)
- 149 School Records re-established
- 8 USA Olympic Trials Qualifiers (pole vault, shot put, hammer throw, javelin and triple jump)
- Mexican National Champion & Record Holder, Shot Put, Frank Guzman, 2003 and 2004
- 2 USA World University Games team members: 1997- Catrina Bindel, Heptathlon; 2001- Serene Ross, Javelin
- 2 USA World Junior Championship team members; 1992– Andy Bloom, shot put and discus; 2004– Michael Whitehead, triple jump
- 2 USA U-23 NACAC team members: 2002– Carey Ryan, hammer; 2006–Michael Whitehead, triple jump
- Coached NCAA National Championship qualifiers in every field event disciple. NCAA All American performers in the shot put, hammer, and weight throw, javelin, long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault and heptathlon.
- USA Track and Field Certified Official
- USA Track and Field Level 1 Certified Coach
- USA Track and Field Level 2 Certified Coach- Jumps
- USTFCCCA Track and Field Technical Certification
- USTFCCCA Combined Event/Multievent Specialist Certification
UT TYLER COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
| 29 |
NCAA Division II All-Americans |
| 3 |
CSC Academic All-Americans |
| 86 |
NCAA Division II Provisional Marks Set |
| 57 |
USTFCCCA All-Region Selections |
| 11 |
CSC Academic All-District Selections |
| 15 |
Lone Star Conference Individual Champions |
| 107 |
All-Lone Star Conference Selections |
| 26 |
Lone Star Conference Academic Team Selections |
| 128 |
UT Tyler School Records Broken |
| 28 |
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals |
| 20 |
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams |
| 3 |
LSC Outdoor Academic Athletes of the Year |
