July 1, 2013
San Jose--Jeff Petersmeyer brings over 17 years of coaching experience to San José State University as the new men's and women's cross country and women's outdoor track head coach, as announced by Spartan Athletics Director Gene Bleymaier.
"I am very excited to come to San Jose State and be a part of a program with a rich history in cross country and track and field," said Petersmeyer. "I am really excited to be at a great place to build our programs and continue the momentum built by the athletics department over the past year. I look forward to working with the Spartan alums and know that we can be a powerhouse."
Petersmeyer spent the past four years as an assistant coach at Boise State and served as the interim coach for the final two months of the 2012-13 season. The Broncos won eight individual titles at the 2013 Mountain West Championships including sweeping the women's long distance events (5000-meters, 10000-meters and 3000-meter steeplechase.)
He coached three All-Americans, 17 conference champions and one NCAA Champion during his tenure. His biggest success came when Kurt Felix won the 2012 NCAA Division I Championship in the decathlon. The 2013 team saw 20 athletes earn 22 qualifying spots to the NCAA West Preliminary Championships where four qualified for the NCAA Championships. In 2012, Petersmeyer served as the Olympic Team Coach for Grenada as he coached Felix at the 2012 London Olympics.
Prior to Boise State, Petersmeyer coached three seasons at TCU where he trained all jumpers and hurdlers and assisted with sprint events. He coached Whitney Gipson who set the NCAA women's outdoor record in the long jump and earned All-America honors. She went on to finish third at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Petersmeyer was the assistant track and cross country coach at Baldwin Wallace for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. The women's team won the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships in indoor and outdoor track both seasons.
Petersmeyer also spent time as an associate professor and assistant track and cross country coach at Columbia University. He recruited or coached more than 10 qualifiers for the NCAA Regional Championships.
From 1999-2002, Petersmeyer was an assistant coach at Northern Arizona where he helped guide the team to seven Big Sky Championships and five top-12 team finishes in cross country at the NCAA Championships.
His coaching career began at Allegheny College where he was a graduate assistant for the 1998-99 school year.
As a collegian, Petersmeyer was a two-time NCAA All-American and nine-time Ohio Athletic Conference Champion at Baldwin Wallace College. He still holds the school record in 400-meter hurdles, an event in which he earned All-America honors.
Petersmeyer, a native of Delphos, Ohio, earned bachelor's degrees in political science and history from Baldwin Wallace College in 1996, and a master's degree in educational leadership from Northern Arizona in 2002.
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