Northrup brings experience and expertise to CSC Track & Field team

Growing up in Hot Springs, South Dakota, Northrup developed an appreciation for small-town atmospheres and dislike of traffic.
Participating in football, track and basketball in high school, Northrup didn’t discover his preference for track until college.
Northrup was a student athlete at Chadron State College, and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Secondary Education.
After graduating at CSC, Northrup substitute taught and coached in Glenrock, Wyoming. After living in Wyoming, he took a year off to work on the railroad.
Following the short break, Northrup attended grad school at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Starting at CSC in August 2017, Northrup’s goals for this season are to get to know the athletes on campus and set foundations for future seasons, in addition to helping student athletes improve.
“I may not appear that much older than some of the people on the team, so some people may be thinking ‘this is a young guy, what does he know?,’ but I’ve gone through some progressions and experiences that have given me the experience to help others get better,” Northrup said.
One thing Northrup has learned from coaching at CSC is that recruiting in Chadron is a lot different than recruiting in a larger populated area, such as Ohio.
Jud Logan, a four-time Olympian and current Head Track and Field Coach at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, served as a mentor to Northrup. Northrup recalled that even though Logan specialized in weight throw and Northrup was a jumper, Logan knew so much about the sport that Northrup’s performance and knowledge significantly increased.
Advice Northrup would give to those who are looking to become coaches in the future, is that experience is the main thing that can help develop someone as an athlete and as a person.
For future seasons, Northrup wants to involve his team in more community outreach projects.
“The college and residents of Chadron are very dependent on each other in one way or another,” Northrup said.
Northrup wants to develop a connection between the CSC Track and Field team and the local elementary, middle and high schools