Ron Garner
Ron Garner returns for his second season at Virginia after a highly successful coaching career that has seen him coach 57 conference champions and 65 All-Americans. He has also assisted in the development of two Olympic medalists and several NCAA Champions. The 1999 ACC Coach of the Year, Garner has been a part of 18 different teams that won conference championships and 10 others that have been runners-up in their conference meets. Garner coaches the throwing events for Virginia.
In 2003, Garner coached Annie Bobiak to win her first ACC title and Eliese Mitchell to set three school records. Mitchell, who was named co-MVP for the track and field team in 2003, qualified nationally for both the indoor and outdoor national championships in weight events.
Garner also helped Brian Kollar win his third ACC title in the javelin and earn a bid to the NCAA Championships for the third time with a third-place finish at the NCAA East Regional. Kollar, a two-time All-American, did not compete at NCAA’s due to injury.
The head track & field coach at Clemson from 1998-1999, Garner coached the Tigers to the 1999 ACC team title in the outdoor season, the first such title in eight years. The Tigers were ranked fourth nationally in the national dual meet team power rankings. Garner came to Clemson after a six-and-a-half year stint as the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at the University of Illinois. While in Champaign, the Illini won six Big Ten conference titles and were second on four other occasions, the most successful period in program history. In 1995 and 1996, Illinois finished fourth at the national championships. Three of Garner’s recruiting classes were ranked in the top-three nationally. At Illinois, Garner coached Collinus Newsome, who won the USATF Junior National championship (1995) in the shot put and won five consecutive shot put titles (1995-1997), was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and placed 11th at the US Olympic Trials.
Before his stint at Illinois, Garner was an assistant coach at Clemson, where he established and coached the first women[apos]s track & field team in school history in 1987 while serving as assistant coach for cross country (1986-87). The Tigers won the ACC cross country title in 1986, and in 1991 the Clemson women won the ACC outdoor title and finished 12th at the NCAA championships. At Clemson, Garner coached 22 ACC Champions and 44 All-ACC performers, including Jamine Moton, who won five ACC throwing titles under Garner. While at Clemson, Garner earned an M.Ed. in Post-Secondary and Career Counseling \in 1991.
From 1982 to 1986, Garner served as an assistant coach at Christopher Newport, his alma mater. While with the Captains, Garner coached the NCAA Division III Champion in the shot put at the 1985 indoor championships and the national indoor and outdoor Division III shot put champion in 1986. In 1985 he coached the national record holder in the shot put as well.
Garner is married to Disa Garner, the head volleyball coach at James Madison University. The Dukes won the CAA qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2000, her first year with the program. The couple lives in Bridgewater, Va.