Indiana State University Athletics

Brandan Bettenhausen is in his eighth season as the throws coach at Indiana State in 2024-25.

The 2023-24 season was a banner year for Bettenhausen's group, which culminated with him being named the MVC Men's Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year. Under his watch, Elias Foor was named the MVC Most Valuable Athlete after earning all-conference honors in four different events while earning Second Team All-America honors in the discus. Foor earned program top-10 marks in the discus (second), hammer throw (third) and shot put (ninth), while also setting ISU's facility record in the discus (59.30m/194-07). Brett Norton earned all-conference honors in both the shot put and discus on his way to a third straight NCAA East First Round appearance, while Noah Bolt (weight throw) and Wyatt Puff (shot put) noth set indoor program top-10 marks. On the women's side, Lillian Gibbs broke the school record in the javelin (45.32m/148-08) in just her third collegiate meet, while Niesha Anderson ranked in the top 20 nationally in the weight throw (21.40m/700-02.50), with Gibbs reaching the NCAA East First Round as a freshman.

Betthenhausen's biggest achievement of the 2023-24 season came with former Sycamore All-American thrower and current assistant coach Erin Reese. Under Bettenhausen's watch, Reese qualified for the Olympics for the first time in her career in the hammer throw with a podium finish at the US Olympic Trials, while her 14th-place finish in the event in Paris was tied for the best-ever finish by a Sycamore track and field athlete in an Olympic event. Reese's top throws of her season came when it mattered most, with all her best marks coming late in the Olympic qualifying window.

Bettenhausen led a strong group in 2022-23 which saw four Sycamore throwers qualify for the NCAA East First Round, including a pair of NCAA regional debutantes in Noah Bolt and Elias Foor. Brett Norton tied the outdoor school shot put record of 18.40m (60-04.50) on his way to the MVC title in the event, and he also earned an MVC title in the weight throw (20.55m/67-05.25) during indoor season. Puff (shot put, discus) and Bolt (hammer throw, discus) qualified for the NCAA East First Round in multiple events, with Puff placing in the top 25 in both events and Bolt earning all-conference honors in the discus. Hannah Redlin (discus) and Brooklyn Giertz (javelin) earned top-10 program marks on the women's side during the outdoor season, with Redlin also earning all-conference honors in the discus.

Indiana State's throwers put together a strong 2021-22 campaign, with eight different Sycamores scoring at the conference championships. Wyatt Puff had a career year in the ring, earning all-conference honors in the discus throw while reaching the NCAA East Preliminary Round in both the shot put and discus throw. Puff's mark of 18.23m (59-09.75) in the shot put at the NCAA East Preliminary ranked second in school history and earned him a top-25 finish in the event. Brett Norton and Jayla Bynum also reached the East Prelim in the shot put for the Sycamores, with both setting career-best marks under Bettenhausen's watch. Bettenhausen also helped Thomas Hickerson earn all-conference honors in the javelin throw at the outdoor championships. Puff, Norton, Bynum, Hickerson, Elias Foor and Brooklyn Giertz all set top-10 marks in school history during the 2021-22 campaign.

The 2020-21 season under Bettenhausen saw the Sycamore throwers continue to put up top-tier results, as Wyatt Puff qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the shot put as a true freshman. Jayla Bynum continued to develop into one of the top throwers in the MVC, breaking the school record in the javelin throw with a top mark of 45.05m (147-10). Bynum became the first person in program history with a throw over 45 meters in the event, which she accomplished at the MVC Outdoor Championships to earn a top-five finish. In addition to Bynum's school record, Indiana State also had a pair of women's throwers set top-10 marks in school history, with Brittnee James placing ninth in school history in the hammer throw and Hannah Redlin placing 10th in program history in the discus throw.

Indiana State's 2019-20 indoor season saw the Sycamores earn a pair of top-five finishes at the MVC Championships under Bettenhausen's direction, with three scoring points for the Trees. Lauren England threw a career-best 14.69m (48-02.50) in the shot put to earn the highest finish among the ISU throwers, placing fourth. Brett Norton also earned a top-five finish at the conference championships with a top mark of 18.66m (61-02.75) in the weight throw, while Nick Young had a mark of 17.81m (58-05.25) to place seventh.

Bettenhausen oversaw one of the best Sycamore throwing duos in ISU history during 2019. Erin Reese and Cassuandra Roper were dominant in the Missouri Valley Conference, with Reese earning MVC Championships in the weight throw, hammer throw and discus throw while Roper claimed the indoor shot put title. Reese is the school record holder in the hammer and discus throws at ISU and is also second in school history in the weight throw. 

Behind Bettenhausen's coaching, Reese qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships where she placed fourth for First Team All-American honors. Then, during outdoor season, both Reese and Roper qualified for the NCAA Championshlps. Reese finished as the NCAA Runner-Up in the hammer throw and earned Second Team All-American honors in the discus and Roper also earned Second Team All-American honors in the shot put. 

On the men's side, Sam Overton claimed his second consecutive MVC title in the javelin throw at the outdoor championships with the second-best toss in school history. 

His first season with the Sycamores ended with four MVC Champions, three additional All-MVC performances and a school record. Erin Reese led the way for most of the 2017-18 season, claiming the MVC indoor title in the weight throw and the outdoor title in the hammer throw. Reese also set the hammer throw school record at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a mark of 65.16m (213-09). Cassaundra Roper (Shot Put) and Sam Overton (Javelin) also claimed victory in their respective events at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Bettenhausen coached three athletes to the NCAA East Regional Preliminary round in Tampa, where Reese finished just short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships at 14th in the hammer throw.

In addition to leading the Sycamore throwers, Bettenhausen has also played an instrumental role in Erin Reese's continued success on the world stage as a hammer thrower. Reese qualified for the US Olympic Trials in 2021 and has consistently ranked among the world's best in the hammer. She also holds Indiana State's facility records in the discus throw and the indoor weight throw, with the latter ranking among the top five in the world in 2021.

Before joining the Sycamore coaching staff, Bettenhausen served a four-year stint at the University of Dayton as the throws coach, and was able to turn the Flyers into a dominant group in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

During the 2016-17 season, Bettenhausen had five Atlantic 10 Conference champions between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Sophomore standout Erin Reese won hammer throw at the A-10 Outdoor Championships and won shot put and weight throw at the A-10 Indoor Championships. Also winning at the A-10 Outdoor Championships were Jennifer Rossi in the shot put and freshman Lillian Cook in the javelin throw.
 
Bettenhausen sent three athletes to the 2017 NCAA East Regional. Erin Reese and Jennifer Rossi represented Dayton in the discus throw, and Reese also competed in the hammer throw. Lillian Cook competed in the javelin throw.
 
Rossi swept the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships in the shot put, hammer and discus throws, and picked up victories in the shot put and weight throw at the Indoor Championships as well during the 2015-16 season.
 
In 2015, Reese earned the A-10 Conference's Most Outstanding Rookie Performer at both the indoor and outdoor championships. At the NCAA East Regional, Aly Weeman represented the Flyer's in the hammer throw and was honored as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member.
 
Prior to coaching at Dayton, Bettenhausen spent one year at Western State Colorado University where he was the men's and women's throws coach. While there, he had the opportunity to coach an NCAA Division II provisional qualifier, an All-Regional performed, an All-RMAC Academic recipient, two conference champions and eight Western State Top 10 All-Time performances.
 
Before he joined Western State, Bettehausen spent one year as a volunteer coach at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin. During his time at Wisconsin, he helped oversee All-Americans, US Olympic Trials qualifiers, indoor and outdoor national qualifiers, eight school records and a Big Ten Conference team championship.
 
Bettenhausen graduated from Wisconsin in 2011 and was a standout athlete for the Badgers. He earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a USTFCCCA certified technical coach and a C.S.C.S. certified strength and conditioning coach.