Coach Jeff Martin's Pole Vault teaching video:
Jeff Martin Track & Field DVDs
Jeff Martin is in his 19th year as the pole vault, long jump and triple jump coach at Indiana State in 2024-25. Martin has had athletes qualify and compete in 19 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, where he has coached four national champions and 15 All-Americans. His athletes also have had great success at the MVC Championship as well, garnering 57 conference titles and 142 All-MVC awards.
Martin was named the 2010 USTFCCA Great Lakes Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year and is certified as a USA Track & Field Level 2 coach for jumps and a Level 2 coach for Combined Events. He was also named the 2022 MVC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.
Indiana State's season was one to remember for Martin's athletes, as the Sycamores swept all four MVC Track and Field Championships for the first time in program history and five of Martin's athletes qualified for the NCAA East First Round. Will Staggs broke the indoor and outdoor program records in the pole vault (5.52m/18-1.25 indoor, 5.50m/18-0.5 outdoor) while sweeping the MVC pole vault titles and earning Second Team All-America honors at the 2024 NCAA Indoor National Championships. Shomari Rogers-Walton was named the MVC Most Valuable Athlete of the Indoor Championships after sweeping the long jump and triple jump titles, and recorded a top-10 long jump mark in the nation during the 2024 season at 7.89m (25-10.75), while Claire Pittman (6.07m/19-11) and Ali Ilupeju (7.64m/25-0.75) won outdoor long jump conference titles on home soil. Ilupeju, Brooklyn Pfaff, Rogers-Walton, Jaden Smith and Staggs all represented the Sycamores at the NCAA East First Round, with all five moving up the program top-10 charts in either indoor or outdoor season.
Two of Martin's athletes earned 2023 NCAA Outdoor National Championships berths as part of another strong season for the Sycamores horizontal jumpers and pole vaulters. Will Staggs (pole vault, 5.30/17-4.5) and Ryann Porter (triple jump, 13.03m/42-9) recording career-bests and program top-five marks in their respective events, with both being named Honorable Mention All-Americans. Porter swept the MVC triple jump titles, while Staggs (indoor pole vault), Claire Pittman (outdoor long jump) and Shomari Rogers-Walton (outdoor triple jump) also earned conference championships under Martin's watch during the 2023-24 season. Indiana State continued its tradition of success in the horizontal jumps and pole vault, earning at least one top-three finish in all but one event between the two conference championships in the 2023-24 season. Porter, Rogers-Walton, Staggs and Selene Weaver represented the Sycamores at the NCAA East First Round.
The 2021-22 season saw Martin's athletes complete an unprecedented sweep of the MVC Indoor Championships. The Sycamores placed first in every event Martin coaches, with William Staggs (5.15m/16-10.75) and Selene Weaver (3.91m/12-10.00) winning the pole vault, Mitch Conard and Ryann Porter (5.70m/18-05.50) winning the long jump and Porter (12.58m/41-03.25) and Shomari Rogers-Walton (15.03m/49-03.75) winning the triple jump. Staggs (4.90m/16-00.75), Weaver (3.90m/12-09.50), Porter (12.67m/41-07.00) and Rogers-Walton (15.57m/51-01.00) repeated their championship-winning feats in the outdoor season, with all four winning MVC titles and earning spots in the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Porter had a mark of 12.90m (42-04.00) in the triple jump at regionals to advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships for the second consecutive season. Landis Brandon, Dearis Herron and Dominique Wood earned all-conference honors during indoor and outdoor season, while Frankie Young III added All-MVC honors during the outdoor campaign. Martin earned MVC Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year honors following the Sycamores' standout showing in the field events at the conference championships.
Martin played an instrumental role in the development of Ryann Porter during the 2020-21 season. Porter won the MVC Outdoor title in the triple jump (12.91mw/42-04.25), then followed that with a wind-aided mark of 13.12m (43-00.50) at the NCAA East Preliminary Round to advance to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Porter earned Honorable Mention All-America status with a 24th-place finish at the championships, and also competed at the US Olympic Trials. Martin also guided Dearis Herron to an MVC Indoor title in the long jump (7.37m/24-02.25), while Frankie Young III (7.25m/23-09.50) earned All-MVC honors in the event. Selene Weaver also earned all-conference honors during indoor season in the pole vault (3.81m/12-06.00), while Claire Pittman had a season-best mark of 5.74m (18-10.00) in the long jump at the MVC Outdoor Championships to earn an all-conference nod.
The 2018 season saw Scott Schreiber claim the MVC outdoor title in the long jump with his best jump of the season at 7.40m (24-03.50). Martin also guided athletes to five additional All-MVC performances, with four coming at the indoor championships (Gino Brown, Dearis Herron, Caitlyn Redmon and Scott Schreiber) and one coming at the outdoor championships (Dearis Herron).
During the 2016 season, three athletes captured MVC titles under Martin. At the MVC Indoor championships, Jamie Newsome captured the triple jump championship and Connor Curley completed the sweep in the pole vault by claiming both the MVC Indoor and Outdoor championships in the pole vault. Connor Curley (pole vault) and Devyn Mikell (long jump) both advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary, where Curley finished just short of a trip the NCAA finals, where he ended in a tie for 14th.
The success of 2014 continued into the 2015 season, as Devyn Mikell (long jump) and Jamie Newsome (triple jump) won MVC Indoor championships, and Kimyanna Rudolph (pole vault) and Carmelia Stewart (triple jump) claimed MVC Outdoor championships. Five athletes advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary including Connor Curley (pole vault), Scott Schreiber (long jump), Devyn Mikell (long jump), Jamie Newsome (triple jump), and Kimyanna Rudolph (pole vault). Rudolph finished fourth at the East Regional and earned a spot at Nationals, where she earned First-Team All-American honors with an eighth-place finish.
The tradition of outstanding vaulters and horizontal jumpers continued at Indiana State in 2014 under Martin’s tutelage. Kimyanna Rudolph repeated as the MVC Indoor women’s pole vault champion and Byron Ferrell won the MVC Indoor men’s pole vault championship. Three athletes advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary including Carmelia Stewart (triple jump), Kimyanna Rudolph (pole vault) and Byron Ferrell (pole vault). Rudolph just missed a trip to the NCAA finals as she tied for 14th at the NCAA East Preliminary.
The 2013 season saw Rudolph win the MVC Indoor pole vault title and Nicole Hope the MVC Outdoor title with Richelle Kimble second both indoors and outdoors. Hope went on to place 13th nationally, while Kimble missed a spot at nationals, placing 15th at the East Preliminary Round. Maurice Lyke repeated as the MVC Indoor long jump champion and also won the outdoor long jump title.
Sycamores continued to excel under Martin’s coaching during the 2012 season as Lyke won the MVC Indoor long jump title, Ernest Rollins won his second MVC Indoor triple jump title and Hope captured her first MVC Indoor pole vault title. Kimble and Rollins competed at the NCAA East Preliminary with Kimble tying for 14th in the pole vault and Rollins 26th in the triple jump.
During the 2011 season, Hope won the MVC Outdoor title and finished second at the MVC Indoor Championships. Kimble formed the other half of a dynamic duo for Indiana State as she tied Hope for second at the MVC Indoors and finished second behind Hope at the MVC Outdoors. Both competed in the NCAA East Preliminary as did ISU triple jumper Rollins. Shayne Cureton and Nigel Jolly competed in the long jump while Marcel Hamilton in the triple jump at the USA Junior Nationals this past year.
Martin coached then-senior Kylie Hutson to repeat championships at both the 2010 NCAA Indoor and 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women’s pole vault as she continued to reset the Indiana State records both indoors and outdoors, and became one of the top women pole vaulters in the United States. Hutson, who cleared 14’-9” indoors and 14’-9.5” outdoors to establish ISU records, was also named the Great Lakes Region women’s field athlete of the year both during the indoor season and outdoor season. Martin also coached Lauren Martin to her best finish at the NCAA Indoors in the women’s triple jump (fifth) with an ISU record leap of 43’-7.75” and a 13th place finish at the NCAA Outdoors. Both were named Indoor and Outdoor All-Americans. Alicia Fritchi was the runner-up in the 2010 MVC Outdoor Women’s Pole Vault while Ernest Rollins was the runner-up in the 2010 MVC Indoor and Outdoor Men’s Triple Jump.
The 2009 season was highlighted by Hutson capturing both the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor championships in the women’s pole vault while also continuing to set new Indiana State and Missouri Valley Conference records. Hutson set the all-time Indiana State and MVC mark of 14’-4.75” in winning the indoor title and set the all-time Indiana State and MVC mark of 14’5.25” in winning the outdoor title. Hutson is a three-time All-American.
In addition, Lauren Martin set an all-time Indiana State and MVC record of 43’-1” in winning the women’s triple jump at the MVC Indoor Championship. She also set an all-time Indiana State and MVC record of 44’-4.75” in placing second in the women’s triple jump at the Mideast Regional. She finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and tied for 15th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-American status at both championships.
During the 2008 season, three of Martin’s athletes broke school records: Kylie Hutson in the indoor and outdoor pole vault, Lauren Martin outdoor triple jump, and Steve Daniel outdoor triple jump. In addition to breaking these school records, all three advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. Hutson enjoyed her 2008 season by breaking both the indoor and outdoor All-time MVC records, winning both the indoor and outdoor MVC titles and qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Her mark of 14’-1.5” in the pole vault ranked her 5th in the NCAA, 16th in the U.S., and 63rd in the world during the 2008 season.
Since his time at Indiana State, Martin has continued the tradition of high-level jumpers for the Sycamores. He has coached five women Sycamores over the 19-foot mark in the long jump and three men over the 52-foot mark in the triple jump. His athletes continue to place and win MVC championships in the horizontal jumps.
Prior to heading to the collegiate coaching ranks, Martin coached the Terre Haute South Braves to a girl’s track and field regional team championship in 2006 and a boy’s track and field regional and sectional team championship in 2005. His cross country teams also excelled, with boys cross country sectional team championships in 2004 and 2005. Under his tutelage, his athletes set 14 school records, qualified for state 58 times, named all-state 20 times, captured 12 individual regional championships and 43 individual sectional championships.
As a member of the ISU track team from 1997-2001, Martin was a four-year varsity letter winner and six-time All-MVC selection. He was also a member of the shuttle hurdle relay team that set a new school record with a time of 55.06 at the 2001 Drake Relays and was an MVC champion as a member of the ISU 4x400 meter relay team at the 2000 MVC Championship. Prior to Indiana State, Martin was a two-time state champion at Warren Central High School; including winning the 110 meter high hurdles in 1995.
Martin is joined on the staff by his wife, program director and head coach Angela (formerly Bruecker) Martin. They reside in Terre Haute and have three children, Emma, Blake and Saige.
Jeff Martin – By the Numbers
Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump Coach 2006-Present
- 18 total seasons spent coaching at Indiana State
- 13-time MVC Coach of the Year
- 2022 MVC Men's Indoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2022 MVC Women's Indoor Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2010 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year
- 4 NCAA Champions (4 by Kylie Hutson, pole vault)
- 15 All-Americans
- 20 NCAA Track Qualifiers
- 57 MVC Track Champions
- 142 All-MVC Track Athletes
- 15 Men’s Track MVC Scholar Athletes
- 34 Women’s Track MVC Scholar-Athletes
