McLean County Times

Illinois State University has announced the addition of Austin West to its track and field coaching staff. West joined the team on August 29 and will serve as an assistant coach, focusing on jumps and combined event groups.

West takes over from Jake Jacoby, who was Illinois State's jumps and multis coach for two seasons before moving to Indiana as a jumps coach.

"We are thrilled to add Austin to the staff, as he brings a ton of energy to the team and adds a wealth of knowledge in both the vertical and horizontal jumps and combined events," said Jeff Bovee, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.

West's background includes experience as both a coach and an All-American athlete. In 2024, he was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working with high jump and combined event groups. During his time there, he contributed to achievements such as an individual NCAA title, five Big Ten event titles, bronze medals at European and World Indoor Championships, as well as national qualifiers in several jumping events and the decathlon.

Before his stint at Nebraska, West served as an assistant coach at Iowa City West High School from 2022-2024. He coached hurdle and horizontal jumps groups. Under his guidance, athletes won two state titles, six state meet medals, one Drake Relays Boys Athlete of the Year award, and helped secure two top-five team finishes in Iowa's largest high school division.

West is an alumnus of the University of Iowa where he earned bachelor's degrees in Exercise Science and History in May 2023. He completed his master's degree in Sport and Recreation Management from Iowa in December 2024. He was recognized with CSC First-Team Academic All-American honors for 2023-24.

As a student-athlete at Iowa, West earned first-team All-American honors three times in combined events between 2022-24. He holds the university's decathlon record with a score of 8331 points. In 2023, he won an individual Big Ten title in the 400m hurdles with a time of 49.34 seconds—the second-fastest mark in school history. His career also includes four medals at United States Championship meets, including a bronze medal at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships. Internationally, West has represented the U.S. three times and was named NACAC champion in the decathlon for 2025.

"As a Hawkeye, Austin developed into one of the top decathletes in the NCAA and in the USA," Bovee said. "Being raised in Iowa City and competing in the Big Ten conference, Austin brings a competitive edge. He will be able to hit the ground running with all of his recruiting connections around the Midwest."