RUSTON, LA - Lousiana Tech announced last Thursday, that Mikhail Roedel was hired as an Assistant Track & Field Coach specializing in throws.

"I am extremely proud of Coach Roedel and wish him well in his next adventure," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Marc Bierbaum. "His dream has been to coach at the D1 level. What he has done here with the throws group has been remarkable. That group was our anchor in championship season last year and he has worked very hard to get to this point in his career, I know he will do a fantastic job at Louisiana Tech. We all wish him well!"

Roedel was entering his fifth season with the Reivers before he got the call from the Techsters Director of Track & Field Brian Johnson. "Getting the Phone call from Coach Johnson was unreal honestly," said Roedel. "I want to thank him for believing in me and picking me for this position. Coach Johnson is a proven winner and I can see myself continuing to grow under his leadership. He's put together a great staff and I think we can make some special things happen. This is an opportunity I've been patiently waiting on and a challenge that I'm ready to take head-on."

An eight-year coaching veteran, Coach Roedel coached IWCC throwers to 29 national qualifying performances between the indoor and outdoor seasons, including Shakiel Dacres, who became the first Iowa Western national champion thrower in the 2022 NJCAA Outdoor Discus. He also developed national runners-up Nemoy Cockett (men's weight throw) and Elizabeth Sebera (women's weight throw) in the 2022 outdoor season. Along with the great performances by the Reivers on the national level, he also led the throwers to 73 points at his first outdoor Region XI Championship meet.

"We are very happy for Mikhail," mentioned Iowa Western Athletic Director Shane Larson. "This is a great opportunity for him and we wish him well in this next step in his career. He has done an amazing job developing our throws program here and he will be missed."