Sam Kettenhofen - Women's Track & Field Coach - St. Cloud State University Athletics

Sam Kettenhofen

Title:
Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach
Email:
skettenhofen@stcloudstate.edu
Phone:
320-308-2242
Office:
HAH 334

Sam Kettenhofen enters his seventh season as the head coach of St. Cloud State Track & Field and Cross Country in 2022-23.

Throughout his career at SCSU, Kettenhofen has coached 12 All-Americans, 19 NCAA Qualifiers, 12 NSIC Champions and 41 All-NSIC athletes while overseeing both the Track & Field and Cross Country programs. He has recruited and coached two NSIC Newcomers of the Year, one NSIC Field Athlete of the Year and 23 current school record holders. Under Kettenhofen’s watch, legendary runner Sam Sunstrom was named 2016-17 St. Cloud State Female Athlete of the Year.

Strong academics have been a staple of the Kettenhofen era at St. Cloud State, as a whopping 198 Huskies have earned Academic All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate honors including a program record 39 during the 2020 season. SCSU has been routinely featured as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team while Chrissy Lofgren earned CoSIDA Academic All-District laurels in 2020. Multiple Huskies have earned Butch Raymond Scholarships and Myles Brand Awards during Kettenhofen’s time directing the programs.

Kettenhofen holds Level 1 Certification from USA Track & Field, a M.S. in Sports Management from St. Cloud State (2015) and a pair of B.S.’s in Human Resource Development and Business Marketing Education from the University of Minnesota (2013).

The 2022 St. Cloud State Cross Country season featured a strong seventh-place finish at the NSIC Championships followed by five athletes recording personal records at the Central Region Championships. Cheresa Bouley earned a top-25 finish at the conference meet, leading the Huskies to a three-spot improvement from the season prior.

Huskies Track & Field enjoyed a strong 2022 Outdoor campaign, highlighted by grad transfer Hannah Arason earning All-American honors as well as NSIC Newcomer of the Year laurels after winning the Heptathlon at the NSIC Championships. The Huskies finished 12^th at the conference meet as Arason also earned All-NSIC honors in the Javelin. Arason broke a meet and facility record at the Minnesota State Open in the Heptathlon prior to becoming the first SCSU multi athlete to become a Northern Sun Outdoor Champion since Heather Miller did so in 2009.

2021-22’s Indoor campaign sent two more Huskies to the NCAA Championships as Parker Buske earned All-American honors in the Triple Jump and Hannah Arason competed in the Pentathlon. Buske also picked up an All-NSIC finish in the triple jump as part of an 11^th place team finish. Arason garnered NSIC Field Athlete of the Week honors in January after winning the Mark Shuck Open Pentathlon.

In 2021, SCSU Cross Country placed 10^th at the NSIC Championships led by Cheresa Bouley’s Second Team All-NSIC finish. The junior placed 16^th at the conference meet before leading the Huskies with a top-40 finish at the Central Region Championships.

2021 Outdoor was headlined by Dominique Buechel becoming an NSIC Champion in the Discus then earning Second Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships. SCSU earned a ninth-place finish at the NSIC Championships on the strength of multiple podium placements. Buechel also enjoyed a truly historic day at the Maverick Classic on May 7, breaking both the Discus and Hammer program records en route to being named NSIC Field Athlete of the Week. Emelia Burris and Faith Lubner set new program records in the Long Jump and 100 Meter Hurdles on May 1 at the NSIC & Friends Outdoor Classic in Mankato. The Huskies won the inaugural Battle for the Paddle in Winona on April 9.

Emelia Burris became a first-time All-American in the Long Jump at the conclusion of 2020-21’s Indoor season, leading the Huskies to a seventh-place finish at the NSIC Championships. Faith Lubner earned All-NSIC honors in the Pentathlon as the Huskies returned to competition for the first time since the 2020 Indoor season.

SCSU Track & Field did not compete an Outdoor season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

St. Cloud State saw four school records fall during the 2019-20 Indoor season as Emma Baynes became the school record-holder in the 60 Meter and 200 Meter at the Maverick Invite on February 21 and Chrissy Lofgren broke the Mile record at the NSIC Indoor Challenge. The Huskies’ Distance Medley Relay team of Clara Welhouse, Makayla Rice, Anna Tomovic and Lofgren led a seventh place NSIC Championships finish with a new record in the DMR.

2019 was a special season for Huskies Cross Country, jumping to seventh at the conference meet led by an eighth-place finish by Chrissy Lofgren. Becoming the program’s first First Team All-NSIC honoree since 2016, Lofgren placed 16^th at the Central Region Championships. Cheresa Bouley enjoyed a strong freshman season, placing 35^th at the NSIC Championships.

The 2019 Outdoor season saw St. Cloud State take ninth at the NSIC Championships and send Natalie Gottschalk to the NCAA Championships in the Heptathlon. Emelia Burris and Faith Lubner earned All-NSIC finishes in the Long Jump and Heptathlon respectively. St. Cloud State’s 4x100 Meter Relay team of Bridget Brown, Emma Baynes, Maya Taylor and Emelia Burris established a new school record at the MSU Twilight on May 5. Gottschalk earned NSIC Field Athlete of the Week honors on April 8 after clearing 5,000 points in the Heptathlon at the Jim Click Open.

Indoor 2018-19 placed SCSU eighth at the NSIC Championships as Faith Lubner earned All-NSIC honors in the Pentathlon. Leighten Fischer nearly gave the Huskies two All-NSIC multi athletes as she placed fourth.

Chrissy Lofgren placed 25^th at the 2018 NSIC Cross Country Championships, leading the Huskies to a ninth-place finish.

2018’s Outdoor campaign earned the Huskies an 11^th place finish on a challenging weather weekend in Winona. Four jumpers hit the podium for SCSU led by Natalie Gottschalk’s fifth place Long Jump mark. Gottschalk won the Heptathlon at the Kansas Relays on April 19 while the Huskies earned a team championship at the Dubuque Invitational.

Natalie Gottschalk earned Second Team All-American honors in the Pentathlon at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. She played a key role in a 10^th place team finish at the NSIC Championships, earning All-NSIC honors in the Long Jump and winning the Pentathlon. Abby Jungwirth added an All-NSIC mark in the Triple Jump. Gottschalk won the Chuck Peterson Open’s Pentathlon on December 2 in her first multi of the season.

The fall of 2017 saw a rebuilding year for Cross Country after the graduation of Sunstrom, as a young Huskies team placed ninth at the conference meet.

Kettenhofen was named head coach of Huskies Track & Field and Cross Country on August 23, 2017 after spending the two seasons prior as the programs’ interim head coach.

Outdoor 2017 sent two Huskies to the NCAA Championships – Patience Yalartai in the Triple Jump and Sam Sunstrom in the 10,000 Meter – as Sunstrom earned First Team All-American honors in the 10K and set new program records in the 5,000 and 10,000 Meter Runs. Sunstrom and Yalartai each earned All-NSIC finishes at the conference meet to help the Huskies place ninth. Yalartai broke the program record in the Triple Jump at the Ron Masanz Classic in Moorhead on May 6. St. Cloud State’s 4x400 Meter Relay team of Hanna Shank, Kaylee Glover, Bridget Brown and Jasmine Grant established a new school record during the season.

The Indoor 2017 campaign concluded with Patience Yalartai earning First Team All-American honors in the Triple Jump after winning both the NSIC Triple and Long Jumps at the conference meet. Sam Sunstrom joined her as an All-NSIC finisher in the 5,000 Meter as the Huskies placed eighth.

2016 Huskies Cross Country was highlighted by Sam Sunstrom’s sixth place NSIC finish – earning First Team All-NSIC honors – as the team placed seventh at the conference meet. Chrissy Lofgren finished 27^th as a freshman at the NSIC Championships. Sunstrom went on to place seventh at the Central Region meet to earn First Team All-Region honors, advancing to the NCAA Championships where she placed 34^th and became an All-American for the first time in her storied career.

The 2016 Men’s Outdoor team enjoyed a phenomenal final campaign, placing third at the NSIC Championships and earning six NCAA qualifying spots. Ryan Johnson was named NSIC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, earning Second Team All-American honors in the Discus while also competing in the Hammer at the NCAA Championships. Rafael Saez closed out his career with a First Team All-American finish in the Discus – placing seventh – while Quinn Anderson finished a close ninth to earn Second Team All-American honors. Johnson (Hammer Throw), Anderson (Discus), and Keyshawn Davis (Long Jump) each earned NSIC Championships with the former leading all men in scoring at the conference meet. Anderson’s 56.02 Discus heave broke the SCSU and conference meet record as 11 Huskies earned All-NSIC honors.

Sam Sunstrom earned Second Team All-American honors in the 10,000 Meter at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships after helping the Women place eighth at the conference meet. Sunstrom earned All-NSIC honors in the 10K alongside Patience Yalartai’s runner-up Triple Jump effort.

Indoor 2016 saw the Men place third as Johnson qualified for the NCAA Championships in the Weight Throw and four athletes – Ryan Johnson (Shot Put), Isaiah Pitchford (400 Meter), Welk/Suber/Turner/I. Pitchford (4x400 Meter Relay) and Elijah Pitchford (Triple Jump) – were NSIC Champions. Elijah Pitchford was named NSIC Men’s Newcomer of the Year after winning the Triple Jump with a 14.97m mark, establishing a new SCSU and conference meet record. Seven athletes along with the 4x400 Relay earned All-NSIC finishes at the Indoor Championships.

Patience Yalartai earned a Triple Jump qualification at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships after leading the SCSU Women to a seventh-place finish at the NSIC Championships. Cassie Cardinal earned All-NSIC honors in the Shot Put in support of Yalartai finishing runner-up in the Triple.

In his first season at the helm of Huskies Women’s Cross Country, Kettenhofen oversaw a ninth-place team finish at the 2015 NSIC Championships as Kaylee Roelike (26^th) and Sam Sunstrom (35^th) each earned top-35 finishes.

On July 27, 2015, Kettenhofen was named interim head coach of St. Cloud State Track & Field and Cross Country following the departure of Eric Hanenberger to South Dakota State.

Kettenhofen joined St. Cloud State Track & Field and Cross Country as the graduate assistant coach in the fall of 2013, primarily working with the horizontal jumps (Long and Triple) and the multis. During his time working closely with the jumpers, Keyshawn Davis earned a pair of NSIC Championships in the Long Jump. Nine athletes earned All-NSIC honors while four advanced to the NCAA Championships and two landed All-American finishes.

Graduating in 2013 with a double major in Human Resource Development and Business Marketing education, Kettenhofen was a standout Track & Field athlete at the University of Minnesota. He helped the Gophers earn five Big 10 Team Championships, finishing his career on Minnesota’s Top 10 lists in the Indoor Long Jump (8^th, 7.43m) and Outdoor Javelin (8^th, 59.73m) as well as a member of the No. 9 4x100 Meter Relay (40.49s). Kettenhofen was a member of the Gophers’ 2012 NCAA West Preliminary Qualifier 4x100 Meter Relay team and twice earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in addition to a 2012 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Kettenhofen grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin and was a 2008 graduate of Appleton North High School. He competed for Rob Salm and Kevin Deering at Appleton North, earning four letters in track while leading to his team to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 Division 1 Wisconsin State Meet. As a junior, Kettenhofen won the Fox Valley Association 300 Meter Hurdles Championship. The three-sport standout also earned two letters in football and basketball.

| TRACK AND FIELD |

NCAA DII All-Americans under Kettenhofen (11)
2022 Outdoor – Hannah Arason, Heptathlon, First Team (7^th)
2022 Indoor – Parker Buske, Triple Jump, Second Team (9^th)
2021 Outdoor – Dominique Buechel, Discus, Second Team (9^th)
2021 Indoor – Emelia Burris, Long Jump, First Team (6^th)
2018 Indoor – Natalie Gottschalk, Pentathlon, Second Team (9^th)
2017 Outdoor – Sam Sunstrom, 10,000 Meter, First Team (7^th)
2017 Indoor – Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump, First Team (7^th)
2016 Outdoor – Sam Sunstrom, 10,000 Meter, Second Team (9^th)
2016 Outdoor – Rafael Saez, Discus, First Team (7^th)
2016 Outdoor – Quinn Anderson, Discus, Second Team (9^th)
2016 Outdoor – Ryan Johnson, Discus, Second Team (10^th)

NCAA DII National Qualifiers under Kettenhofen (18)
2022 Indoor (2) – Hannah Arason, Pentathlon | Parker Buske, Triple Jump
2021 Outdoor (1) – Dominique Buechel, Discus
2021 Indoor (1) – Emelia Burris, Long Jump
2019 Outdoor (1) – Natalie Gottschalk, Heptathlon
2018 Indoor (1) – Natalie Gottschalk, Pentathlon
2017 Outdoor (2) – Sam Sunstrom, 10,000 Meter | Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump
2017 Indoor (1) – Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump
2016 Outdoor (7) – Keyshawn Davis, Long Jump | Elijah Pitchford, Triple Jump | Quinn Anderson, Discus | Ryan Johnson, Discus | Rafael Saez, Discus | Ryan Johnson, Hammer Throw | Sam Sunstrom, 10,000 Meter
2016 Indoor (2) – Ryan Johnson, Weight Throw | Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump

NSIC Champions under Kettenhofen (12)
2022 Outdoor – Hannah Arason, Heptathlon
2021 Outdoor – Dominique Buechel, Discus
2018 Indoor – Natalie Gottschalk, Pentathlon
2017 Indoor – Patience Yalartai, Long Jump
2017 Indoor – Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump
2016 Outdoor – Ryan Johnson, Hammer Throw
2016 Outdoor – Quinn Anderson, Discus
2016 Outdoor – Keyshawn Davis, Long Jump
2016 Indoor – Isaiah Pitchford, 400 Meter
2016 Indoor – Marcus Welk + JoVonte Suber + Wezley Turner + Isaiah Pitchford, 4x400 Meter
2016 Indoor – Ryan Johnson, Shot Put
2016 Indoor – Elijah Pitchford, Triple Jump

All-NSIC Performers under Kettenhofen (41)
2022 Outdoor (2) – Hannah Arason, Heptathlon | Hannah Arason, Javelin
2022 Indoor (1) – Parker Buske, Triple Jump
2021 Outdoor (1) – Dominique Buechel, Discus
2021 Indoor (2) – Emelia Burris, Long Jump | Faith Lubner, Pentathlon
2020 Indoor (1) – Emelia Burris, Long Jump
2019 Outdoor (2) – Faith Lubner, Heptathlon | Emelia Burris, Long Jump
2019 Indoor (1) – Faith Lubner, Pentathlon
2018 Indoor (3) – Natalie Gottschalk, Pentathlon | Natalie Gottschalk, Long Jump | Abby Jungwirth, Triple Jump
2017 Outdoor (2) – Patience Yalartai, Long Jump | Sam Sunstrom, 5,000 Meter
2017 Indoor (3) – Patience Yalartai, Long Jump | Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump | Sam Sunstrom, 5,000 Meter
2016 Outdoor (12) – Quinn Anderson, Discus | Ryan Johnson, Discus | Rafael Saez, Discus | Ryan Johnson, Shot Put | Rafael Saez, Shot Put | Ryan Johnson, Hammer Throw | Elijah Pitchford, Triple Jump | Isaiah Pitchford, 400 Meter | Marcus Welk + Wezley Turner + Wyatt Vernon + Isaiah Pitchford, 4x400 Meter Relay | Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump
2016 Indoor (11) – Desmond Deshay, Long Jump | Patience Yalartai, Triple Jump | Ryan Johnson, Weight Throw | Elijah Pitchford, Triple Jump | Keyshawn Davis, Triple Jump | Isaiah Pitchford, 400 Meter | Marcus Welk + JoVonte Suber + Wezley Turner + Isaiah Pitchford, 4x400 Meter | Patience Yalartai, Long Jump | Cassie Cardinal, Shot Put | Ryan Johnson, Shot Put | Quinn Anderson, Shot Put

| CROSS COUNTRY |

NCAA DII All-Americans under Kettenhofen
2016 – Sam Sunstrom

NCAA DII National Qualifiers under Kettenhofen
2016 – Sam Sunstrom

All-NSIC Performers under Kettenhofen (3)
2021 – Cheresa Bouley, Second Team
2019 – Chrissy Lofgren, First Team
2016 – Sam Sunstrom, First Team