Track and Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach - Throws
- Email:
- pughlonn@ath.msu.edu
- Phone:
- 355-1641
Lonnie Pugh enters his fitth season as an assistant coach of the Michigan State track and field program during the 2020-2021 season. Pugh joined the Michigan State track & field program in the fall of 2016 as the assistant coach in the throwing events.
During the 2018-19 season, Pugh had five NCAA Regional Qualifiers; Kayli Johnson (shot put), Rebecca Mammel (hammer throw), Nikole Sargent (shot put), Jerimiah Evans (discus) and Nick Kramer (hammer throw). Pugh had one athlete advance to the NCAA Finals, Evans in the discus, who became Pugh’s fourth All-American at MSU.
During his three seasons at MSU, Pugh’s athletes have earned numerous honors as he has coached 14 NCAA Regional Qualifiers, two All-Big Ten athletes and two USA Qualifiers.
Pugh’s athletes have broken three school records in his three seasons as assistant coach. Evans set a new school-record in the discus with a throw of 61.22m at the Jesse Owens Classic on April 27, 2019. In 2017, Max Knoblock set a new school-record in the javelin with a mark of 65.16m. All-American Katelyn Daniels also broke the women’s outdoor shot put school-record with a throw of 16.40m.
Pugh has coached four All-Americans while at Michigan State, including three-time discus All-American Katelyn Daniels and second-team discus All-American Jerimiah Evans.
Daniels earned All-American status from 2016-18 in the discus, while also being recognized as an All-American in the shot put in 2018. Daniels earned Big Ten silver medalist honors two-straight seasons in the discus under Pugh.
Jerimiah Evans earned second-team All-American status in 2019, as he made his NCAA Outdoor Championships debut in the discus with a ninth place finish. Evans qualified for the NCAA Finals after finishing eighth in the NCAA East Preliminary Round with a throw of 58.04m. Evans gained All-Big Ten Outdoor honors with a second-place finish in the discus at the Big Ten Championships. As a freshman in 2018, Evans earned Big Ten bronze medalist honors in the discus.
Before returning to his alma mater Michigan State, Pugh served as an assistant track and field coach at Adrian College in 2016. He was the assistant throws coach at Adrian, while also overseeing the strength and conditioning program.
Pugh also served as an Academic Support Specialist and tutor coordinator at Adrian College, helping to implement a new tutoring system that was campus wide. While at Siena Heights, he was a program coordinator, where he oversaw and assigned daily operations in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. At Adrian, Pugh coached five MIAA medalists and one All-American.
He was also an assistant coach at Siena Heights University from 2013-2016. At Siena Heights, he assisted with recruiting, practice planning, and assisted in coaching the student-athletes, particularly in the throwing events. During his tenure at Siena Heights, Pugh coached three individual National Champions, eight All-Americans and 14 Conference Champions.
At Siena Heights, Pugh’s athletes broke school records in the women’s and men’s shot put, women’s discus and weight throw. Under Pugh, Kasey Renshaw set an NAIA meet record in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 21.20 meters.
During his time at MSU, Pugh showed his excellence both on and off the field. He was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and he was the track and field liaison for the Student Athlete Multicultural Advisory Committee.
Pugh was a three-time Big Ten Champion, twice in the in the discus throw, and once in the weight throw. He was also a three-time NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round Qualifier. The Grosse Ile, Michigan native, was named a U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor and Outdoor First-Team All-American during the 2010-11 seasons. He was named Outdoor Second-Team All-American during the 2011-12 campaign, and was an Outdoor and Indoor Honorable Mention All-American at the conclusion of the 2012-13 seasons.
As a student-athlete at MSU, Pugh was a varsity letterwinner from 2009-2013, he was voted a three-time team captain, he received the coaches award in 2012, and he earned a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2012-13.
Pugh graduated from Michigan State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication in 2013, and received his Master of Arts degree in Leadership, Concentration in Higher Education, at Siena Heights University in 2015.
