Jim Vahrenkamp was named Central Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for 2011 in just his second season at Augustana.
The award by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) came on the heels of the Vikings’ Aduo Omot, Vahrenkamp’s star pupil, winning both the NCAA Division II 800-meter indoor and outdoor championships.
Vahrenkamp played a primary role as Augustana’s men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs again earned national recognition in 2010-11. The men’s combined teams finished fourth and the women’s fifth in the USTFCCCA’s Program of the Year standings. In both instances, Augustana was the highest-ranked institution from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
In cross country, the Viking men were sixth and the women seventh at the NCAA championships. It was the highest finish ever for the men. Augustana produced four All-America runners in Matt Braithwaite, Tom Karbo, Kristin Brondbo, and Runa Falch. The women’s team was third and the men fourth at the Central Region Championships, while both Viking squads claimed NSIC team championships. The individual NSIC titles went to Augustana’s Runa Falch and Tom Karbo.
The indoor track and field season produced runner-up NSIC finishes for both the men and women with a total of eight individual champions. Eight school records fell and 11 Vikings earned All-America distinction.
Outdoors, the women won their first NSIC championship and the first-ever women’s title in school history. The men captured fourth place. Augustana claimed eight individual titles and 12 Vikings were named All-NSIC. Six school records were established during the campaign and Falch (1500) and Omot (800) won national championships.
Prior to joining the staff at Augustana, Vahrenkamp spent a year as an assistant coach at Emory in Atlanta, Ga., where he coached throwers and multi-event athletes for both the indoor and outdoor teams. At EU, Vahrenkamp was part of a staff that helped the Eagles return to the top of the University Athletic Association in 2009. EUwon its first UAA indoor championship during the 2009 season. As a result, the Eagles' coaching staff was named the UAA Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year.
Vahrenkamp had an impact with the EU throwers, high jumpers, pole vaulters and multi-sport athletes. He coached two NCAA provisional national qualifiers and one school record holder.
Before EU, Vahrenkamp spent two years as an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota. At USD, he worked with the Coyotes' decathletes, heptathletes, high jumpers, long jumpers and javelin throwers.
Vahrenkamp also spent four years as an assistant at Rapid City Christian High School, where he worked with the jumpers, throwers and hurdlers. During his time at Rapid City Christian, he coached his athletes to eight school records.
Vahrenkamp was a three-year member of the track and field team at USD and was a qualifier for the decathlon at the 2006 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At that meet, the Coyotes finished fourth in the team standings. Vahrenkamp spent his freshman year at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, where he was a national qualifier in both the pentathlon and the high jump at the 2002 NAIA Indoor Championships.
Vahrenkamp received a bachelor's degree in education from USD in 2006 and his master's degree in history from USD in 2009.
