Men's Track & Field | 7/10/2024 11:00:00 AM
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Longtime University of Central Missouri Mules & Jennies Co-Head Track & Field Coach Kip Janvrin announced Wednesday, July 10, that he will retire as co-head coach effective August 31, 2024.
A national search for Janvrin's replacement will begin immediately. Janvrin will continue to assist the UCM Track & Field program with day-to-day operations until a replacement is named, and the national search for the next track & field head coach has been completed. Current Co-Head Coach Kirk Pedersen will continue as the UCM Cross Country Head Coach/Distance Coach.
"I have had an incredible career at the University of Central Missouri," Janvrin said. "My wife, Teresa, and I can't thank UCM and the Warrensburg community enough for all that has been provided to us and our sons, Jaxon and Mason. We love the university and the community, and this place will always be a home to us. We will always support the Mules and Jennies. We have made so many friends, and the relationships with the student-athletes are what I cherished the most. Winning was important and desirable, but relationships last a lifetime, and I am so thankful for all the student-athletes that I've had the privilege to coach."
Janvrin was named Co-Head Coach of the UCM Track & Field Program with Pedersen in 1996-97 but has been involved with Central Missouri Track & Field since 1988.
"Kip's legacy at UCM extends beyond the numerous awards, accolades and championships," UCM Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Matt Howdeshell said. "Coach Janvrin has led the Mules and Jennies track & field programs with great integrity, emphasizing character, academics, accountability, and caring for student-athletes in a way that positively impacted thousands of lives. He has left an indelible mark on this program and words cannot accurately describe how grateful we are for his leadership and service to UCM. We wish Coach Janvrin the best in his next chapter of life with his family."
During his head coaching career, he brought the Mules & Jennies to new heights, including helping the Jennies capture their first-ever national championships in both indoor and outdoor track & field in 2015.
Janvrin helped Central Missouri to 16 men's and six women's MIAA Track & Field Indoor Championships and 12 men's and three women's MIAA Track & Field Outdoor Championships.
At the NCAA-II Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships, he guided the Mules to a combined 30 top-10 finishes and the Jennies to a combined 16 top-10 showings.
Janvrin has coached 26 NCAA Division II National Champions who have combined to win 49 Individual National Titles. In addition, he has helped numerous UCM student-athletes achieve All-America honors throughout his 28-year run as co-head coach.
UCM track & field student-athletes also excelled academically under Janvrin, as a combined 29 Mules & Jennies earned a total of 47 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades.
For years Janvrin was ranked as one of the world's top decathletes, winning the 2001 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He reached the pinnacle of his career in 2000 as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team in the Sydney Olympic Games. To make the U.S. team at the Olympic Trials, he had to run the final decathlon event, the 1,500m, in under 4:13. He won the event in 4:12.01 to make the U.S. team.
In Sydney, Janvrin, the oldest U.S. decathlete to ever compete in the Olympics, placed 21st and was the winner in the 1,500m. He is the world record holder for most career decathlon wins (41) and the American record holder for most career decathlons over 8,000 points (26).
Janvrin has won the decathlon a record 15 times at the Drake Relays, the most by any athlete in the history of the competition. In 1996, he was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. He also won the decathlon at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival and 1995 Pan Am Games.
A 1988 graduate of Simpson College (Iowa), Janvrin had an outstanding collegiate career, winning three NCAA Division-III championships in the decathlon, as well as individual championships in the pole vault and 400m hurdles.
In July 2012, Janvrin led the U.S. team as head coach at the NACAC Under-23 Championships, a competition between North American, Central American, and Caribbean nations, taking place in Guanajuato, Mexico. He was also the head coach of the US Team in the 2018 Thorpe Cup, an annual multi-event competition held between the United States and Germany.
Janvrin and his wife, Teresa, who was a standout performer for the Jennies' track & field team from 1986-89, have two sons, Mason and Jaxon. Mason played for the Mules baseball team and was drafted with the first pick in the 14th round by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 MLB Draft.
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