Anderson Dec. 22, 2008

Two new coaches named for track and field

PELLA—Bryan George and Scott Tjeerdsma have filled men’s and women’s track and field assistant coaching positions at Central College. Athletics director Al Dorenkamp said when new track and field coach Joe Dunham took on added responsibilities as head cross country coach last month that the coaching staffs for both sports needed to be restructured. Tjeerdsma will begin his duties this spring while George will join the staff in the summer.  

George, a 2006 Central graduate, is completing his second year as a graduate assistant coach in track and field and cross country at Illinois State Univ. He expects to complete a master’s degree there later this spring before moving to Pella.

At Central George earned all-America honors as a middle distance runner. He served as a track and field cocaptain in 2006 and was voted the squad’s MVP. He was also an all-Iowa Conference and all-NCAA Division III Central Region performer in cross country and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America track and field team.

Before starting graduate school George spent the 2006-07 year at Central as a volunteer assistant coach in cross country and track and field while also serving as an intern in the sports information office.

Tjeerdsma is a 2007 Wartburg College graduate who had a stellar collegiate athletics career. He earned all-America recognition in outdoor track and field in 2005, 2006 and 2007 while gaining indoor all-America honors in 2007. He was an Iowa Conference individual champion six times as a hurdler and 400-meter runner.

Tjeerdsma was the Wartburg team MVP in 2006 and 2007 and twice was named to the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association’s all-academic team.

An elementary school teacher in Pella, Tjeerdsma was an assistant track and field coach for Pella High School, focusing on the hurdling events. He helped the Little Dutch boys’ and girls’ teams qualify in a school-record 15 events for the state high school meet. Tjeerdsma will continue in his teaching position.

“We’re excited about the opportunities we have by restructuring our cross country and track and field staffs,” Dorenkamp said. “We’ve got a couple of young people who will do a great job for our student-athletes.

“Bryan’s gained a lot of recruiting experience at Illinois State and he’s very familiar with Central. He’s got a love for Central’s program and a strong desire to help it move forward.

“Scott is anxious to pursue a career as a track and field coach. He comes with strong credentials and will be great to have working with our athletes in the sprints, hurdles and field events.”