“It brings me tremendous joy in being able to make Calvin Robinson the associate head coach,” said Kittley. “What Calvin has done over the past years is unprecedented in our sport. He’s proven himself to not only be one of the best sprints and hurdles coaches in the business but has put our program as the No. 1 elite sprints and hurdles program in the country. So proud he’s a Red Raider and thrilled to keep him and his family here in Lubbock!”
In his eight seasons with the Red Raiders, Robinson has turned the Tech sprints and hurdles program into a national powerhouse. This past outdoor season alone, the TTU men capped off the 2023 season placing sixth at the NCAA Championships as Robinson’s group accounted for 29 of Tech’s 34.5 points, highlighted by Courtney Lindsey claiming the 100m title with a time of 9.89. At the Big 12 outdoor meet, his group accounted for 100 of Tech’s 179 points with four individuals and a 4×100 relay team taking home the top title. Last month, Robinson was named the USTFCCCA Outdoor Mountain Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year, his ninth overall regional award.
Over the last four years, including the 2019 national title, Tech has produced five national titles between the 100m and 200m, indoors and outdoors, a trio of top-4 finishes in the 400 hurdles – two national runners-up – and four Red Raiders in the top-6 of the indoor 60m hurdles – one national runner-up this year.
Last season, the women recorded their best finish in program history at the NCAA outdoor meet as they placed seventh, with Demisha Roswell (100 hurdles) and Rosemary Chukwuma (100m) finishing as First Team All-Americans. Chukwuma placed sixth this year in the 100m.
“I am beyond thrilled that Tom Slagle will be added to our staff full-time,” stated Kittley. “Tom has been volunteering for the past 11 years! His loyalty to me and this program goes unmatched. He’s been such a valuable coach in developing our pole vaulters, scoring points in the Big 12 and at the national meets, while being a tremendous example as a human being to our kids and our university. Tom is so important to our overall team, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do in the coming years as he can now recruit off campus. Needless to say, my staff and I are pumped!”
When it comes to teaching the pole vault, there is none better than Slagle. Since joining the Red Raiders in 2013, Slagle’s vaulters have etched each top-10 TTU mark indoors and all but one outdoors. This year under his tutelage, Zach Bradford solidified himself as not only one of the nation’s best but one of the world’s best vaulters. He finished his one and only season donning the red and black as the Tech record holder indoors at 5.91m (19′-4.75″) and outdoors with a height of 5.87m (19′-3″). Bradford’s indoor mark placed him as the national runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships, as he went on to finish third at the NCAA outdoor meet.
In 2019, Slagle’s duo of Brandon Bray and Drew McMichael scored seventh and eighth, respectively, leading to crucial points in Tech capturing the team title.
