Brian Mantooth serves as Associate Head Coach / Meet Director for the Pittsburg State University track & field program. Mantooth was promoted to Associate Head Coach following the retirement of the Gorillas' long-time mentor Russ Jewett and the promotion of Kyle Rutledge as Pitt State’s new head coach on June 7, 2021.
Mantooth recently completed his 15th year as a full-time assistant coach in the Pitt State program, after serving as a part-time assistant coach for eight years for his alma mater. He also has served as Meet Director for the past four years.
Mantooth, who is responsible for coaching throwing events, has been honored as the NCAA Division II Men’s Outdoor National Assistant Coach of the Year twice in the last nine years. He received the national accolades in 2014 and again in 2016. Mantooth also has earned Regional Assistant Coach of the Year recognition five times (2009, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021).
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He helped guide the Pitt State women to the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship – the first team title in school history – as well as six of the last eight MIAA Outdoor Championships (2015-19, ’22) and six of the last seven MIAA Indoor Championships (2017-20, ’22-23).
Mantooth also has helped lead the Pitt State men capture the last three consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships – the 2022 Outdoor as well as the 2023 Indoor and Outdoor titles. He also helped guide the Gorillas to the 2018 NCAA-II Indoor National Championship – a program first championship for the Pitt State men. The Gorillas have won seven of the last 10 MIAA Indoor Titles (2014-15, ’17-18, ’21-23) and eight of the last 11 MIAA Outdoor titles (2012-15, ’18, ’21-23)
In all he has helped coach Gorilla teams to 29 team indoor or outdoor conference titles.
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During his tenure as a Pitt State assistant, the Gorillas have produced 94 first-team All-America performances between the men’s and women’s teams as well as 176 NCAA Division II national meet qualifiers. Additionally, Mantooth has coached six national champion performances, eight national runners-up, 265 All-MIAA performances as well as 55 MIAA championship efforts and eight MIAA Championships meet records.
He also has coached one NCAA Division II all-time record holder (Garrett Appier, shot put, 2016), two Olympic Trials qualifiers (Garrett Appier, shot put, 2016; Brett Thompson, javelin, 2021) and one Junior USATF National Qualifier (Creighton Sanders, javelin, 2017). Mantooth also has coached 40 different record holders at Pitt State as well as 16 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-America throwers, including the 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-America Men's Track & Field Team Member of the Year (Levi Wyrick) and four NCAA Elite 90 Award winners.
A native of Caney, Kan., Mantooth was a three-time All-MIAA thrower during his collegiate days at Pittsburg State, capturing MIAA titles in the hammer and the weight throw on the Gorillas’ 2000 MIAA Championship squad. Mantooth came to Pitt State from Coffeyville Community College, where he established the school record in the hammer and the weight throw for the Ravens.
Mantooth earned a bachelor’s degree in wood technology from Pittsburg State in 2001. He is married to former All-MIAA thrower and PSU weight throw record holder Megan Snyder.
The couple has a son, Logan Brooks, who turns 17 on Sept. 15, a daughter, Brilee Marie, who turns 15 on Dec. 22, and a son, Brett Cannon, who turns 10 on Oct. 1.
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