Hierholzer Named New Assistant Track Coach

Jarred Owens, staff writer

 

The South Plains College track team may have taken a loss this summer but regained its stride after hiring 26-year-old, Kyle Hierholzer.

The SPC track team sustained a loss this summer as former assistant coach Ken Howell took a position coaching track at Liberty University in Virginia. This loss left a vacancy which had to be filled, but the addition could return huge dividends for the Texans in the near future.

Chris Beene, head track and field coach at SPC, had to look no further than his neighbor to the east to get the man he needed. Coach Beene received a call one afternoon during the summer from the ex-pole vaulting coach at Texas Tech, Don Hood. Coach Bean was influenced enough by Coach Hood’s opinion that he quickly contacted the youthful Hierholzer to see if he was interested. Hierholzer took the job offer with open arms, hoping to continue his winning ways on the South Plains.

Hierholzer brings an untainted resume, which contains experience, determination and a pure unadulterated will to win that the Texan track team will absorb like a sponge. Hierholzer ran and coached track at Texas State University in San Marcos prior to arriving at SPC. In his seven years on Texas State’s campus, Hierholzer was part of seven consecutive conference championships (four as an athlete, three as a coach). Also in his tenure on the track team, Hierholzer was a three-time team captain. “I believe a lot of the leadership I learned at Texas State can really carry over in coaching track”, said Hierholzer.

Team accolades aren’t the only success that Hierholzer achieved. He also won the Texas A&M Decathlon and was invited to an invitational-only decathlon, in which only the best 18 decathlon athletes in the country competed. Like any life lesson, an athlete only gets better through competition and repetition. Hierholzer has repeatedly been successful so far in his short career, but he hopes to add some longevity to his success at South Plains College.

Hierholzer has not come to a program that is looking to rebuild, however.

“I’m happy to get up here,” Hierholzer said, “We’ve got some great athletes who seem to be very appreciative of everything we do for them, the talent level is very high, and they seem to be very determined as to what they want to accomplish, and I feel we can do some really good things because of that.”

Most the kids at SPC have come a long way to get where they are, as has their new coach, and this intrigues Hierholzer.

“The thing that I like about here (SPC) is that a lot of athletes that we have, which is different than what I’ve experienced in the past, as far as where they come from well off families and are used to having everything done for them. Where as here, athletes come from a different background, and they in return are very appreciative of everything, which makes me want to work even harder for them,” said Hierholzer.

Coach Bean, seems to have found them the perfect fit for their track team in Coach Hierholzer. He simply brings a winning attitude and tradition, along with the willingness to make his athletes the best they can be. As important as winning is to Hierholzer, it isn’t even the most important goal on his list.

“The most important thing in coaching, to me is to get the kids graduated,” said Hierholzer. Welcome coach Hierholzer!