Entering his seventh season with the University of Arizona, Crater's impact has been felt in the throwing events.
In 2021, Crater coached his athletes to several accomplishments including four school records, three First Team All-America honorees, three U.S. Olympic Trials qualifiers and two conference champions. On the men's side, Jordan Geist was named the 2021 Pac-12 Men's Field Athlete of the Year after winning the shot put conference title with a mark of 20.35m (66-9.25). He also got on the podium in the hammer throw, finishing runner-up with a PR mark of 71.78m (235-6), giving him the second-best mark in school history. He scored in both events at the NCAA Championships. He was also one of only two collegians to finish in the top 10 in the U.S. Olympic Trials shot put contest with a season-best mark of 20.80m (68-3). Also on the men's side, Israel Oloyede finished as the NCAA Indoor Runner-Up in the weight throw with a PR and school record mark of 23.79m (78-0.75). During the outdoor season, Oloyede set the school record in the hammer throw with a mark of 73.22m (240-3) to qualify for the NCAA Championships and Olympic Trials. On the women's side, transfer Samantha Noennig claimed the Pac-12 shot put title, completing the 2021 Wildcat sweep in the event. She threw for 17.32 (56-10) at the conference championships where she also earned a podium finish in the discus throw with a mark of 52.29m (172-6). She earned First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships and went on to advance to the final round of the shot put at the Olympic Trials. During the indoor season, Noennig finished as the NCAA runner-up in the shot put with a mark of 17.69m (58-0.5). She also shattered the indoor shot put school record, throwing a PR of 18.25m (59-10.5). Throughout Noennig's first season as a Wildcat, she won every single indoor and outdoor regular season shot put contest she competed in. Also on the women's side, Kaelyn Shipley broke the javelin throw school record with a mark of 50.20m (167-5) at the West Coast Classic.
In 2020, Crater coached transfer Israel Oloyede to the Indoor NCAA Championships. Oloyede broke the school weight throw record with a mark of 22.34m (73-3.5) and was named an Indoor All-American. On the women's side, Aoife Martin placed third in the weight throw at the MPSF Championships (19.29m).
During Crater's fourth year, sophomore Jordan Geist continued to rewrite the Arizona record books. He threw a school record mark of 21.59m in the shot put and placed himself fourth in Arizona's all-time top hammer throw marks as well. Geist was the Pac-12 and MPSF shot put champion, the Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year and was named a 2x First Team All-American. In August of 2019, Geist won the silver medal in the shot put contest at the Pan-American Games and the gold medal in the NACAC Under-23 shot put. Senior Grayson Fleming joined Geist in Arizona's top 5 all-time hammer throw list, giving him the fifth best mark (218-8/65.14) and qualifying him for the first round of the 2019 NCAA Championships. Crater coached a total of three male athletes into the Pac-12 hammer throw final. On the women's side, Kaelyn Shipley threw the second best javelin mark in school history (164-9/50.22) and was a NCAA first round qualifier. Also on the women's side, senior Amarissa Hawker threw a big shot put PR of 49-7 (15.11m).
Crater's third year with the Wildcats saw freshman Jordan Geist carve his name in Arizona's record books. Geist became the youngest person to ever throw a 70+ foot mark in the shot put discipline. Geist set the Arizona Indoor record and with a mark of 70-4.5 (21.45m). He closed out the indoor season with first team All-America Honors. The freshman's outdoor campaign would continue with Geist earning Pac-12 Freshman Athlete of the Year and three Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Week honors. Geist became the first freshman to capture the Pac-12 shot put and discus titles. The freshman closed out his prolific debut season throwing the No. 2 shot put mark in school history at the the 2018 Desert Heat Classic with a toss of 66-6 (21.31m) and by earning first team All-America Honors. Geist became a 2018 NCAA finalist joined by Turner Washington. On the women's side, Kaelyn Shipley broke the freshman javelin throw record with a mark of 156-2 (47.59m) and qualified for the first round of the NCAA championships. Washington, Shipley and Jordan Spradlin were all USATF Junior Finalists.
During Crater's second year with the Wildcats, Aaron Castle thrived in competition and in the classroom. Castle closed out his collegiate career a four time All-American, twice under Crater, as well as earning his fourth Pac-12 All-Academic First Team honor. Castle tabbed his career high shot put mark at the Duel in the Desert with a 64-5 (19.63m) toss to win the event. On the women's side, Crater's squad saw two members, redshirt sophomore Emma Ljungberg and redshirt freshman Megan Dulaney, advance to the NCAA Regional Meet. Ljunberg set a career best in the discus throw with a mark of 168-9 (51.43m), and Dulaney set a career best 50-9.25 (15.47m) in the shot put event.
In his first season coaching with Arizona, Crater made a significant impact for the throwers. Starting with Gerhard De Beer, who made huge strides in the discus throw to finish in fourth-place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for first-team All-America honors. He had a personal-best mark of 203 ft. – 3 in. (61.95m) at the Tucson Elite Classic as well. Crater would add another All-American in Aaron Castle, who finished 15th overall at NCAAs and had an outdoor season best of 62 ft. – 1.75 in. (18.94m). On the women’s side, he coached Emma Ljungberg to personal bests in the discus throw, hammer throw, and shot put. Ljungberg finished in sixth-place in the discus throw at the Pac-12 Championships and 20th overall at the NCAA West Prelims.
During his time at Washington, Crater coached five different men’s javelin throwers who earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. His most recent successful javelin thrower was Curtis Clauson, who took ninth place at the NCAA Championships. He also coached Quinn Hale in the javelin, who earned a fifth-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships.
On the women’s side, Crater coached Gina Flint in the shot put and she was the first Washington woman to score at the Pac-12 Championships since the 2004 season. She was also the first woman to score at the Pac-12 Championships in the discus since 2011.
While at Central Washington, he was named the 2007 USTFCCCA Division II National Men’s Assistant Track and Field Coach of the Year and also won the West Region Award. He coached 10 NCAA qualifiers, who combined to earn 30 total entries in the NCAA Championships. Crater also coached nine All-Americans at the Division II level.
He joined the Nevada staff in 2007 and coached Inger Appanaitis, who took 13th place in the javelin at the NCAA Championships, which is the best finish by any Nevada thrower all time. Appanatis went on to take the WAC Championship in the javelin throw and finished 18th at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
After his coaching stint at Nevada, Crater joined the Penn State staff in 2009. He coached Ryan Whiting, who would go on to earn a gold medal at the 2012 and 2014 World Indoor Championships in the shot put and a silver medal at the 2013 World Outdoor Championships. Whiting also was a finalist for the 2012 Olympic Games. Crater would go on to coach 11 All-Americans and his student-athletes combined for five Big Ten Conference titles. Under Crater’s guidance, three throwers earned top-three finishes in the NCAA Championships.
In 2011, he coached two shot putters to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and they took third and ninth place overall. He helped Blake Eaton earn his second Big Ten title in the shot put and Joe Kovacs earned second place.
A four-year letterwinner at the University of Idaho from 1998-2002, Crater earned All-Big West Conference performer five times, three times in the hammer throw and twice in the shot put.
Crater received his bachelor's degree from Idaho with a double major in forest resources administration and forest products timber harvesting.
