TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona track and field team announced the hiring of throws coach T.J. Crater. Crater previously served at the University of Washington for the past four seasons. He coached the throwers to seven NCAA Championship appearances, while posting 20 new marks on Washington's Top 10 lists. His other coaching stops include Central Washington, Nevada and Penn State.
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.
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