Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Track and Field Announces Additions of Mendes, Protzman to Coaching Staff
8/20/2021 10:16:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell cross country and track and field head coach Kevin Donner has announced the addition of Jacky Mendes and Ryan Protzman to the track and field staff.
Mendes joins the Bison track and field program after serving as an assistant coach at Duke during the 2020-21 season, specializing in the jumps. The Blue Devils qualified 33 athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary round, with ten of that group advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Mendes helped guide the women's team at Duke to an outdoor ACC Championship last season, with Elasia Campbell earning the gold medal at the meet with a personal-best in the high jump (5-10) in her first season of competition in Durham.
Additionally, Mendes served as the recruiting coordinator for the long jump, the triple jump, the high jump, and the hurdles at Duke as well as coordinating community service outreach with the program with Team IMPACT.
Prior to her time in Durham, Mendes served three years at the University of New Hampshire as an assistant coach, her alma mater. School records in the long jump, triple jump, and the pentathlon fell under Mendes' watch. Mendes also worked directly with Nate Hobbs, who qualified for NCAA Regionals after earning a gold medal in the long jump at the America East Championships.
From 2014-17, Mendes led the Merrimack College men's and women's program as head coach, coaching the program's first-ever national champion while also developing All-Americans in the 4x400 and the multis.
Mendes lettered four years in track and field while at New Hampshire, where she graduated in 2012. Her school record of 3,485 points in the pentathlon still stands as the school record for the Wildcats. The native of Dayton, Maine went on to earn her master's in exercise and sports science from Ithaca College in 2015 while serving as a graduate assistant coach.
Protzman joins the Bucknell coaching staff after working as the throws coach at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa. During his time at Westminster, Protzman helped the women's program to indoor and outdoor championships in 2020-21, combining for five individual titles in the indoor and outdoor PAC Championships. Megan Parker set a conference record in the shot put (44-1.5) under Protzman's watch, and the Griffins throwing corps accounted for 46 points in total at the 2021 PAC Outdoor Championships. Dalton Anderson also earned All-American honors in the javelin in 2021 under Protzman, finishing in third place at the Division III National Championships.
Protzman also served as an assistant track and field coach at Moniteau High School in West Sunbury, Pa., coaching 25 state qualifiers, nine state medalists, and 15 national qualifiers.
Prior to his coaching career, Protzman excelled in both football and track and field at Thiel College. Protzman earned gold in the discus while also taking third in the shot put at the 2007 PAC Championships.
Mendes joins the Bison track and field program after serving as an assistant coach at Duke during the 2020-21 season, specializing in the jumps. The Blue Devils qualified 33 athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary round, with ten of that group advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Mendes helped guide the women's team at Duke to an outdoor ACC Championship last season, with Elasia Campbell earning the gold medal at the meet with a personal-best in the high jump (5-10) in her first season of competition in Durham.
Additionally, Mendes served as the recruiting coordinator for the long jump, the triple jump, the high jump, and the hurdles at Duke as well as coordinating community service outreach with the program with Team IMPACT.
Prior to her time in Durham, Mendes served three years at the University of New Hampshire as an assistant coach, her alma mater. School records in the long jump, triple jump, and the pentathlon fell under Mendes' watch. Mendes also worked directly with Nate Hobbs, who qualified for NCAA Regionals after earning a gold medal in the long jump at the America East Championships.
From 2014-17, Mendes led the Merrimack College men's and women's program as head coach, coaching the program's first-ever national champion while also developing All-Americans in the 4x400 and the multis.
Mendes lettered four years in track and field while at New Hampshire, where she graduated in 2012. Her school record of 3,485 points in the pentathlon still stands as the school record for the Wildcats. The native of Dayton, Maine went on to earn her master's in exercise and sports science from Ithaca College in 2015 while serving as a graduate assistant coach.
Protzman joins the Bucknell coaching staff after working as the throws coach at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa. During his time at Westminster, Protzman helped the women's program to indoor and outdoor championships in 2020-21, combining for five individual titles in the indoor and outdoor PAC Championships. Megan Parker set a conference record in the shot put (44-1.5) under Protzman's watch, and the Griffins throwing corps accounted for 46 points in total at the 2021 PAC Outdoor Championships. Dalton Anderson also earned All-American honors in the javelin in 2021 under Protzman, finishing in third place at the Division III National Championships.
Protzman also served as an assistant track and field coach at Moniteau High School in West Sunbury, Pa., coaching 25 state qualifiers, nine state medalists, and 15 national qualifiers.
Prior to his coaching career, Protzman excelled in both football and track and field at Thiel College. Protzman earned gold in the discus while also taking third in the shot put at the 2007 PAC Championships.
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