Huskies Bring Schutz On Board To Coach Throws
October 15, 2015 | Track & Field
SEATTLE – There is a new man in charge of the historic Husky throws program, as Track & Field Head Coach Greg Metcalf recently brought Jason Schutz aboard his staff after previous stops coaching the throws events at the University of Pittsburgh and Cal State Northridge.
A former NCAA standout, Schutz transitioned into the coaching world and has established himself as one of the top young assistants nationally in the throws events. Schutz replaces T.J. Crater, who spent four seasons at Washington before transitioning to Arizona.
A two-time NCAA scorer in the discus at Colorado State and a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials participant, Schutz brings seven years of coaching experience to Montlake and a familiarity with the West Coast, as he spent the last four years at Cal State Northridge. Prior to that, Schutz was an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh for two seasons, and spent one year as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater.
Schutz reached out to Coach Metcalf to express his interest in the opening, and Metcalf received nothing but great feedback from the coaches who knew Schutz best.
“I talked to Jason's former coach at Colorado State, Brian Bedard, who is an incredible guy and a great coach and someone I have a lot of respect for, and he raved about Jason,” said Metcalf. “Jason sat down with our coaching staff and everyone believed that he would be a great fit for our program and culture. He also met with a handful of our athletes and they felt very comfortable with him and were fired up.”
Schutz called Washington and Seattle “the perfect situation” and was up in Seattle in a matter of days after accepting the position, driving up from Los Angeles.
“Coach Metcalf and his staff have been doing a really great job, and it's been a really successful program for many years,” said Schutz, “and I think the throws in this part of the country is really strong, from high school up to the collegiate level. Seattle's a beautiful city and the University of Washington is a beautiful university; it's outstanding academically and athletically.”
A former walk-on at Colorado State, Schutz takes pride in developing athletes as he was once developed into a three-time All-American.
“I'm a big believer in finding student-athletes with a high level of athleticism and upside and potential to grow, and developing them,” Schutz says. “The daily process of working with and training the student-athletes is what I love most about the job.”
Washington will return a talented group of throwers for Schutz's first season, led by javelin All-Americans Quinn Hale, Curtis Clauson, and Carson Fuller. Senior-to-be Frank Catelli and sophomore-to-be Gina Flint both made NCAA West Prelims in both the discus and the shot put, and Catelli took fourth in the discus at Pac-12s. Sophomore-to-be Jack Lembcke also made the Pac-12 shot put final in his first year.
“Coach Crater left a very good group of throwers here, and Jason walked in and had nothing but great things to say about this collection of young people,” says Metcalf. “We have outstanding kids that are ready to go to work and are fired up that they've got a new throws coach. They are excited for his vision on where we can go.”
A 2008 graduate from Colorado State with a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management, he also minored in watershed science. Along with his athletic success, Schutz was an Academic All-American and team captain. He competed in the discus, hammer and weight throw events at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, Schutz qualified for three USATF Outdoor Championships in the discus throw, from 2007-09.
