Track & Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Throws
- Email:
- jschutz2@uw.edu
- Phone:
- (206) 616-8086
After a successful first three seasons that laid the groundwork for sustained success, Jason Schutz returned for a second tenure on Montlake, leading the Washington throwers. A former All-American and Olympic Trials competitor, Schutz now has 17 years of coaching experience.
Schutz began his second stint with the Huskies in December of 2021, following three seasons as Associate Head Coach of Track & Field at Northern Arizona University. In his seven combined seasons at Washington, his throwers have earned 13 All-America honors including six First Team honors, and five Dawgs have broken school records.
The 2025 campaign saw Kaia Tupu-South extend her own School Records in the shot put once again, as she launched PRs of 57-9 indoors and 56-10 1/4 outdoors. Her indoor mark ranked 18th in the country, just three centimeters away from making NCAAs. UW had a stellar javelin crew once again, as Ashley Schroeder and Leonie Troeger both were Big Ten finalists and threw over 160-feet, while newcomer Carson Olmstead blew away his old PR in his first year with Schutz, throwing 222-8 and scoring at Big Tens, with senior Jack Olsen also earning a career-best toss of 218-6.
Schutz coached Chandler Ault to NCAA runner-up, a Pac-12 title and meet record, and a school record in the javelin in 2024. Ault had a final record-breaking throw of 260-2 at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor meet to earn the silver, and he qualified for the Olympic Trials. Another First Team All-America honor was earned indoors by Jayden White, who was eighth in the weight throw for his third-straight podium finish. The women’s season was highlighted by a weight throw school record from Beatrice Asomaning, becoming the first Husky over 70 feet at 71-0 ½. Kaia Tupu-South broke her own indoor shot put record at 56-4. Asomaning would also have the No. 2 hammer and discus throws in UW history outdoors.
In his second season back in Seattle in 2023, Schutz helped Elijah Mason close out his historic career with a fourth First Team All-America honor in the discus, something only 10 collegiate discus throwers have ever done. Mason had a PR during the season of 202-8 and placed eighth at his final nationals. Jayden White again was top-10 both indoors and out in the weight and hammer. White made the podium indoors, placing fifth in the weight throw, then he took 10th outdoors in the hammer at his third-straight nationals.
Redshirt freshman Kaia Tupu-South burst onto the scene in a big way in 2023. Tupu-South broke the shot put School Record both indoors and outdoors held by her teammate MaKayla Kelby, throwing over 56 feet indoors and outdoors, and placing third at the Pac-12 Championships. Ault, in his first season a Dawg, was Pac-12 runner-up in the javelin and made his first NCAA Outdoors appearance, followed by making the final at the USATF Outdoor Championships where he finished seventh. Saydi Orange broke the women’s javelin Freshman Record, going 162-7, while Beatrice Asomaning had another big year, setting a weight throw PR of 68-5, a hammer PR of 190-3, and scoring in both the hammer and discus at Pac-12s.
In 2022, Schutz helped a quartet of Husky throwers advance to the NCAA Championships, while two Dawgs made it up on the NCAA podium. Jayden White continued to develop under Schutz into one of the nation's top weight and hammer throwers. White broke his own school record in the weight throw indoors, going 74-1, and he took fourth at NCAA Indoors, the best finish by a Husky since 1979. White then took second at Pac-12s in the hammer throw and placed ninth at NCAA Outdoors. Elijah Mason, originally recruited to UW by Schutz, earned a third-straight First Team All-America honor in the discus, as he took seventh at NCAAs. Also reaching nationals was Roan Allen in the javelin, as the senior transfer PR'd under Schutz with a throw of 246-2. Allen also was runner-up at Pac-12s.
Highlighting the women in 2022 were MaKayla Kelby and Beatrice Asomaning. Kelby broke the 34-year-old school shot put record, going 55-10 1/2 outdoors. She also threw the second-best discus mark in school history at 185-4. Asomaning was right behind in the discus, going to No. 3 all-time at 183-7, and Asomaning broke through to make her first NCAA Championships in the discus, getting honorable mention All-America.
Schutz's First Stint On Montlake
During his first three seasons at Washington from 2016-18, Schutz coached ten different Pac-12 scorers and what at the time was UW's first Pac-12 Champion in the throws in over ten years when Carson Fuller took the 2017 javelin title. His athletes posted 17 new marks on the Husky top-10 lists from 2016-18.
The 2018 season featured a young throws squad with just two seniors. One of those seniors, Gina Flint, tossed a shot put PR of 51-2 1/4 at NCAA Prelims to move to No. 6 in school history, coming after a seventh-place Pac-12 finish that ran her career Pac-12 point total to 15.
Jose Padilla made a lot of progress in the discus in 2018, placing fifth at Pac-12s and taking 22nd in his first NCAA West Prelims. Denham Patricelli had a career-best fourth-place Pac-12 finish in the javelin and upped his PR to 222-feet, and redshirt freshman Jacob Wachtendonk made West Prelims in his first season. Indoors, redshirt freshman Angel Nkwonta broke the freshman record in the weight throw at the MPSF Championships, taking fifth with a mark of 63-0 1/4, the second-best mark in school history.
Schutz's group enjoyed a great 2017 season, highlighted by some inspirational comebacks. As a fifth-year senior, Fuller fought back from an elbow issue to land the best throw of his career at the Pac-12 Championships, throwing 244-0, to get the victory, the first Pac-12 title for the Dawgs in the men's throws since 2006. Even more amazing was the return of Gina Flint, who a month before Pac-12s was not sure she would throw again due to a chronic knee issue, but she was cleared to return and got one competition in before the conference meet, where she then proceeded to throw a discus PR of 170-6 to finish runner-up, the best finish by a Husky in that event since 1999. Pac-12s also featured a school record from junior hammer thrower Onyie Chibuogwu, who passed the 200-foot mark for the first time, taking runner-up honors with a 201-6 mark.
Year one in Seattle for Schutz included six different Pac-12 scorers in the throws events, five NCAA West Preliminary qualifiers, and a pair of All-Americans in javelin throwers Carson Fuller and Quinn Hale, who finished 15th and 18th, respectively at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Huskies also posted eight new marks on the top-10 lists.
Fuller raised his then-personal-best in the javelin to 241-feet, which qualified him for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. Fuller then advanced through the qualifying round to reach the finals, finishing 12th overall in his first Trials experience.
A couple of the best breakthroughs in Schutz’s first year came in the hammer throw, where Carey Campbell increased his PR by 23-feet over the year and finished fourth at the Pac-12 Championships. On the women’s side, Chibuogwu raised her PR in the hammer by 15 feet, going 189-7, finishing fifth at Pac-12s, and making her first West Prelims. Senior Frank Catelli also enjoyed his best season as a Dawg in the shot put, throwing a lifetime-best of 61-6 ¾ to take sixth in a loaded Pac-12 final.
Prior To Washington
A two-time NCAA scorer in the discus at Colorado State and a 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials participant, Schutz came to Washington with seven years of coaching experience and a familiarity with the West Coast, as he spent the 2012-15 seasons 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.
In Schutz’s final year at Cal State Northridge, he helped the Matadors women’s team to a runaway Big West Team title, and qualified junior Monique Griffiths through to the NCAA Championships in the women’s hammer throw, with a school record of 206-4 in the process. Schutz’s athletes won three of the four individual Big West titles on the women’s side, with Griffiths winning the discus and hammer, and senior Mariah Counts taking the javelin. His throwers contributed 49 points to CSUN’s winning team score of 212. A young men’s group also had point scorers in three of the four throwing events in 2015, with four different throwers scoring, including just one senior.
The 2014 season was a big year for the Matadors. Griffiths led the way for the women with an appearance at the NCAA West Regional meet in both the discus (168’3”) and hammer throw (187’11”), in addition to two top 3 finishes at the Big West Championships. The Matador women also had eight throwers achieve marks in the top 100 of the NCAA West Region. At the Big West Championships, the Matador women scored a dominant 55 points in the throws, 20 points better than the next best throws group. Counts scored 25 individual points with four lifetime best performances good for third in the shot put (47’10”), second in the discus (163’), third in the javelin (146’) and fourth in the hammer (180’6”).
With only one returner and a group of nine talented newcomers, the Matador men showed vastly improved depth across the board in 2014, led by redshirt freshman Zach Rosales and true freshman Evan Arnott. Arnott was the top finisher at the Big West Championships for the Matador men, with a fifth-place finish in the discus throw, finishing as the top freshman in the conference. Rosales also had a great first showing at the Big West meet, with a lifetime best in the shot put, finishing in seventh-place as the only freshman to make the final.
Highlights from Schutz’s first two years at Northridge included Tucker Weathers completing his successful career in 2013 as a two time NCAA Preliminary qualifier in the shot put (57-foot PR) and as the Big West runner-up in the hammer throw with a PR of 191-feet. Also during that span, Griffiths completed a stellar freshman year, qualifying for the NCAA Preliminary Round in the discus and finishing as one of the top freshmen in the NCAA. In addition, CSUN had two women qualify for the USATF National Junior Championships in three events, with Griffiths in the discus and hammer, and freshman Jakayla Daniels in the shot put.
Prior to CSUN, Schutz coached for two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. During his tenure there, the throws group improved dramatically, led by Jess Rocco, who qualified for the NCAA Preliminary Round and the USATF national junior championships in the javelin and set a PR of 152-feet.
Schutz joined the Panthers after serving a year as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Colorado State, working alongside his college coach, Brian Bedard, the longtime head coach at CSU, who boasts a long list of former All-Americans, conference champions, and NCAA Champions. Additionally, Schutz worked as a strength coach for the athletic department, assisting with the track and field team.
During his collegiate career, Schutz was a three-time All-American, twice in the discus, and once in the indoor weight throw. He also reached NCAA Outdoors once in the hammer throw. Schutz competed at three-straight USA Outdoor Championships in the discus from 2007-09, including the 2008 Olympic Trials where he was 16th.
A native of Chromo, Colorado, Schutz made the most of his time in the classroom, earning Academic All-America honors, while earning his Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management, with a minor in watershed science. Schutz is married to the former Megan Morgan, a former Husky distance runner. The couple have one daughter, Abigail.
