Utah State University Athletics

Utah State Adds Rodney Burkes to Track & Field Coaching Staff

Track and Field 3/29/2024 9:59:00 AM

LOGAN, Utah — Utah State director of track & field and cross country Artie Gulden announced the hiring of Rodney Burkes. Burkes will serve as an assistant coach, as well as the team's sprints coach.

"I am thrilled we were able to get Rodney on board with us," Gulden said. "He's done great work at some other universities and we're excited to see what he can do with the sprints and hurdles group here at Utah State. He's already done a fantastic job coaching for the past six weeks, helping to coach our first female conference champion since 2019."

Burkes joins Utah State after spending two years as an assistant coach at Southern Nazarene (2022-23). There, he coached the men's 4x400 meter relay team to all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons, while also guiding six sprinters to individual all-conference accolades.

"I'm excited to be a part of a team and staff with a championship mindset that prides itself on students' well-being both on and off the track," Burkes said.

Prior to his time at SNU, Burkes served as an assistant coach at Illinois State for two seasons (2019-21), where he specialized in sprints, hurdles and relays. There, he coached several all-conference athletes, including outdoor conference champions in both the men's and women's 4x400 meter relay. He also coached a pair of sprinters to Missouri Valley Conference titles while mentoring the sprints group to eight all-league individual performances. While there, he coached NCAA Championship qualifiers in the 100-meter hurdles as the Redbirds broke the conference record for most points ever scored in a championship.

A USA Track and Field Level II certified coach, Burkes spent the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma State. There, he assisted with the men's and women's sprints and long sprints. He also assisted the staff with weight room conditioning, functional strength, active recovery and power development for the men's and women's sports programs as well as with on-campus recruiting. During his one season with the Cowboys, he helped play a key role in mentoring the school-record breaking women's 4x400-meter relay team and the men's and women's regional qualifying relay squads.

Prior to his stint with the Cowboys, Burkes served as an assistant men's and women's track and field coach at Edmond (OK) Memorial High School from 2011-17. While there, he coached 57 state champions and helped the team win six state titles in seven years. He was a four-time Class 6A coach of the year and six-time conference coach of the year. At that same time, Burkes established the Flytime Track Club and coached 24 nationally-ranked athletes, including Penn Relays champion John Teeters.

Burkes started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, from 2010-11, while also serving as a coach with the Aurora Flyers Track Club from 2004-12.

As a student-athlete at Oklahoma City University, he was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that qualified for the NAIA National Championships in 2009. He graduated from OCU in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science.

Fans can follow the Utah State track & field programs at twitter.com/USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at instagram.com/USUTF_XC. Aggies fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program at twitter.com/USUAthletics or on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics.

-USU-

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