Track and Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- marticod@indiana.edu
Cory Martin, who specializes in coaching the throws, completed his ninth on the Indiana University men’s and women’s track and field coaching staff in 2022-23.
Since joining the staff in 2014 the men’s and women’s throws program have been consistent on the podium in Big Ten Championships and advancing athletes to NCAA competition while rewriting the Indiana record book. Under Martin’s leadership, IU throwers have earned international championships and meet records along with a top 10 all-time NCAA performance. Martin’s throws group has accounted for 30 IU school records across the throwing events and numerous IU top-10 performances.
The Hoosiers saw consistent improvement from a young group in 2023 which include the addition of transfer Noah Koch. Jayden Ulrich bettered her own program record in the discus with a mark of 59.29m/194-6 at the Triton Invitational. She produced a mark of 17.87m/58-7.5 in the shot put outdoors (2nd in program history) and 17.56m/57-7.5 indoors (tied-3rd in program history). She finished third in the Big Ten indoors and outdoors and qualified for the national meet on each occasion as well.
Koch, in his first year competing at the Division I level, produced top-10 program marks in the weight throw, discus and shot put (indoors and outdoors). His season was highlighted by scoring in the discus at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and producing a throw of 58.70m/192-7 at the NCAA East Prelims to qualify for the national meet. He became IU's first NCAA Qualifier in the discus since Gregg Hart in 1994.
2022 was another record breaking year for the throwers headlined by freshmen. Freshman Jayden Ulrich broke a 30-year-old record in the women’s discus twice on her way to winning the Big Ten Championship with a throw of 59.01m/193-7. Ulrich’s throw was a top-5 performance in the United States in 2022. Ulrich also set a new personal best in the shot put at 17.42m (57-2) and was an NCAA Championships qualifier in both the shot put and discus. Madison Pollard finished her career as a 5-time All American with her performance at the 2022 NCAA Championships and sits with the 2nd best shot put throw indoors and 3rd best shot put throw outdoors in IU History. Ulrich, Pollard along with freshman Makayla Hunter combined for over half the points for the IU women at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. On the men’s side, Freshman Sean Mockler broke the IU school record in the hammer throw, throwing 68.68m (225-4) at the Penn Relays. Mockler was 3rd at the Big Ten Championships and an NCAA All-American. Mockler now owns 3 of the 5 farthest hammer throws in IU history. Mockler finished his indoor season with a season best of 21.26m (69-9) that mark is 2nd all-time in IU history.
In 2021, Martin’s squad accounted for 25 Big Ten points, sent five to the NCAA East Preliminary and two on to the NCAA Championships. Among those throwers was Khayla Dawson who inked her mark in the IU record books. Dawson heaved a new school record of 18.91m (62’ 0.5”) during a regular season meet then went on to earn All-American Second Team honors after a fourth place finish at NCAA Championships. She also reached the finals of the shot put at U.S. Olympic Trials and placed sixth overall. Maddy Pollard remained on the national scene by earning All-America status during both the indoor and outdoor season. Pollard also holds the third spot in the Indiana record books. On the men’s side, Nick Lane and grad transfer Logan Targgart reached the NCAA East Preliminary Round.
2019-20 proved to be another strong year for Martin and the throwers. Though the season was cut short the throwers notched one school record, three top 3 Big Ten Conference finishes, and added 5 performances to IU’s Top Ten list. On the men’s side in 2019 Willie Morrison won gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games in both the shotput and discus while breaking the SEA Games shotput record. In 2020, Morrison broke his own school record in the shot put with a throw of 20.21m (66-3.75) which was the 8th best mark in the NCAA. Morrison added a bronze medal at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Conference Championships. The women’s side built on their success from last season. Maddy Pollard and Khayla Dawson led the way establishing the second and third best throws in school history and the fifth and sixth longest throws in the NCAA. Dawson added a bronze medal to her accolades at the 2020 Big Ten indoor Conference Championships. Alexis Hill saw a breakout year and added to the women’s success with the number two weight throw in IU history and bronze medal at the 2020 Big Ten Indoor Conference Championships.?
The 2018-19 season was a breakout year for the throws squad as they captured a Big Ten title, four All-American accolades and a National Record. Under Martin, Khayla Dawson captured the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor Championship in the shot put on her way to two All-American titles and the outdoor shot put school record. Khayla Dawson finished 8th at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships, while also being the top collegiate finisher in the event. Maddy Pollard joined Dawson on the podium at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned All-American accolades. The duo were the first to score in the same NCAA meet in the shot put at IU. Princess Brinkley emerged as a school record holder in the women’s indoor weight and secured All- American honors at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. As a redshirt, Willie Morrison competed during the 2019 outdoor season and broke the Philippines National record throwing 20.40 meters (66-11 ¼ feet).
During the 2017-2018 season, Martin coached Willie Morrison to the 2018 Big Ten Championship in the shotput and breaking his own school record. Martin also guided Andrew Miller to an All-American finish in the weight throw at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. This was the first time in program history that Indiana was represented in the men’s weight throw at NCAA National Championships.
In the 2016-2017 season under the guidance of Martin, Willie Morrison had a tremendous sophomore season. On his second throw of the 2016-17 season, he broke the school record in the shot put. Morrison broke the school record twice during the indoor campaign. Morrison would go on to win the 2017 Big Ten Indoor Championship in the event and earned All-American honors at the 2017 Indoor NCAA Championships. Morrison also topped the outdoor school record in the shot put at the NCAA East Preliminary round. This marked the third time he broke the school record during the outdoor season. Morrison, again, All-America honors at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In the 2015-16 season, Martin mentored Laura Schroeder and Nakel McClinton. McClinton finished third at the Big Ten Championships and earned All-America honors in the weight throw. In the outdoor season, Schroeder and McClinton went 1-2 at the Big Ten Championships in the hammer throw, with Schroeder winning the Big Ten Title. Willie Morrison finished fourth at the Big Ten in the shot put. McClinton went on to earn All-America honors with a seventh place finish at the outdoor NCAA Championships. Morrison earned All-America honors in his freshman campaign.
In 2014, the time of his hire, Martin was one of the elite shot put throwers in the world, holding the No. 16 spot on the all-time world performance list (22.10m/72-6.25). A year prior in 2013 Martin was a finalist at the World Championships in Moscow. During his throwing career Martin represented the U.S. at 3 World Championships (2013 Moscow, 2010 Doha, 2004 World Junior Championships).
Martin, a native of Bloomington, Ind., was a nine-time All-American at Auburn, including two National Championships in 2008 in the shot put (20.35m/66-9.25) and hammer throw (74.13m/243-2.5). This marked the first time since the 1930’s an athlete had won NCAA Championships in the shot put and hammer at the same NCAA meet. Martin graduated with a M.S. in Sport Management from the Unversity of Florida and a B.S. in Education from Auburn University.
Cory and his wife, Taryn, have a son, Knox and a daughter, Harper.
