COLORADO SPRINGS – An All-American student-athlete at Emporia State University and successful coach at Missouri University of Science and Technology will lead an expanded track and field program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Athletic Director Steve Kirkham announced the hiring of Brandon Masters, who spent three seasons at Missouri S&T and was a part of back-to-back Great Lakes Valley Conference team championships, as the Head Track and Field Coach for the Mountain Lions.

"I am honored to have been selected as the UCCS Head Track and Field Coach," Masters said. "Not only is this a fantastic school academically, but also a growing athletic power in the RMAC. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to come home to Colorado and build a national-level track and field program in a place I love. The community, support and potential on campus makes it an exciting time to be a Mountain Lion."

Masters spent three seasons with the Miners where he coached the GLVC men's indoor and outdoor pole vault champion this spring. The vaulter went on to a No. 12 finish at the national outdoor championships. He coached 10 student-athletes at the national championships in pole vault at Missouri S&T. Masters was also a part of back-to-back men's outdoor team championships the last two seasons.

Masters was an assistant coach at UCCS for four seasons before his position at Missouri S&T. He coached the Mountain Lions to four All-America performances, 106 All-RMAC performances, 10 conference champions, 14 All-USTFCCCA region selections and two USATF Junior National Qualifiers.

Masters was a three-time All-American in the pole vault and a national qualifier in the decathlon at Emporia State. He earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the Hornets all four seasons. Masters was a graduate assistant at Emporia State in 1999 and was a member of the coaching staff that won the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association men's and women's outdoor team championships. The Hornets went on to finish fourth at the women's outdoor national championships.

 "Our ability to attract a coach like Brandon Masters, who has been able to assemble a quality record at another high academic institution like Missouri S&T, shows how far the respect for UCCS Athletics has come," Kirkham said.

The University of Colorado Colorado Springs, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest-growing universities in the nation. The University offers 36 bachelor's degrees, 19 master's and five doctoral degrees. UCCS enrolls about 11,100 students on campus annually and another 2,000 in online programs. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu.