COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs head men's and women's track & field coach Ross Fellows announced on Wednesday morning the hiring of Jessica Withrow as a full-time Assistant Track & Field coach working with the hurdlers, long sprinters, high jumpers, and multi event athletes.
 
"Jessica brings an incredible passion and excitement for the student-athlete experience, a keen understanding of how to coach track & field at the highest level, and the ability to create a family atmosphere," said Fellows. "Her experiences at a national championship program as an athlete as well as what she has accomplished as a coach was extremely appealing. Jessica has personal athletic success as well as experience working meets, camps, and clinics.  Our staff is going to create a brand of track where student-athletes compete for their team and have a family atmosphere. Jessica shares the same goal of being a national contender and RMAC powerhouse year in and year out."
 
Withrow joins the UCCS track & field program for the 2022-23 season after spending three years as an assistant track & field coach for the hurdles, high jump, and combined events at Harding University.
 
"I feel so honored to join the Mountain Lion family!" exclaimed Withrow. "I can't wait to meet the athletes, develop relationships, and build on the success this team has already accomplished."
 
Across the past three seasons as an assistant coach for the Bisons, Withrow has coached 13 individual Great American Conference (GAC) champions while helping the women's team earn a GAC conference championship in 2021 and the men's team win the conference title in 2022. In addition, Withrow has helped 12 student-athletes reach the NCAA Division II provisional qualifying threshold in their respective event, including four national qualifiers and two All-Americans. A multitude of Bison hurdlers, high jumpers and combined event athletes also saw immense improvement in their marks under the oversight of Withrow as their event coach.
 
Prior to her stint at Harding, Withrow spent eight years as a high school coach and teacher. She began her career at Sweetwater High School in 2012, where she was the head girls track & field coach, varsity assistant volleyball coach, and freshman basketball coach along with serving as the eighth-grade career investigations teacher. In 2014, Withrow moved on to Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas, to serve as the varsity assistant coach for the volleyball and track & field teams as well as a 9^th-12^th grade physical education teacher. After her time at Coronado High School, she joined Marble Falls High School in 2016 to become the head coach of the volleyball team and assistant coach for the track & field program while continuing to teach 9^th-12^th grade P.E. In her most recent high school position before making the move to the collegiate ranks, Withrow spent one season (2018-19) at Brownwood High School where she was the head track & field and volleyball coach and taught 9^th-12^th grade health. At the head of the Brownwood track & field program in 2019, she led the Lions to a district championship with a program-record 272 points, an area team championship, and a runner-up finish at the regional team championship while qualifying 11 student-athletes for the UIL Texas State meet.
 
Withrow completed her Bachelor of Science degree at Abilene Christian University and spent five years as a member of the Wildcats' track & field team. Throughout her collegiate career, she was a highly decorated combined event athlete as she earned an individual heptathlon national championship along with two individual runner-up finishes in the heptathlon and one individual runner-up finish in the women's high jump. At the conclusion of her career at ACU, the nine-time All-American went on to earn her Masters in Sport Administration and Kinesiology from Harding University. Withrow will begin her role with the UCCS men's and women's track & field program on August 1.