John Goldhammer, CMS head cross country and track and field coach, has been recognized as the Men's Western Regional Track and Field Coach of the Year by the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Awarded annually, the title honors coaches who have shown consistent excellence in the field, measured by their present and past records.
The USTFCCA cited Coach Goldhammer's leading the Stags to 18 straight years of SCIAC outdoor team titles, CMS' margin of victory in the SCIAC Championship, and the number of athletes who earned NCAA qualifying marks as reasons for its selection of the CMS head coach.
When speaking about the award, Goldhammer quickly deferred to his students and their commitment to track and field. "Though I'm very grateful, the true honor goes to the student athletes who made this possible for me. Without their hard work and dedication, I wouldn't have had the chance to receive such a recognition," he said. "I think this year's team may be one of the best that CMS has had in its history."
Goldhammer arrived at Claremont 25 years ago to fill a vacancy for the cross country and track and field head coaching position. With a background in coaching for Division I schools, he said adjusting to the academic reputation of The Claremont Colleges, where students are as committed to studying as they are to sports, took time. "I was only familiar with track and field athletes who went to school for the sole purpose of running; studying was something you had to do to maintain participation in the sport," Goldhammer recalls. The experience, he says, made him more sympathetic to CMS athletes juggling both good grades and performances.
"I think students now expect me, overall, to be a little less demanding," he says. "But only a little."
Prior to working with CMS, Goldhammer coached part-time at various locations, including Santa Barbara City College and Cal State Los Angeles, before accepting a full-time coaching position at UC Santa Barbara, his alma mater, in 1978. After coming to Claremont in 1984, Goldhammer led the CMS men's track and field team to 18 straight SCIAC titles and its athletes to over 100 All-American titles, including eight national championships.
By Peter Jung '10