Seymour’s Eric Werskey recently completed his first season as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Iowa.
He spent the previous two seasons at California State University, Northridge, before joining the Hawkeyes.
Werksey was a three-time All-American while throwing at Auburn and Indiana after competing for Seymour High School. At Seymour, Werskey was a 2006 USA Today All-American in the shot put and discus.
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The Hawkeyes’ program had a lot of success with Werskey on the staff during the 2017-18 season.
Tribune sports editor Jordan Morey recently interviewed Werskey:
How was the initial transition to the new job? Were there any unexpected challenges or did everything go smoothly?
The transition into University of Iowa track and field’s program was seamless. When I showed up Day 1, I was treated with a lot of respect, which allowed me to really settle in quickly. It was the beginning of the fall semester, which is when we do the bulk of our recruiting, so the expectation was to get started on recruiting as soon as possible. Then with the coaching/instructional piece, each student-athlete was eager to get started with an open ear. I have to give a lot of credit to the head coach, Joey Woody, and the previous throws coach for reassuring the athletes that we would be hitting the ground running.
Was there anything that surprised you when you first got to Iowa?
It was a bit of an adjustment for me when I first arrived to Iowa City because I had moved from Los Angeles, but I was able to quickly settle in and get adjusted to the culture and values of the Midwest again, which was nice. One of the biggest surprises I actually had was realizing how much support the athletic department is given all across campus and within the community. I had come from a mid-major program where I had to have a “roll up the sleeves” type mentality and take care of multiple tasks myself; however, at Iowa, it only took a phone call to get something done. The other surprises occurred on the field for us. I had stepped into a situation that had success over the years, but I quickly began to see how much we could expand those successes if the student-athletes and I could communicate and commit to a common goal.
Break down what the job entailed each season. How was the summer different to the fall, fall to winter, winter to spring?
At Iowa, we begin school the third week of August. Then we will start our fall practices in September. Our fall training segment lasts from September through November. During this time, we are doing the bulk of our recruiting, as well, bringing in student-athletes and their parents for visits during the football game weekends until mid-November. Once we get into December, our practices slow down a bit, and we begin doing a pre-competition phase. Additionally during this time, our student-athletes are studying for their final exams and looking to go home for the holiday break. We give them about two or three weeks off. They take home their workouts and hope they do them over break because once they return, we are full swing into our competitive season.
In NCAA Division I track and field, we have two seasons — indoor and outdoor season. Indoor season can begin as early as Dec. 1 of each year and typically concludes the second weekend of March. Outdoor season can begin the third weekend of March and run through the second weekend of June; however, some top-tier athletes can qualify for the USA Track and Field Championships, which are hosted traditionally the last weekend of June or first weekend of July. So in total, the track and field seasons last seven months of the year. As for us coaches, we are continuing to recruit around the clock. We have the main NCAA national letter of intent signing period in November, but come April, a prospect can sign any time up to about two weeks before schools begins. Needless to say, recruiting never stops.
What were some of the most memorable competitions from this past school year?
Great question because it is hard to pinpoint just one. I found as the season went on, we gained momentum each weekend, and each weekend, new individuals would step up to new levels. Throughout the year, in total, we had 12 top 10 all-time marks, we broke five school records, had three All-Americans, two Big Ten champions, four Big Ten medalists (two golds, two silvers), two Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards, plus several other outstanding accomplishments.
Some highlights throughout the year included, for the indoor season, Reno Tuufuli hitting a personal best/school record throw at Indoor Big Ten Championships for silver and Laulauga Tausaga threw a personal best/school record in the weight throw at Indoor Big Ten Championships to be a finalist.
Outdoor season, Tuufuli throwing a season-best in discus throw to earn silver at Big Ten Championships; Tuufuli winning the NCAA West Regional in discus throw, as well as hitting a big personal best in the shot put to qualify for nationals for the first time; Tuufuli earning his second NCAA All-American in the discus throw (fifth place); Tausaga winning Big Ten in the shot put for the first time and successfully defending her Big Ten discus title in dramatic fashion; Tausaga earning All-American honors in both shot put and discus throw (fourth place in both events); Tausaga earning a bronze medal at USA Track and Field nationals; Nia Britt throws a huge personal best (over 4 feet) in the shot put at Big Ten to finish fourth place and solidify her regional qualification; and Konstadina Spanoudakis throwing a personal best at Big Ten and scoring points for her team.
As a team, Iowa’s women’s program had its highest finishes in Big Ten history (third) and NCAA Championships (13th). We return the majority of our athletes and are hopeful to be in contention for a Big Ten team title and a top 10 national finish next year.
Who else are you closely working with at Iowa? Who are some of the coaches that are helping you grow as a coach?
As a staff, we all help each other and hold each other accountable to our respective event areas. Aside from coaching, we all have our own administrative/office duties to make sure we can ensure a top-tier ran program. I seek advice from all staff members because the majority of coaches have been around the program for five-plus years and know the ins and outs of the program and help guide me in that sense.
On a personal standpoint, I still seek advice from my former mentors and coaches. One thing that I am quickly learning is that I can never stop learning about all details of the job. NCAA rules are constantly changing, recruiting always poses challenges and training athletes is ever-evolving. I have to make sure that I am always seeking advice to ensure steadiness and success.
Tell me a little about the Big Ten track and field scene.
The Big Ten is rapidly growing into the premier track and field conference in the NCAA, especially on the throws side. During the indoor season, I had some athletes with great marks that fell short of making the final, yet we would have been top eight to top five in other power five conferences, so the Big Ten is extremely competitive on the throws side. With that said, it can become very stressful but very rewarding. We always have to be ready to compete at a high level, and when we do that, we know we can compete among the best in the NCAA.
Once we had the indoor season under our belts together, we made some adjustments but got back to the basics. As I addressed the team together and individually, we all got on the same page and committed to furthering our abilities. We had several high-end competitions that allowed us to be battle-tested going into Big Ten, and we stepped up big time. Our throws squad totaled 38 scored points, which was third among all other Big Ten programs.
Talk a little about the NCAA Track and Field National Championships?
Like I said earlier, the Big Ten molds us to be very competitive at a high level. It helps prepare us for the national championships. Reno Tuufuli and Laulauga Tausaga were the two throwers that represented the Iowa squad at NCAA Track and Field Championships. Reno had been Big 10 runner-up in the discus throw, and we had high expectations for him at the national championships. Despite a heavy rain and minor pec injury on his throwing side, he was still able to walk away as an All-American as he finished fifth place. Tausaga had a career day in Eugene, Oregon, when she competed in the shot put. She came in seeded in the middle of the pack, but knowing she was the Big Ten champion and having great practices leading up to the competition day, we knew something great could happen. She carried her confidence very well and threw a 2-foot personal best, making her finish fourth place overall and earning her first shot put All-American. She then carried herself very well during the discus competition, which included a steady rain and even hail at one point. She managed to throw far enough for the fourth-place spot, again earning her second All-American honor on the weekend.
What did you learn from the first season that will carry over to next season?
As a whole, it usually takes a solid year for student-athletes to learn a new coaching style and system. With that said, we should really hit the ground running and accelerate training earlier than last year. The Iowa throwers understand my verbiage better, and I understand their athleticism and physical nuances better, which should allow for further development. We return the bulk of our team next year. Reno will be a fifth senior and will be a national title contender for the discus. Laulauga returns as a junior and will be a national title contender in both shot put and discus. Nia Britt and Kostadina Spanoudakis both return in their respective events and will be high performers in the Big 10 and look to find their first births to the NCAA championships.
What are you up to this summer as far as coaching goes?
The summers for me includes a lot of recruiting. As of July 1, we are able to do home visits and speak with rising seniors in high schools and rising sophomores in junior colleges. I recently did a recruiting trip that totaled 1,000 miles as a round trip. Plus, I have flown various times to meet some of the top prospects in America. When I am not on the road recruiting, I am still coaching the athletes that stayed in town over the summer. We typically shoot for two or three days a week to work on fundamentals.
However, I do look forward to taking a little bit of time off myself. We give all athletes a couple of weeks off to get away and recover from the seven-month season. Just like the student-athletes, us as a staff find it important to step away for a short period of time to recharge our batteries.
What is the biggest takeaway with one season under your belt as a Hawkeye?
The biggest takeaway is always seeing the bigger picture. I spend hours each week writing throwing programs for each student-athlete. As I am writing them, I am very calculated in how I write them so I can hopefully plan for their best performances when it is needed most (Big Ten Championships and NCAA Nationals). In addition to their throwing prescriptions, I am also writing their weight room programs. Weightlifting is an integral part in our performance and also can help me dictate the peak performance timeline.