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Brian_Blutreich
Brian Blutreich

Brian Blutreich

TitleAssistant Coach (Throws)
Phone(480) 965-2242
EmailBrian.Blutreich@asu.edu

Instagram 
 
Two-time National Assistant Coach of the Year Brian Blutreich joined Arizona State as the throws coach on July 29, 2016 and immediately turned ASU into #ThrowsU. Prior to his resignation in July 2022 to join the Tennessee coaching staff, Blutreich brought 15 NCAA throwing titles and 13 Pac-12 titles back to Tempe, and he helped two athletes across three seasons become finalists for The Bowerman - awarded to the most outstanding T&F male and female in the country. Blutreich’s throwers also earned All-America honors 36 times.
 
Blutreich took no time to make ASU the premiere training center for collegiate throwers. During the pandemic-adjusted 2020-21 indoor and outdoor seasons alone, Blutreich’s throwers collected four national titles, 10 All-America honors, three Pac-12 titles, and nine all-time program top-10 results - including a trio of program records from three-time national champion Turner Washington, discus champion Jorinde van Klinken, and javelin runner-up Alizee Minard.


Blutreich’s throwers kept the momentum going and added three NCAA titles, two Pac-12 titles and nine All-America nods in 2022. Washington and van Klinken both won indoor NCAA shot put titles, and van Klinken also won the NCAA discus title after sweeping the Pac-12 discus and outdoor shot put titles. At the NCAA Championships, Washington and van Klinken both earned silver in the shot, freshman Ralford Mullings earned bronze in the discus, Beatrice Llano earned bronze in the hammer, and Shelby Moran earned fifth in the hammer. Purely off the efforts of Blutreich’s throwers, ASU’s women took eighth overall at the NCAA Championships.
With Blutreich’s guidance, van Klinken went a perfect 14-0 in collegiate discus meets over two seasons, competed in Tokyo 2020 for the Netherlands, and was a two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman. In 2022 Washington and van Klinken both earned CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for their success in the classroom too – it was the second-consecutive year Washington earned the honor and they both finished their degrees with 4.0 GPAs.

Blutreich’s best projects at ASU were been Magdalyn “Maggie” Ewen, Samantha Noennig, Turner Washington, and Jorinde van Klinken. By the time she graduated, Ewen had four NCAA titles; program-leading marks in the indoor shot (19.20m/63-0), outdoor shot put (19.46m/63-10.25 (national record)), weight throw (22.26m/73-0.50) and hammer (74.56m/244-07 (national record)); the second-best program discus mark (62.47m/204-11.5); 11 conference titles across the Pac-12 and MPSF, a pair of NCAA records, and 11 First Team All-America nods. She was also the first - and still is the only - triple NCAA Champion in the shot put, discus and hammer, claiming all three crowns across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Magdalyn Ewen (@magdalynmae)


Ewen was twice named a finalist for The Bowerman, was twice named USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year, twice collected the Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year award, and was named Track and Field News' Women's Athlete of the Year for her outstanding achievements during the 2018 season. 
 
Ewen’s outstanding career was followed up by Washington and van Klinken dominating the collegiate landscape in 2021. Under Blutreich’s guidance, and in just his first season since transferring from rival Arizona, Washington cemented himself as one of the best throwers to ever grace the NCAA. Washington claimed the indoor shot, outdoor shot, and discus titles - becoming just the third person in NCAA history to ever do so - and also set a new NCAA indoor shot collegiate record (21.85m/71-8.25). Washington followed his indoor performances up by shattering the program discus record four times, ultimately pushing it to 66.26m/217-5, and went completely undefeated at 14-0 in collegiate meets. He was a finalist for The Bowerman, earned USTFCCCA Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Year honors, earned USTFCCCA Outdoor West Region Field Athlete of the Year honors, and was the Men's Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Athlete of the Year.
 
Washington’s unbelievable 2021 year ran alongside Jorinde van Klinken’s equally amazing campaign where the first-year Sun Devil broke the program and Dutch discus records, and took the world lead in the women’s discus with a 70.22m/230-4 heave - qualifying her for Tokyo 2020. At the NCAA West Prelims hosted by Texas A&M, van Klinken took fourth in the shot put to qualify for the outdoor championships (17.67m/57-11.75) and her 64.44m/211-5 throw in the discus broke the E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record. She went on to throw the disc 65.01m/213-3 on her last attempt at the NCAA Championships, clinching gold and beating Seilala Sua's (UCLA) 64.26m/210-10 meet record from 1999. Van Klinken claimed the NCAA and Pac-12 discus titles, went 8-0 in discus competition, earned the Pac-12 Women’s Field Athlete of the Year Award, and collected USTFCCCA West Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year honors. 
 
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Just three times in men's @NCAATrackField history has someone won the indoor shot, outdoor shot and discus titles all in the same season:

- John Godina 1995, UCLA
- Ryan Whiting 2010, ASU
- Turner Washington 2021, ASU#ForksUp?? pic.twitter.com/iv5BodfXAi
— Sun Devil TFXC (@SunDevilTFXC) June 12, 2021

 
In addition to Washington and van Klinken’s NCAA titles, Blutreich coached Carlan Naisant and Alizee Minard to ASU’s first men’s and women’s Pac-12 javelin titles ever in 2021. Naisant went 6-0 leading up to the Pac-12 Championships, while Minard finished top-3 in every event and brought home the silver medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a program-record 57.91m/190-0 throw. 
 
Noennig transferred to Arizona after two years with the Sun Devils, but not before Blutreich coached her to a NACAC U-23 gold medal, the NCAA indoor and outdoor shot put crowns, the 2019 MPSF and Pac-12 shot put crowns, four All-America honors, and six All-Conference honors.
 
COACHING EXPERIENCE (28 Seasons)
Arizona State – Assistant Coach, 2016-2022 (6 years)
Oklahoma – Assistant Coach, 2007-16 (9 years)
North Carolina – Assistant Coach, 1996-2007 (11 years)
UC Santa Barbara – Assistant Coach, 1994-1996 (2 years)
 
He and his wife, Lynda, who coached the throwers at Duke while Blutreich was coaching at North Carolina, have two daughters, Brooke Alexandra and Logan Kate.
 
 
Career Coaching Highlights:
 

  • 2x National Assistant Coach of the Year (both at UNC)
  • Coached Jorinde van Klinken to her second NCAA discus title in 2022, completing a perfect 14-0 collegiate career. Van Klinken was also a semifinalist for The Bowerman for the second consecutive season, earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, and was the CoSIDA Academic AA Team Member of the Year.
  • Coached freshman Ralford Mullings to a Pac-12 silver medal in the discus and NCAA bronze medal (discus) in 2022.
  • Coached Turner Washington and Jorinde van Klinken to NCAA indoor shot put titles in 2022. This was just the fourth time in NCAA Division I history that a pair of athletes from the same school won the indoor shot title in the same year.
  • Coached Turner Washington to three NCAA titles in 2021 (indoor/outdoor shot, discus), a new NCAA indoor national shot record (21.85m/71-8.25), USTFCCCA 2021 Outdoor West Region Male Field Athlete of the Year and Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Year honors, The Bowerman finalist, U.S. Olympic Team Trials first round
  • Coached Jorinde van Klinken to the Tokyo 2020 Netherlands Olympic team after becoming the world discus leader and Dutch discus record holder (70.22m/230-4). Led her to claim the 2021 NCAA discus title and Pac-12 discus title, third-place finish in the indoor shot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and saw her earn Pac-12 Women's Field Athlete of the Year and USTFCCCA Outdoor West Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year honors. Her 65.01m/213-3 final discus throw at the 2021 NCAA Championships beat Seilala Sua's (UCLA) 64.26m/210-10 meet record from 1999.
  • Coached Carlan Naisant and Alizee Minard to ASU’s first men’s and women’s Pac-12 javelin titles ever. Naisant went 6-0 leading up to the Pac-12 Championships, while Minard finished top-3 in every event that year, including a silver medal finish at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 
  • Coached Samantha Noennig to two NCAA shot put titles in 2019 as a redshirt sophomore, giving ASU back-to-back sweeps in the women's shot put following Maggie Ewen's sweep in 2018
  • Of ASU's five athletes who qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2019, three were women's throwers
  • Added another name to an NCAA top-10 list when Beatrice Llano recorded the Norwegian record in the hammer throw and moved to eighth in NCAA history in the event. Followed that by leading her to 72.10m/235-06 at the 2022 NCAA Championships where she earned bronze and broke her own Norwegian record.
  • With Ewen, Blutreich coached her to four NCAA titles including the 2017 hammer throw, 2018 indoor shot put, 2018 discus and 2018 outdoor shot put titles. She set two collegiate records in 2018, breaking her own hammer throw record and setting the outdoor shot put standard. Ewen was named as a Bowerman Award finalist twice, USTFCCCA National Female Field Athlete of the Year twice, and Pac-12 Female Athlete of the Meet & Field Athlete of the Year twice. She finished her career with a Pac-12 record seven individual titles at the conference meet and swept the shot, discus and hammer throw in back-to-back seasons.
  • Ewen was the first Arizona State woman to be named as one of the final three for the Honda Cup after she received the Honda Sport Award for track and field in 2018.
  • Ewen was also named Track and Field News Women's Athlete of the year for her outstanding achievements during the 2018 campaign.
  • At OU, coached two Olympians, six NCAA national champions, 36 All-Americans, 23 Big 12 Conference champions and 10 current school record holders
  • Coached two Olympians prior to his arrival at OU
  • Men's throws coach for the U.S. at the 2013 World Championships.
  • Had at least one Big 12 Champion in seven of his eight years with the Sooner program
  • At UNC, coached seven individual NCAA champions, 30 All-Americans, 45 Atlantic Coast Conference event champions and 112 All-ACC performers
  • Blutreich-coached athletes set all 12 possible UNC throws events records and helped the Tar Heels to 14 men's and women's ACC team championships
  • Was men's throws coach for Team USA at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica
  • Under his direction, Blutreich's wife, Lynda Lipson-Blutreich, became a three-time U.S. champion in the javelin; she competed in the 2000 Olympics, has been on two World Championship and two Pan American teams, and is a former American record holder
 
Career Highlights as Student-Athlete: 
  • Former Olympic discus thrower (1992, Barcelona)
  • A native of Mission Viejo, Calif., Blutreich attended UCLA from 1986-90, earning All-America honors three times each in the shot put and discus
  • Blutreich also won back-to-back Pac-10 discus titles in 1989 and 1990
  • In Blutreich's four years, the Bruins won two NCAA national outdoor championships and three consecutive Pac-10 titles
  • In 1991, Blutreich was a discus finalist at the World University Games in Sheffield, England
  • He graduated from UCLA in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in psychology
 
Top Athletes Coached:
  • Turner Washington (ASU) – Three NCAA titles in 2021 (indoor/outdoor shot, discus) and a fourth in 2022 (indoor shot), set NCAA indoor national shot record (21.85m/71-8.25) in 2021, USTFCCCA 2021 Outdoor West Region Male Field Athlete of the Year and Indoor Male Field Athlete of the Year honors, The Bowerman finalist, 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials first round, 2022 NCAA outdoor shot silver medalist and Second Team All-American in discus (10th).
  • Jorinde van Klinken (ASU) – 14-0 in collegiate discus meets, two-time NCAA discus champ, 2022 indoor shot gold, 2021 indoor shot bronze, held the world discus lead in 2021 at 70.22m (also ASU record), two-time Academic All-American, third all-time ASU outdoor shot (18.75m).
  • Beatrice Llano (ASU) – Competed in the 2019 World Championships (hammer throw) and the 2019 U23 European Throwing Cup where she took third. That same year she threw 71.43m/234-4 - the second highest mark in program history. Threw 72.10m/235-06 at the 2022 NCAA Championships, setting a new Norwegian record but keeping her second in ASU history. Llano earned first team All-America honors three times at ASU.
  • Alizee Mianrd (ASU) – Claimed ASU’s first women’s javelin Pac-12 title in 2021 (55.31m/181-5) and took silver at the NCAA Championships with a program-record 57.91m/190 throw.
  • Samantha Noennig (ASU) – 2x NCAA champion and 3x first-team All-American, third in school history in the indoor shot put, fourth in history in the outdoor shot put and 10th in ASU history in the discus throw. 2019 NACAC U-23 shot put champion and USA Championships qualifier.
  • Maggie Ewen (ASU) -- 4x NCAA champion, NCAA hammer throw and outdoor shot put record holder, 2018 USATF Outdoor Championships shot put champion, 2018 NACAC shot put champion, 2018 Bowerman Award finalist 2017 USATF Outdoor Championship hammer throw runner-up, 2017 Bowerman finalist, 7x Pac-12 Champion (first female to win hammer, discus and shot put at same Pac-12/10 championship meet and tied for most titles all-time), 2x USTFCCCA Female Field Athlete of the Year, 2x Pac-12 Female Athlete of the Meet, 2x Pac-12 Female Field Athlete of the Year
  • Tia Brooks (OU) -- 4x NCAA champion, 5x Big 12 champion, 7x All-American, 2012 Olympian, broke NCAA all-time record in shot put, placed 8th at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow
  • Luke Bryant (OU) -- 2012 NCAA All-American in the discus, Oklahoma discus record-holder 62.68m/205-8 feet, two-time Big 12 discus champion.
  • Brittany Borman (OU) -- 2012 Olympian (15th), won 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in javelin, 2x NCAA champion in javelin, 5x All-American, 4x Big 12 champion, 2010 NCAA runner-up in javelin and discus, holds OU record in both javelin and discus, 2012 USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year
  • Avione Allgood (OU) -- broke Big 12 javelin record (192-11) in 2016, 2014 NCAA runner-up in javelin, 2013 Big 12 title in javelin as a freshman, All-American as freshman placing 7th at 2013 NCAA championships
  • Elizabeth Herrs (OU) -- broke Big 12 javelin record in 2014 (189-5), 3x All-American
  • Karen Shump (OU) -- 2010 NCAA runner-up in shot put, 2010 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, 2x Big 12 champion in shot put
  • Laura Gerraughty (UNC) -- 2004 Olympian, 4x NCAA champion in shot put, broke all-time NCAA record (62-10), swept 2006 ACC titles in shot put, discus, hammer, 10x All-American, 13x ACC champion, 2002 World Junior bronze medalist in shot put
  • Justin Ryncavage (UNC) -- 2x NCAA champion in javelin, U.S. Junior National Champion, runner-up at Junior Pan-American games
  • Vikas Gowda (UNC) -- competed for India at the 2004, 2008, 2012 & 2016 Olympic games in the discus, 2006 NCAA discus champion, All-American in shot put
  • Nick Owens (UNC) -- NCAA runner-up in hammer throw with PR of 233-7, 5x All-American, 4x ACC champion