Staff Reports
Eric Werskey, a former state champion at Seymour High School in both the shot put and discus, has landed a new gig in collegiate athletics.
On Thursday, University of Florida track and field head coach Mike Holloway announced Werskey will serve as an assistant coach for throws for the Gators.
“We are very excited to add Eric to our staff,” Holloway said in a news release. “He is a very passionate coach and a tireless recruiter who will bring excitement to our staff and team. I’m confident his work ethic and enthusiasm will excite future Gators. He has a lot of high-level experience in a short amount of time, and we look forward to having him be part of our Gators family.”
For the last four years, Werskey has been coaching at the University of Iowa. Prior to his time with the Hawkeyes, he spent two years at California State University Northridge and three years of professional training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
During his time at Iowa, Werskey helped the Hawkeyes finish in the top three in the Big Ten on seven different occasions, including three Big Ten Conference championships.
The throwers at Iowa had a lot of success under Werskey, too. He coached throwers to five Big Ten individual championships, one NCAA championship, seven combined All-America honors and eight school records.
Werskey’s coaching success comes after his own success as a thrower in college. After graduating from Seymour, Werskey went on to throw at Auburn University, where he was a three-time All-American in the shot put.
“Being named the next throws coach at the University of Florida is a great honor and a privilege that I’m really excited about,” Werskey said in a news release.
“I want to thank coach Holloway for trusting me to step into this position and for the opportunity to become part of a world-class staff and historical Gator nation,” he said. “Coach Steve Lemke has left a big mark on this program, so I’m excited for the challenge and look forward to helping build the program’s already successful history further.”