University of Memphis Athletics
Men's Track and Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Jumps/Pole Vault)
- Email:
- kellis6@memphis.edu
Kyle Ellis, who had recent stints on staffs at Wisconsin and Texas A&M, joined the Tigers track and field program as an assistant coach for the 19-20 season.
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In Ellis’s first three years as the jumps coach at Memphis (missing both the 2020 outdoor and 2021 indoor seasons due to Covid-19), the Tigers jumps group have racked up eight conference championship medals, with two conference champions and 11 all-time top 10 performances.
2022- Men’s pole vault, Cole Riddle, 1st place, 17’7.25
2022- Men’s pole vault, Evan Puckett, 3rd place 16’5.5
2022- Women’s pole vault, Alyssa Morello, 3rd place 13’0.25
2021- Men’s high jump, Gage Ernsberger, 3rd place 6’9.75
2021- Women’s high jump, Ladasia Walton, 3rd place 5’9.25
2021- Men’s pole vault, Robin Nool, 3rd place, 17’3.5
2020- Men’s high jump, Jordan Wesner, 1st place, 7’1
2020- Women’s long jump, Cyera Gordon, 3rd place 19’6.25
Ellis came to Memphis after working with the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, where he assisted Sean Brady primarily with the pole vault, additionally working with the jumps and multi-event groups. That year, Texas A&M had four top-three NCAA medalists, including an indoor bronze medal effort from Jacob Wooten in the pole vault, clearing 5.73 (18’9.5). The same year the Aggies also had an impressive women’s high jump group, with three athletes clearing 5’10.5 or better.
Before moving to Texas A&M, Ellis worked with pole vaulters and multis at the University of Wisconsin. His coaching efforts in Madison helped produce three Big Ten Conference champions and seven top-10 performances in Badgers track and field history. Zach Ziemek, a 2015 World Championship qualifier, set the USA championship record in the decathlon pole vault (17-10.5; 5.45m) with Ellis’s guidance. Other notable athletes were all-American Georgia Ellenwood and two-time Big Ten champion Taylor Amann, who holds the women’s pole vault school record.
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Ellis entered the collegiate coaching ranks at his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, immediately after his graduation in 2009. He served five seasons as the Panthers’ assistant coach (in charge of the jumps and multis) while assisting with short sprints. During his time at EIU, Ellis coached 27 conference champions and 39 all-time top-10 performances. His best memory came from the 2011 Ohio Valley indoor conference championship, where the men jumpers scored 67 points. At that meet, his triple jumpers and pole vaulters swept the medal podium, while also collecting gold in the long jump and silver in high jump.
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While at Eastern Illinois, Ellis had three first team All-American pole vaulters. In 2013, Jade Riebold placed 2nd in the women’s NCAA pole vault, clearing 14’7.5, and became the first female All-American in EIU history. On the men’s side at the same NCAA Championship, Mick Viken placed eighth with a school record mark of 17’10.5. A year later at the 2014 Outdoor NCAA Championship, Ellis coached Peter Geraghty and Viken to a fourth and ninth place finish, respectively, with both men jumping over 18 feet in the same competition. In 2019, both Riebold and Viken were inducted into the EIU Hall of Fame.
EIU Accomplishments (2010-2014/ 5 seasons)
- Top 10 school list performers Indoor & Outdoor- 39
- School Record Holders 6- (Men’s and Women’s indoor 60m, Men’s outdoor HJ, Women’s TJ, Men’s & Women’s indoor and outdoor PV,)
- OVC Individual Conference Champions- 27
- All OVC performers (Top 3 placers at conference)- 74 total.Â
- OVC Conference Championship Records- 4
- OVC conference sweeps- 5 (MPV-2011, MTJ-2011, MPV- 2012, MPV-2013, WPV-2013)
- OVC Men’s Team Titles- 10Â
- OVC Women’s Team Titles- 9Â
- Individual NCAA National Qualifiers- 4
- NCAA 1st Team All Americans- 3
- Olympic Trial qualifiers- 2
Ellis attended Eastern Illinois from 2005-09 and competed in the pole vault for the Panthers for two years. During Ellis’s senior year, he held the program’s school record in the pole vault and was on the top-10 all-time list in the javelin. Ellis received his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Eastern Illinois.
