Miami Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Tom Chorny brought in Steve Manz as an assistant coach for throws in 2016.
The 2018-19 campaign saw Manz break in a young group of throwers and begin the process of turning them into scorers at the conference meet. The high point of the season was Danielle Collier reaching her second NCAA Outdoor Championships in the javelin, an event that she captured her second career Mid-American Conference title in during the spring. Collier posted a ninth-place finish in the event at the national meet and went on to throw at the USA Track & Field Championships in the summer.
In his first season at Miami, Manz was tasked with helping a successful veteran group of throwers take a step forward in their senior seasons. His tutelage helped Amelia Strickler return to the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships in the shot put after battling through injuries the year before. His first year saw four throwers qualify for the NCAA East Region Preliminary.Â
While Strickler and Arionna Darling made return appearances to the postseason meet, some of his best work came in developing a pair of first-time qualifiers in Danielle Collier and Martha Szekely. As a sophomore, Collier made large strides in the javelin runway to capture a Mid-American Conference title and punch her ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. However, it was Szekely who had an even more astronomical jump, winning the hammer throw at the MAC Championships and shattering the school record in the event by clearing 200 feet to finish 17th at the national meet to close out her career.
Manz had 11 years of coaching experience prior to arriving in Oxford and spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach with the Eastern Michigan University men's track and field team, where he helped them win three Mid-American Conference team titles. He coached the throws, combined events and oversaw the training for the pole vault. His group improved drastically over his tenure, scoring zero points at conference meets in 2011 and most recently 69 points in 2016. In his final season with the Eagles, he mentored two first-team All-Americans in Solomon Simmons (sixth nationally in the outdoor decathlon) and Anthony Jones (seventh in the indoor weight throw). Additionally, he helped Derek Ziegenfuss claim a MAC title in the javelin while placing fourth in the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a freshman.
Prior to his arrival at Eastern Michigan, Manz coached his student-athletes at the University of Findlay to 13 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, three NCAA automatic qualifying marks and two All-American awards. One of his student-athletes, Derrick Vicars, went on to become the 2010 Division II National Champion in the discus. Prior to coaching at Findlay, Manz spent two years training for the 2008 Olympic Trials while assisting four-time Olympian Jud Logan at Ashland University. From 2005-2007, Manz was the throws coach at McNeese State University in Louisiana. His student-athletes broke school records in all but two of the throwing events with multiple athletes qualifying for the post-season.
Manz, a successful collegiate and professional athlete, spent much of his early career juggling the duties of an athlete and a coach. His college career was highlighted by four school records, three All-American awards, multiple All-Academic awards and the 2004 Big Ten Medal of Honor award. He also competed post-collegiately for five years, spending summers competing in Europe and South America, making two Olympic Trials, one Olympic Trials final and finishing with a best shot put throw of 66-7, the farthest by any born and raised Michigander all-time. In high school, Manz was a standout at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, Mich., where he brought home two state titles, the 1999 Discus State Championship (176’) and the 1997 Football State Championship.
Manz earned a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University in 2004 and earned his M.S. in Exercise Physiology at Eastern Michigan University in 2015. He resides in Cincinnati with his wife, Beth, and their dog, Kodi.
