Derek Stanley
Head Coach
Derek Stanley, a native of Pataskala, Ohio, begins his sixth season as Marietta College's head track & field and cross country coach.
In the fall of 2008, Stanley led his men and women’s cross country teams to a seventh and fifth place finish, respectively, at the OAC Championships, hosted by Marietta at the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area. Individually, junior Randi Robertson placed third in the women’s race, the second best finish for a Pioneer women in school history.
Stanley guided three athletes to individual titles at the 2008 OAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where the women took fifth and the men placed sixth. Junior Derek Carpenter won the men’s hammer throw for the second straight year, while junior Tiffany Kovacevich took home the women’s crown in the event. In addition, sophomore Chad Byers won the men’s javelin throw. Six other Pioneers earned All-OAC honors at the outdoor event. Junior Brian Pallini highlighted Marietta’s performance at the 2008 OAC Indoor Championships by winning the men’s weight throw. Seven Pioneers picked up All-OAC honors at the indoor championships, where Marietta’s women placed seventh and the men placed eighth.
Stanley also had three athletes win individual titles and four All-OAC honorees at the 2007 OAC Outdoor Championships. Sophomore Derek Carpenter and senior Rachel Forman won the hammer throw, while freshman Zach Gay took home the high jump title. In addition, two Pioneers earned All-OAC honors at the 2007 Indoor Championships. In 2006, Stanley had four runners, including Jessi Larrison, who won the 800m title, earn All-OAC honors at the Outdoor Championships, which was hosted at Don Drum Stadium. During indoor, Larrison earned All-OAC in the 500m dash, taking third overall.
In 2005, Stanley guided senior All-American Chris Taylor to an eighth-place finish in the high jump at the NCAA D-III Indoor Track and Field Championship. He is the first Pioneer in recent history to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Stanley came to Marietta from Bluffton College, where he served as the head men and women's track and cross country coach since 2001. During his time at Bluffton, a member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, he expanded the squad size from six to 26 female athletes and 15 to 32 male athletes. Stanley coached four individual HCAC champions in 2002 and the freshman of the year in the HCAC in 2003. In addition, Stanley's women's cross country team earned Academic All-American status in 2001 and 2002, and his men's cross country team earned the honor in 2002.
Stanley received his bachelor's of business administration from Tiffin University in 1999 and his master's in education from Bowling Green State University in 2002. While at Tiffin, he qualified to the indoor NAIA national championship meet in Lincoln, Neb., where he participated on the 4x400 meter relay team.
Stanley remained at Tiffin as a coach for two years following his graduation. During his time at Tiffin, Stanley coached numerous NAIA national qualifiers in indoor and outdoor track & field. He also played an integral part in expanding the roster size from 15 to 40 runners.
