Michael Gusbeth completed his 10th season as an assistant coach for the track and field programs at the Colorado School of Mines during the 2024-25 academic year. Gusbeth’s main focus is with the throwers.
Mines' throwers had an exceptional 2025 season with five different Oredigger throwers qualifying for nationals, led by two-season First-Team All-American Holden Murphy, who was sixth indoors in the weight throw and fifth outdoors in the hammer at the NCAA Championship. Jenni Jarnagin and Kitt Rupar were both indoor Second-Team All-Americans in the weight throw and shot put, respectively, and Jarnagin repeated the feat in the hammer throw outdoors while Abbi Gillespie (outdoor hammer) and Franklin Rambo (indoor shot put) qualified for their first NCAA Championships as well. Mines throwers helped the Oredigger women threepeat as RMAC Indoor champions as Jarnagin won the weight throw gold and Rupar, Jarnagin, and Avery Wright scored in the shot put; Rupar was the RMAC outdoor discus champion in the spring.
The 2023-24 season was a memorable one for a young and up-and-coming Mines throwing group, highlighted by double all-American Kitt Rupar, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in three events and stood on the podium in the shot put and discus. Rupar became Mines' first women's shot put all-American since 1987. Mines throwers contributed greatly to the Orediggers' three combined RMAC track titles in 2024, as well, combining for five conference medals including indoor and outdoor shot put silver medalist Brody Welch.
In 2021-22, Gusbeth coached Arvid Veidmark IV to a second straight RMAC Male Athlete of the Meet at the 2022 RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Veidmark IV earned the honor as the top men's point scorer with RMAC gold in the discus, RMAC silver in the shot put and a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw. Kathleen Tomon also proved outstanding for Gusbeth at the RMAC's outdoor championships as she brought home RMAC silver in the shot put and RMAC bronze in the discus.
The 2020-21 campaign proved outstanding for Gusbeth's throwing crew. During the indoor season, both Arvid Veidmark IV and Krista Carlo provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with Veidmark IV ranked 28th in the nation in the shot put and Carlo slotted 27th in the weight throw. That success led to an outdoor season in which Veidmark IV and Kathleen Tomon both punched their respective tickets to the NCAA Championships where Veidmark IV finished 12th in the nation and Tomon placed 15th. The national performances followed a RMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships where Veidmark IV was named Male Athlete of the Meet thanks to two gold medals and one fourth-place finish. On the women's side, Tomon claimed RMAC bronze in both the shot put and discus while Carlo was fourth in the discus and grabbed her own bronze medal in the hammer.
Under Gusbeth's guidance, the Oredigger throwers put together another solid year during the 2019-20 indoor season. Three individuals earned four all-conference nods including a gold medal for Arvid Veidmark IV in the shot put. Veidmark IV also took silver in the weight throw and took down the shot put record just prior to the RMAC Championships. Kathleen Tomon and Veidmark IV both provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships. The overall season was shortened after the national meet and outdoor season were both canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to Gusbeth's expertise, Mines' throwers found great success in the 2018-19 indoor and outdoor seasons. Gina Coleman claimed First-Team All-America honors in the indoor weight throw and outdoor discus. Coleman was also named the RMAC Women's Athlete of the Meet at the outdoor championships and RMAC Female Field Athlete of the Year for the Outdoor Season. In total, Gusbeth's throwing group claimed five RMAC gold medals between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The 2017-18 season proved to be a banner year for Gusbeth's throwers - specifically Gina Coleman. Under Gusbeth's guidance, Coleman threw her way to First-Team All-America honors in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships while also being named RMAC Outdoor Freshman of the Year. Coleman also took home gold in the discus at the RMAC Outdoor Championships. Gusbeth also guided Courtney Clark to NCAA Championship appearances in the indoor and outdoor seasons.
In his first three seasons at Mines, Gusbeth has had a number of success stories in the throwing events. In 2017, Courtney Clark set the program hammer throw record and was named USTFCCCA All-region in the event, while also becoming Mines' best women's shot putter in 30 years; Amanda Giles continued to put her school javelin record out of reach to earn all-RMAC honors. Jack Root was the RMAC bronze medalist in the hammer throw as a freshman in 2017.
Before coming to Mines, Gusbeth spent four seasons at Elon University (2011-14) under the same position. While with the NCAA Division I Phoenix he coached three individual Southern Conference Champions and six runner-up finishes. Gusbeth’s throwers re-wrote every single Elon throwing records.
Prior to Elon, Gusbeth saw many fine achievements from his throwers during his two years (2009-11) at Chadron State, highlighted in 2011 by a runner-up finish by Jessica Horsley in the women’s hammer throw at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships and an All-American finish by Cody Hunt in the shot put at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. He also had his throwers rewrite five school records.
No stranger to the RMAC, Gusbeth previously coached the Western State College of Colorado throwers during the 2008-09 season. That season, the Mountaineer throwers saw great success in achieving four NCAA D-II All-American honors. He coached the 2009 NCAA D-II Discus National Champion Ashley Stevens, who also earned All-American honors in the hammer throw and indoor weight throw during the 2008-09 campaign. Gusbeth also coached Ryan Walstrom to All-American honors in the men’s discus. Throughout the season, the Western State throwers rewrote school records in the women’s discus, hammer and weight throw, as well as the men’s discus.
Gusbeth, a former Western State track and field athlete, threw 213-feet, 8-inches in the hammer throw to set a Mountaineers’ record in 2006. He was an All-American in both the 35-pound weight and hammer throws, becoming the school’s first All-American in those events.
A native of Torquay, Australia, Gusbeth earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Western State College of Colorado and a master’s degree in organizational management from Chadron State College. He and his wife, Tiffany, reside in Golden, Colo.
