The Coaches
Patrick McFadden
Pat has been coaching at Kearney High for 12 years. During this time Pat has had 49 state qualifiers, 6 State Champs, 3 State Runner up Champions, 2 Relay Champions, 2 Runner up Reley Champions, 2 All Class Relay Champions and 5 All Class Gold Medal State Champions.
Pat has also been the Cross Country coach at Kearney High since 1989. During this time Pat has had 3 state champs, 3 individual state runner-ups, and 3 All Class State Champions, as well as winning 3 Team State Championships. Durring Pat's tenure as Head coach his Cross County Teams have qualified for the state meet 11 years in a row, palceced the top 10 each of those years and won the District A-4 Cross Country Meet 7 times. Coach McFadden was also named the "2000 Nebraska Coach of the Year."
Steve Larson
Steve has been coaching for 30 years. He was the throws coach for one year at Kearney Junior High School. For the last 25 years he has been coaching the shot and disc at Kearney High School.
During this time he was named the Nebraska assistant coach of the year in 1990. He has had 56 State Qualifiers, 34 State Placers, 6 State Champs, and 4 All Class Gold Medal State Champions. Some of Steves most memorable coaching moments include when he coached his son to a new freshman record in the shot put. The old record stood for 30 years. Also Coaching Matt Daake when he won the All Class State Meet Gold Medal in the Shot over Junior Bryant in 1989. This competition was said to have been one of the greatest shotput duels in Nebraska State Meet History.
Craig Lathrop
Craig has been coaching Track & Field for 29 years. Two of those years were spent as Head Boys Track coach at Shelton Nebraska. The remainder (23 years) have been spent at Kearney High School as the Jump coach.
In 1987 Craig was the Assistant Coach of the Year in the State of Nebraska. In his 23 years here at Kearney High, Craig has had 67 athletes qualify for the State Track & Field Meet. 22 of those individuals were state placers, 4 were state champions, and 1 All Class State Gold Medal winner. Craig feels strongly about the process of coaching and takes great enjoyment from being involved with athletes growth both physically and physiologically.
Craig has also been an important part of the strength program at Kearney High for the past 20 years, a program that has played a large part in the success of our
track and field athletes.
Bob Talbitzer
Bob has coached Track & Field for 11 years. Two years were spent as head womens coach at Pender High School. His responsibilities at Pender included all running events 400 M on up, and the High Jump. At Pender Bob had 3 Individual State qualifiers, and 1 relay qualifier.
For the last nine years Bob has coached the Pole Vault at Kearney High School. During this time he has had 13 State Qualifiers, 10 State Placers, 3 State Champions, and 2 All Class State Gold Medal Champions. Bob's most memorable coaching moments include placing 1,2,& 3 in the 1994 Conference meet with all vaulters reaching 14' or better, and coaching Scott Nachtigal when he set the State Record of 16'1" in 1995.
Roger Mathiesen
Since 1980 Coach Roger Mathiesen has been the Head Track and Field at Kearney Senior High School. Coach Mathiesen has won numerous awards, but is quick to share the credit and successes of the program with his colleagues, and the atheletes. He has always said "it's not about winning, it's about improving . . . not only in athletics, but also in academics, and in life."
During his tenure the Kearney Senior High Track and Field Program has won the Nebraska State High School Track & Field Championships 7 consecutive times (1994 - 2000). His teams also finished as Nebraska State Runner's up 3 times (1989, 1990, & 1993).
Kearney Senior High School Track & Field Athletes have have surpassed all 17 KHS track & field event records. Twelve of those records are on the Nebraska All-Time Top Ten Rankings.
The Kearney Senior HIgh Track & Field Program has also been ranked nationaly 5 times (1996, 1997,1998, 1999 & 2000).
In addition, the Keaney Senior High School Track & Field Program has developed 70 University or College athletes, including 21 NCAA Division I Track & Field athletes (an average of over 3 per year since 1980).