selliott@djusd.net
Coach Elliott began his track and field career at Saint Francis High School in Mountainview, Calfornia and then went on to compete at the NCAA level at U.C. Davis, specializing in the 400m and 200m sprints. Since 2004, he has served as head boys and girls track and field coach at Davis Senior High School , where he also teaches English. In 2007 he was named All-Metro "Coach of the Year" by the Sacramento Bee. He was named "Girls Coach of the Year" for the state of California by the California Coaches Association in 2008 and the "Boys Coach of the Year" in 2019.
tgroth@djusd.net
Tim has been coaching the cross country and distance track teams since at Davis Senior High School since 2009. He is a Davis High alumni and was on the track and cross country teams during his time there. Currently he works as the Campus Safety Coordinator at DHS. While coaching distance is his main focus he also serves as the teams Associate Head Coach assisting Head Coach Elliott.
bgregg@djusd.net
Coach Gregg has been the Cross Country and Distance Track Coach at Davis High School since 1997. Honored as "Coach of the Year" by the Sacramento Running Association for the 2014 Cross Country season, Bill has led teams and individual runners to great success, including 20 Sac Joaquin Section Cross Country titles, multiple top finishes at California state championships, and national meets. Coach Gregg also has two children (Brendan and Kaitlin) who are pursuing post-collegiate running careers.
jdefty@djusd.net
Coach Defty grew up in Healdsburg, California. He attended Healdsburg High, setting school records in 440 yd dash and 330 yd low hurdles, and winning league in both and sections in 330 lh. He attended UCD, ran track for 4 years competing primarily in 400 hurdles and mile relay. After finishing at UCD, he attended USMC Officer Candidate School and served three years as an active duty Marine Officer. During his service with HQBN 1ST MARDIV, he competed for, and was officer-in-charge of the battalion track team. After leaving the service Coach Defty earned his teaching credential and has been teaching and coaching since. He has coached at Jr. High level for three years, established and lead elementary school Running Clubs at Montgomery Elementary (2002-2010) and Fairfield Elementary (2010-present), and has been the hurdle coach at DHS since 2002.
lonfive@gmail.com
Coach Lon grew up St. Louis and participated in youth track for many years—starting out as a middle distance runner but eventually switching to the high jump and clearing 6’8” in high school. He attended the University of Kansas and was a member of their track & field team from 1984-86. Lon began coaching the DHS high jump event group during the 2015 season. Since that time, his jumpers have broken both the boy's and girl's school records. Five of his athletes have competed in the CIF State Track & Field Championships, with two grabbing podium spots by placing 2nd and 4th. Eight of his jumpers have gone on to compete in the event in college, including three in NCAA Division 1, three in NCAA Division 3, and another two at community college.
mbjohnsonauthor54@gmail.com
Coach Matt has coached throws at DHS since 2017. He had a successful high school throwing career, becoming the Metro League shot put champion in 2001. Since taking over the DHS throws program, he has coached athletes who have reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet every year (minus the cancelled and abbreviated pandemic seasons). He has also coached athletes who qualified for the California State Meet and Nike Outdoor National Championships. Coach Matt’s mantra to his throwers is, “No one works harder than we do.”
Coach Kale began his throwing career with shot put and discus at a small high school in Nebraska. He then was recruited to compete at Kansas State University from 2012-2016, throwing the hammer and discus. Following a move to California in late 2016, Kale has been coaching Davis High throwers since 2018. Kale is very excited to be developing the next generation of throwers and truly enjoys connecting with student-athletes.
Coach Harper has over 15 years of experience coaching a variety of youth sports. As a previous vaulter, he is eager to share his technical knowledge of the sport with the Davis Community Track & Field Club athletes. He is the current Davis Senior High School vault coach, and looks forward to building a strong vaulting program in the Davis community.
Coach Willie grew up in Davis, joining the Holmes Junior High School Track and Field team in 7th grade. He fell in love with the sport, and continued to compete at Davis High School and later at Columbia University as a member of their NCAA Division I team. He primarily competed in the 800m dash and 4x400 relay, achieving DHS school records in both events. Willlie finished 5th individually in the CIF State Meet for the 800, and was a member of the 4th place 4x400m team. In college, he won multiple Ivy League championships as a member of relay teams, and finished 5th in the 800 in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship. As a member of the coaching team, Willie primarily trains the middle distance runners, but often helps out both the sprint and distance groups. He is the coolest coach by far.
Coach Stephanie started participating in track at Davis Senior High School first running long distance for a couple of years then moved to the 100/200/4 x 100 relay and 4 x 400 relay her final two years. After high school, she went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she received her degree in Recreation Administration. While at Cal Poly she worked for the City of San Luis Obispo and help coach youth Track and Field and Soccer. This is her first year coaching with DHS and she is excited to join the coaching staff.