Trent Baltzell
Director of Track & Field/XC
University of Rhode Island
Since being announced head coach of the program, Baltzell has led the Rams to six Atlantic 10 Track & Field titles, three New England Track & Field Championships, and a New England Cross Country Championship crown. In 2024, Baltzell led the Rams to their first-ever IC4A title, sweeping the indoor postseason championships with the A-10, New England, and IC4A crowns. 36 Rams have been crowned Atlantic 10 Champions under Baltzell, and in each of the last two years Rhody has had three NCAA Regional qualifiers. Last spring, Lucas Frost became the first Ram to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championship Final since 2010, finishing 18th in the nation in the javelin.
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Baltzell was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in back-to-back-to-back seasons, in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Baltzell – a two-time team captain and five-time individual Atlantic 10 champion for the Rams – had been an assistant coach for URI since October of 2019. He took over for the legendary John Copeland, who announced his retirement after 39 years at the helm for Rhode Island.
"We are thrilled to have Trent continue the incredible men's track & field legacy that was built by John Copeland," Bjorn said. "Trent played a big part in our program's success both as a highly-decorated student-athlete as well as a championship-winning assistant coach. I believe he will be able to relate to our athletes and recruit at the same level that has been done throughout the years to build the program of which we can all be so proud."
Since returning to Rhode Island, Baltzell has helped his alma mater win an Atlantic 10 indoor title in 2020 and an outdoor title in 2021. The Rams also won a New England Outdoor title in 2021.
"I am genuinely honored to be the successor of Coach Copeland," Baltzell said. "Along with hundreds of other student-athletes over four decades at URI, he mentored and prepared me for a big role. This opportunity will allow me to do the same for the current and future Rams.
"Winning championships is on the agenda, but developing great people is the priority. I would like to thank Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn, Associate Athletic Director Gina Sperry and the rest of the search committee for believing in me. We have a rich tradition in this program, and it's about to get richer."
Before coming to Rhode Island, Baltzell was the head coach for Division II Assumption University from July of 2017 through October of 2019. He was promoted to head coach after serving as an assistant coach two years.
During his time with Assumption, Baltzell was the 2019 Division II Northeast Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the Greyhounds' to the DII Northeast Region Women's Cross Country championship.
Still Rhode Island's all-time record holder in the decathlon, Baltzell won five individual A-10 titles for the Rams. He won both the heptathlon and decathlon in 2013 and 2014. He also won the 2011 decathlon. During his career, Baltzell was part of seven A-10 team titles and a pair of New England titles.
Baltzell earned a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from Rhode Island in 2014.
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