Kent Pagel Season 2024

(updated 3/17/04)

One of the truly respected minds in the world of track and field, Kent Pagel enters his third season with the LSU track and field program as the throws coach.
In just two season with the Tigers, Pagel’s tremendous coaching abilities have became immediately evident as under his guidance two school records have fallen by the wayside and four athletes have qualified for the NCAA Championships.

In 2003, Pagel guided Mallory McDonald to appearances at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the weight throw and the hammer, while Katie McKeever was an NCAA qualifier in the outdoor shot put. In addition, he led four Tiger walk-on athletes to a 3-4-5-6 finish in the men’s javelin and Maria Romero to a third place finish in the women’s javelin at the SEC Championships.

Also under Pagel’s tutelage, LSU produced a scorer in the throwing events at the national meet for the first time since the 1998 season, as Javier Nieto finished eighth in the hammer at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Nieto’s throw also marked the first time an LSU athlete had scored in the hammer at an NCAA meet since the 1993 season.

Outside the college ranks, Pagel has been the coach behind 2003 Pan-Am Games javelin champion Kim Kreiner. Kreiner, the American record holder in the event, came to LSU to train with Pagel and currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach on the LSU track and field staff.

Prior to joining the LSU track and field program, Pagel spent five successful seasons as the associate head coach at Kent State University in Ohio. There he worked with the throwers, designed and implemented the team’s strength and conditioning program and served as the meet director at all home competitions.

Before his stint with the Golden Flash, Pagel coached extensively in the state of California between 1979-95, where he served on staffs at Long Beach State, San Diego State and San Diego Mesa College.

Pagel has also worked extensively with USA Track and Field as a national clinician in both the shot put and discus. He is certified as a USATF Master Coach and is qualified as a Level III instructor. Pagel also serves as the coordinator for the Junior Olympic Hammer Program, in addition to directing the Junior Elite Hammer Camp at the United States Olympic Training Center in San Diego, Calif. each year.

Well-respected on the international level as well, Pagel has served on coaching staffs at major international competitions in Japan, Switzerland, Sweden and England.

Also an accomplished athlete, Pagel was a four-year letterman at UCLA, competing on three NCAA national Championship teams (1971-73). He placed second in the shot put at the 1975 Pac-8 Championships with a throw of 61-11 and had lifetime bests of 62-11 in the shot put and 181-11 in the discus.

A native of Fullerton, Calif., Pagel is married to four-time United States Olympian Ramona Pagel, who currently coaches at Southeastern Louisiana University.