Director of Track and Field, Andy Sythe, Signs Contract Extension
5/9/2022 1:23:00 PM | Track and Field
Andy Sythe will continue at the helm of the LBSU track and field program through 2025.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Director of Track and Field, Andy Sythe, has signed a contract extension through the 2025 season. The news was announced on Monday by Executive Director of Athletics, Andy Fee.
"We are excited that Coach Sythe will continue to guide our track and field programs moving forward," said Executive Director of Athletics Andy Fee. "He is a master coach and the success of our programs on the track and in the classroom is a testament to his leadership and character. His commitment to doing things the right way is a shining example that will lead to much success for our student-athletes under his direction."
Long Beach State would not be what it is today without Sythe. After serving as an Assistant Coach in 1988-89, he was hired as the head coach at the age of 23 becoming the youngest Division I head coach in the country.
In the middle of his 33rd year at the helm of The Beach (34th overall), he is currently the longest tenured coach of any program at any school in the Big West Conference.
In his time leading the Beach, he has been named the Big West Coach of the Year nine times, most recently in 2019, and also garnered the award in four consecutive seasons from 2013-16. His leadership has led Long Beach State to 13 men's conference titles, the most by any program in the history of the Big West, as well as the first ever women's title in 2019.
Individually on the national stage, he has guided 73 All-Americans, 129 NCAA Championship Qualifiers, and 319 NCAA Regional Qualifiers. Most notable was Jason Hinkin in 1997, who went on to win the NCAA National Indoor Championship in men's Pole Vault, the first National Champion in the Sythe Era, as well as numerous NCAA runner-ups. His teams have also represented the university at 32 national championships during his 33 years with the Beach.
On the national stage as a team, his men have finished in the Top 25 at the NCAA Championships three times with the highest finish in 2006 when they finished 16th. His men's teams have also been nationally recognized as the top NCAA Track & Field program for Division I universities that do not sponsor football. Called the All-Sports Trophy, the Athletics Directors Association named Long Beach State that program in 2013-14 and again in 2020-21.
Sythe has also produced 21 Big West Athletes of the Year, six Big West Freshmen of the Year, and 167 Individual Conference Champions. Most recently to earn athlete of the year honors was Jason Smith, who is also a two-event U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier, five-time NCAA Championship Qualifier, five-time All-American, and four-time individual conference champion.
The Long Beach State record books have changed drastically over the years with Sythe's athletes owning 32 of 45 outdoor program records and 32 of 34 indoor records. Of that group, seven of them have been broken during this 2022 season.
More than just a leader of athletic performance, Sythe has established a phenomenal culture in the classroom, leading his student-athletes to seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 59 USTFCCCA All-Academic teams, 97 USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans, 550 Academic All-Conference selections, and almost 200 perfect 4.0 GPA semesters. The women's cross country and track and field teams have garnered All-Academic honors in 25 consecutive seasons going back to the inception of the award in 1997, one of just a few programs in all of NCAA to accomplish this unblemished streak.
"Long Beach State is an amazing place with a great culture," said Sythe. "The people make it special and our location is the absolute best. Even with so many aspects of our university and our programs being top-notch, I've always seen unlimited growth potential here. As we continue to advance our program, I envision the ability for Long Beach State to rival the major universities in the country in the sport of Track & Field."
Sythe continued, "I am grateful to stay a part of this incredible community and want to thank our Director of Athletics, Andy Fee, and the athletics administration for their support and belief in me. We could not be who we are as a program without amazing coaches. This current staff has developed into so much more than I could have imagined when we started our journey together. My day-to-day motivation is the student-athletes, and ours happen to be exceptional. I am proud of our many accomplishments, but I am equally proud that we are a diverse group and that our diversity is a source of strength for this program. We see ourselves as a family and are unified in our efforts to achieve our common collective goals. As a result, I get to witness greatness on a day-to-day basis. It's what makes being in this program so special."
"We are excited that Coach Sythe will continue to guide our track and field programs moving forward," said Executive Director of Athletics Andy Fee. "He is a master coach and the success of our programs on the track and in the classroom is a testament to his leadership and character. His commitment to doing things the right way is a shining example that will lead to much success for our student-athletes under his direction."
Long Beach State would not be what it is today without Sythe. After serving as an Assistant Coach in 1988-89, he was hired as the head coach at the age of 23 becoming the youngest Division I head coach in the country.
In the middle of his 33rd year at the helm of The Beach (34th overall), he is currently the longest tenured coach of any program at any school in the Big West Conference.
In his time leading the Beach, he has been named the Big West Coach of the Year nine times, most recently in 2019, and also garnered the award in four consecutive seasons from 2013-16. His leadership has led Long Beach State to 13 men's conference titles, the most by any program in the history of the Big West, as well as the first ever women's title in 2019.
Individually on the national stage, he has guided 73 All-Americans, 129 NCAA Championship Qualifiers, and 319 NCAA Regional Qualifiers. Most notable was Jason Hinkin in 1997, who went on to win the NCAA National Indoor Championship in men's Pole Vault, the first National Champion in the Sythe Era, as well as numerous NCAA runner-ups. His teams have also represented the university at 32 national championships during his 33 years with the Beach.
On the national stage as a team, his men have finished in the Top 25 at the NCAA Championships three times with the highest finish in 2006 when they finished 16th. His men's teams have also been nationally recognized as the top NCAA Track & Field program for Division I universities that do not sponsor football. Called the All-Sports Trophy, the Athletics Directors Association named Long Beach State that program in 2013-14 and again in 2020-21.
Sythe has also produced 21 Big West Athletes of the Year, six Big West Freshmen of the Year, and 167 Individual Conference Champions. Most recently to earn athlete of the year honors was Jason Smith, who is also a two-event U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier, five-time NCAA Championship Qualifier, five-time All-American, and four-time individual conference champion.
The Long Beach State record books have changed drastically over the years with Sythe's athletes owning 32 of 45 outdoor program records and 32 of 34 indoor records. Of that group, seven of them have been broken during this 2022 season.
More than just a leader of athletic performance, Sythe has established a phenomenal culture in the classroom, leading his student-athletes to seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 59 USTFCCCA All-Academic teams, 97 USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans, 550 Academic All-Conference selections, and almost 200 perfect 4.0 GPA semesters. The women's cross country and track and field teams have garnered All-Academic honors in 25 consecutive seasons going back to the inception of the award in 1997, one of just a few programs in all of NCAA to accomplish this unblemished streak.
"Long Beach State is an amazing place with a great culture," said Sythe. "The people make it special and our location is the absolute best. Even with so many aspects of our university and our programs being top-notch, I've always seen unlimited growth potential here. As we continue to advance our program, I envision the ability for Long Beach State to rival the major universities in the country in the sport of Track & Field."
Sythe continued, "I am grateful to stay a part of this incredible community and want to thank our Director of Athletics, Andy Fee, and the athletics administration for their support and belief in me. We could not be who we are as a program without amazing coaches. This current staff has developed into so much more than I could have imagined when we started our journey together. My day-to-day motivation is the student-athletes, and ours happen to be exceptional. I am proud of our many accomplishments, but I am equally proud that we are a diverse group and that our diversity is a source of strength for this program. We see ourselves as a family and are unified in our efforts to achieve our common collective goals. As a result, I get to witness greatness on a day-to-day basis. It's what makes being in this program so special."
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