Coach Paul Brueske enters his fifth season with South Alabama's track & field program, and his fourth season as head coach for both programs. Under his direction, the USA cross country and track & field teams have produced 60 all-SBC performers and 27 NCAA regional qualifiers. Since Brueske's arrival, 24 school records have been set, including 10 new records in the throws and one from a women's relay team at the 2012 SBC Indoor Championships. South Alabama student-athletes have broken every women's throwing event school record; likewise for the men, save the javelin throw and indoor shot put.
Brueske has also coached seven school record-holders as well as one relay team that broke an SBC Indoor Championships record. South Alabama student-athletes have set records in the men's discus, men's weight throw, women's weight throw, women's indoor shot put, women's Javelin, men's hammer throw and women's hammer throw under the direct coaching of Brueske.
A remnant of Brueske's first recruiting class at the university, Lindsay Schwartz was a three-time NCAA All-American, a USTFCCCA Division I Academic All-American, a three-time SBC outdoor heptathlon and two-time indoor pentathlon champion, the 2011 SBC Most Outstanding Female Field Performer and the 2011-12 USA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. After posting a then-school-record 5,606 points in the heptathlon at the Texas Relays, Schwartz qualified to compete at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., where she set a new school record with 5,614 points through seven total events for 14th overall.
The Jaguar track and field and cross country teams have also produced 14 individual SBC Champions, including Angela McCord (javelin, 2010) and Joey Torres (discus, 2010-12; hammer, 2011), who also broke the Sun Belt record in the event. Torres, born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, threw a career-best 56.23m in the men's discus in April 2012, surpassing his home country's previous best, an Alfredo Romano 56.20m set in 2002, making Torres the nation's new leader.
Formerly the head coach of the boys' track program at St. Paul's Episcopal High School, Brueske led the team to back-to-back Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 5A outdoor state championships in 2006 and 2007. The Saints were also the 2007 indoor champions. Additionally, 15 student-athletes earned individual state titles during his tenure.
Prior to his arrival at St. Paul's High, Brueske worked with the UMS-Wright Preparatory track & field program, helping the Bulldogs to three consecutive state high school championships in both the girls and boys divisions during his time there. At UMS-Wright, he worked primarily with the field events and has worked with 15 individual 4A state champions in the throws, high jump and pole vault. He assisted UMS-Wright athletes establish new school records in the pole vault, javelin and shot put. Brueske was also an assistant with the UMS-Wright varsity football team that compiled a 38-4 winning record and won the 2002 4A state championship.
Brueske spent two seasons as the field events coach at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., from 2000-02. At Ferris State, he produced 14 NCAA qualifiers, three All-Americans and 22 all-conference performers. As an assistant coach, Brueske was in charge of recruiting and coaching all field event athletes. He also helped design strength training programs for the Ferris State golf, hockey and volleyball programs.
A native of Gulf Breeze, Fla., Brueske began coaching at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he spent three seasons. As the Assistant Head Coach, Brueske helped build McGill-Toolen into a 6A county and sectional champion.
A 1998 graduate of South Alabama where he was a member of the track team, Brueske holds USA Track & Field Level II certification in the throwing, jumping and combined events. He is a certified specialist in Sports Conditioning by the International Sports Science Association, a USA (Olympic) weightlifting certified club coach, and a USA Track & Field Level I Instructor. He worked for five years as strength coach for the tennis program at the University of South Alabama. He is a member of the Optimist Club of Mobile and the National Throws Coaches Association. Brueske is also the USA Track & Field Coaching Education Chairman in Alabama.
