Luke Syverson enters his 10th year as Head Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Coach here at Berry. The three-time SAA Men’s Coach of the Year was hired in 2015 to lead the revitalized program.
This past season, Syverson led the men and women's team to second place finishes in the SAA for both indoor and outdoor. He led four individuals to the NCAA Championships with three All-America honors, two from a standout in the shotput - Onoyeme Egure. He coached both SAA Indoor Field Athletes of the Year and placed many on All-Region teams.
During the 2023-24 season, the Men’s team won its third straight SAA Outdoor Conference Championship (2022, 2023, 2024) after finishing Runner-Up at the inaugural Indoor Championship. Their Outdoor Championship team point total of 277.5 pts broke their own conference championship record for most points scored at the meet. Both JR Alden McDonald (Pole Vault) and Jahari Jones (200m & 400m) represented the Vikings at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
The Women’s team finished Runner-up at both the SAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships matching its best finish in program history with SO Macy Murdock representing Berry at the NCAA Outdoor Championship meet in the 400H.
Since the 2016 season, Viking Track & Field Athletes have produced;
100 Combined Men’s and Women’s Individual and Relay SAA Champions
317 Combined SAA All-Conference (Top-3) Performances
386 Combined SAA All-Academic Honors
114 Combined USTFCCCA Indoor and Outdoor All-Region Honors
Viking Men competed at the NCAA Championships 8 times with 5 All-American Honors
Viking Women have competed at the NCAA Championships 6 times earning 4 All-American Honors
Both Men’s and Women’s programs have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Honors every year since restarting the program in 2016
Berry T&F athletes have been named SAA Field Athlete of the Year 6 times (4 for the Women and 2 for the Men), two Men’s Newcomer of the Year awards and one USTFCCCA Women’s Field Athlete of the Year Award.
Prior to Berry, Syverson served as the Assistant Track & Field and Cross Country coach at NCAA DI Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. While at Lipscomb, Syverson served as the recruiting coordinator for Track & Field and Men’s distance events. Lipscomb won four Atlantic Sun Conference titles in Women’s Cross Country and two in Men’s Cross Country, the Bison’s first conference championships in those two sports, during his time there. He also coached three-time NCAA DI All-American, Gemikal Prude, in the Men’s High Jump to a school record height of 7’ 3.5”.
Syverson’s athletes also captured numerous ASUN titles in the Discus and Javelin along with three different student-athletes qualifying for the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships. Syverson coached field event athletes set or broke 18 Indoor and Outdoor school records at Lipscomb.
Prior to moving to Nashville, Syverson was the Athletic Director and Dean of Students at Mount Rainier Lutheran High School in Tacoma, Wash., from 2005-2010. Syverson was charged with creating the first athletic program at the new school and became the school’s first cross country and track & field coach. In his five years there, Syverson’s teams captured three WIAA state track & field championships, sweeping both the boy’s and girl’s titles in 2010. It was the first time a school in their classification had swept both titles in state history. He was named Sea-Tac League Coach of the Year six times in cross country and track.
Between 1996 and 2002, Syverson served as the assistant track & field coach at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., where he was responsible for coaching the jumps. Whitworth had numerous conference and NAIA and NCAA DIII national qualifiers in the jumps under Syverson’s guidance.
Syverson has coached all event areas at both the high school and collegiate level. He is a USATF Level 1 and 2 certified coach in the Sprints/Hurdles/Relays. He also holds a USTFCCCA Technical Coaching certification in the Throws and is completing his Master’s Coaching Endorsement in the Javelin through the USTFCCCA. Between 2016-2023, Syverson served as the South Region representative on the USTFCCA D3 Executive Committee.
Syverson competed in the Long Jump and Triple Jump for Washington State University of the Pac-12 Conference and completed his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University in Physical Education and Outdoor Recreation in 1998.
Luke and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Rome.
