Newberry Wolves Add Track and Field, Annouce Kimour Bruce as New Head Coach

Director of Athletics Ralph Patterson has announced the addition of men’s and women’s track and field to Newberry’s Division II sport portfolio along with the hiring of head coach Kimour Bruce.

Newberry is resurrecting its track program after a lengthy hiatus. The school had previously competed in track for over a decade, primarily in the 1930s, before discontinuing the program following the 1940 season.

Since moving to the NCAA ranks in the early 1990s, Newberry’s only appearance in a track event came in the 2013 Terrier Relays hosted by Wofford in Spartanburg, where a five-member Newberry contingent netted three top-10 finishes in a handful of distance events and the triple jump.

A 12-time All-American and seven-time national champion at Lincoln University in Missouri, Bruce comes to Newberry with tremendous track and field credentials. He holds the second-fastest 60-meter dash time in NCAA Indoor Championship history, completing the event in 6.62 seconds in 2011 to defend his title from the previous season, and helped Lincoln to three 4x100-meter relay titles in his four years.

“We are excited that Kimour Bruce will lead our men’s and women’s track program at Newberry,” said Patterson. “Coach Bruce has an impressive background and he will be an outstanding role model for our student-athletes.

“This is a great opportunity for him to build a championship caliber program at Newberry, and we’re pleased that Phil Peterson will assist Coach Bruce by continuing to coach our cross country teams, and will help Coach Bruce is all phases of the program. Please join me in welcoming Kimour Bruce and his family to Newberry College.”

Bruce’s success has extended to his time as a coach. Bruce comes to Newberry from South Atlantic Conference foe Coker, where he has served as an assistant coach since 2015. He also spent time as a graduate assistant at Adams State, as an assistant at Cloud County Community College, and on a volunteer basis at his alma mater.

In his time as a coach, Bruce has helped mentor three individual national champions, 17 conference champions, and 34 all-conference performers. He helped the Adams State women win an indoor national championship in 2014 and the men to a title the following season.

“It’s an honor for me to be the head coach of this program,” said Bruce. “This is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m happy to be a part of such a great staff, a family, that understands winning.”

The Wolves will begin competition next winter, giving Bruce just shy of a year to find student-athletes for the fledgling program. “I want kids who want to make their families proud in both athletics and academics. We’ll be a new team next year, but I want to have national qualifiers. I don’t want to just be a program that’s participating. I want to be competing.”

Newberry’s addition of the program coincides with the first season the SAC will sponsor indoor track and field, giving the Wolves opportunities to compete for conference championships in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

In his role, Bruce will oversee all of Newberry’s running programs while serving as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s track and field teams. Phil Peterson will continue to serve as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach while assisting Bruce during the track and field season.