Kunle Lawson
Director of Cross Country/Track & Field
614-236-6919
klawson@capital.edu
Kunle Lawson, a former NCAA Division III
student-athlete and assistant coach with more than 15 years of track
& field experience at the college level, was named Capital
University head men's and women's track & field coach on Sept. 7,
2011. He was promoted to director of cross country/track & field in
July 2012.
In his first season at the helm, Lawson
guided the Crusader women to fifth-place finishes at both the OAC Indoor
and Outdoor Championships. The women won the Capital Challenge (Jan.
14) and placed second at the Division III All-Ohio Championships (Feb.
11). The Capital men placed 10th at both conference meets and were
victorious at the Capital Challenge (Jan. 14) and the Mount St. Joseph
(Outdoor) Invitational (March 23). Lawson helped coach junior Joshua
Woods to a berth in the long jump at the NCAA Division III Championships
in Claremont, Calif., where he finished 19th. Overall, the teams set 12
new indoor school records and three new outdoor records.
Prior
to Capital, Lawson had served as assistant track & field/cross
country coach at the University of Richmond since 2007. While at
Richmond, Lawson mentored several conference champions, as well as a
handful of regional and national qualifiers, in a number of events.
As
a student-athlete, he was a two-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference
champion in the discus during his four-year career at Lynchburg (Va.)
College.
Prior to Richmond, Lawson held assistant coaching positions at the Ohio University (2005-07) and Lynchburg (1997-2003).
Lawson
also has a variety of experiences in strength & conditioning,
serving short stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs minor
league affiliates in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Lawson earned a
bachelor’s in business management from Lynchburg in 1997, and returned
to the school to earn a bachelor’s in exercise physiology in 2005. He
received his master’s in coaching education from Ohio University in
2007.
Lawson holds several certifications from various
organizations, including a USA Track & Field Level II Certification
in throws, jumps and combined events.