PITTSBURG — Pittsburg State University assistant track and field coach Brian Mantooth, a Caney native, has been named the NCAA Division II South Central Region Men’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

As throws coach for Pittsburg State, Mantooth has had a huge impact on the Gorillas’ team success in 2009. Pittsburg State will be represented at the 2009 NCAA-II Outdoor National Championships by two student-athletes who between them cover all four throwing events (Brian Allen: discus, hammer, shot put; Mike Beeler, javelin).

During the 2009 indoor season, Mantooth coached student-athletes to four NCAA qualifying marks, and junior Brian Allen earned a pair of All-America honors. Outdoors, the Gorillas earned six NCAA qualifying marks and scored 70 points at the MIAA Championships to lead Pittsburg State to a second-place team finish.

Mantooth is in his first year as a full-time assistant coach at his alma mater, after serving as a part-time assistant for eight years. He was a three-time All-MIAA performer as a student-athlete for the Gorillas, helping Pitt State capture the 2000 MIAA Outdoor Championship.

A 1996 graduate of Caney Valley High School, Mantooth earned a bachelor’s degree in wood technology from Pittsburg State in 2001.