Oklahoma State University Athletics
John Baumann
February 27, 2009 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Assistant coach John Baumann enters his second season as Oklahoma State's throwing coach after spending six seasons at the University of Illinois. He also provides assistants in the sprints, jumps, and weight programs.
In his first season at OSU, Baumann helped develop LaKendra Greathouse and Deleanor Kirkpatrick into regional qualifiers.
Before his arrival in Stillwater, Baumann had a stellar coaching career at Illinois, where he helped guide several of his student-athletes to setting school records in the hammer, discus and the weight throw.
In 2002, Baumann saw the Illini throwers develop into some of the top throwers in the Big 10 Conference. The throwers broke two school records as Baumann coached three Illini into provisional qualifiers for NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. He then helped Gia Lewis set the school record in the 20-pound weight throw (62'0.5) on two occasions.
During the Outdoor season, Baumann coached Marie Hilmersson to an Illinois record in the hammer throw as she broke that mark by nearly 27 feet. Another of Baumann's students, Adeoti Oshinowo, performed well during the outdoor season in the shot put as she became just the third Illinois athlete to top 50 feet in the event.
Baumann has also been successful in coaching multi-event athletes, where he coached Illini's Jessica Bayne to an eighth-place finish in the heptathalon at the Big 10 Championships. Bayne scored a total of 4,724 points in one of the strongest fields in the meets history.
In 2001, Baumann led Gia Lewis to a Big 10 title in the discus and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she earned All-American honors. Baumann then watched Lewis set a school record in the discus. In 2000, Baumann helped Lewis train for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the discus.
Baumann joined the Illini's staff in February of 1998 after coaching at George Mason University, where he was the head strength coach for two years, along with serving as a volunteer assistant coach for both the men's and women's track and field teams.
At George Mason, Baumann was able to build a strong field program, by developing a national qualifier in both the long jump and the shot put.
Baumann then helped George Mason succeed into the 1996 NCAA Men's Indoor Champions, while finishing second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships that same year.
Prior to his arrival at George Mason, Baumann was a member of Gary Wieneke's Illinois men's track and field staff from 1993-95. Baumann coached the throwers, and helped the Illini win the 1994 Outdoor Big Ten Championships and finish fourth at the 1995 NCAA Indoor Championships.
During his coaching career, Baumann has coached 29 All-Americans, 34 NCAA qualifiers and 19 individual conference champions. He also coached nine of the 1996 Olympic team members and helped Rob Mussio (USA) qualify for the Olympics.
Baumann started his collegiate career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he redshirted in football and track. He then transferred to Doane College in Crete, Neb., where he was a 10-time NAIA All-American in the shot put and discus. With the success he had in track, he was also a three-year letterwinner in football. As a student-athlete at Doane College, he earned his B.S. in physical education in 1990.
Baumann and his wife, Lisa, have three daughters, Catabrean, Holly and Sadie, and one son, Max.
