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Mark Macdonald Position: Assistant Coach

• BORN: April 15, 1969
• HOMETOWN: Spanaway, Washington
• COLLEGE: Washington State University (B.A., 1992; M.A. 1993)
• COACHING EXPERIENCE: Washington State University, 1992-94, graduate assistant coach, 1994-95, assistant track and field coach.
• WSU APPOINTMENT: 1994 - Assistant track and field coach

Mark Macdonald has a career of consistently coaching student-athletes to banner seasons. An outstanding Cougar track and field student-athlete, Macdonald has coached at WSU for the past 17 seasons, mentoring the hurdlers and working with Ellannee Richardson coaching the relays. He also serves as the program's recruiting coordinator. Macdonald was named the 2009 USTFCCCA West Region men's team Assistant Track Coach of the Year. He is credited with bringing in back-to-back women's recruiting classes ranked among the top ten nationally by Track & Field News. In the past seven years, WSU's recruiting classes have included 97 state or junior college champions.

Highlights during the past four years include Jeshua Anderson's intermediate hurdles win at the USA Outdoor Championships after claiming four consecutive Pac-10 titles and three NCAA crowns. Anderson, currently training with Macdonald in Pullman for the 2012 London Olympic Games, was also the 2008 USA Junior and World Junior title-holder, and 2010 NACAC intermediate hurdles champion. His time of 47.93 is the all-time best at WSU and was a finalist for the 2011 Bowerman Award.

At the 2011 Pac-10 Championships, Cougars captured three of the top five places in the men's 400m hurdles with Anderson winning, J Hopkins fourth and Dana Wells fifth. At the 2009 conference meet, Lorraine King captured the 2009 women's intermediate hurdles title while four of the eight men scorers in the 400m hurdles were Cougars.

Macdonald also coached Anna Layman to the 800m title at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships as well as to two All-America certificates (2008 and 2010).

WSU had three consecutive champions in the Pac-10 men's 100m dash including two-time champ and 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor Anthony Buchanan (2003, 2004), and 2004 and 2008 Canadian Olympian Anson Henry (2002). Macdonald coached Ellannee Richardson in her transition from heptathlon to the 400m hurdles where she achieved a PR of 55.61 and finished ninth at the 2004 Olympic Trials. He also coached former USA record-holder Dominique Arnold to the men's 110m hurdles title at the 1996 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and Arend Watkins to two top-eight national finishes. Two-time All-American intermediate hurdler Eric Dudley, the 2003 CoSIDA/Verizon Track & Field Academic All-American of the Year, competed in both the 2004 and 2008 US Olympic Trials.

At the 2001 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Macdonald had Cougars competing in all four hurdles events - the only Division I program to accomplish that feat.

He also directed the school's record-holders in the women's 4x100m relay team - Attrina Higgins, LaTroya Mucker, Ellannee Richardson and Francesca Green - to a 44.50 time to win the title at 1999 at the Pac-10 Meet. The 2003 4x400m relay team of Tiffany Giles, Monique Jessie, Angelita Green and Ellannee Richardson set the school indoor record of 3:35.49 and finished seventh at the NCAAs. With Tamara Gulley running in place of Green that same year, the relay set the WSU outdoor record of 3:33.65.

Macdonald protégé Randi Smith finished second in the women's 400m hurdles at the 2000 USATF Junior National Championships with a school record time of 57.07 which was also the fifth-fastest time in the world that year for a junior competitor (ages 14-19).

After a successful prep career as a multi-sport athlete at Bethel High School where his father Mike was the track and field coach, Macdonald achieved All-America status as an intermediate hurdler at Washington State. Macdonald's 400m hurdles seventh place finish in the 1992 NCAA Championships at Austin, Texas, was his third appearance at a national championship.

He served as the team captain of WSU's 1992 National Dual Meet Champion squad and competed in the 400m hurdles at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. Macdonald was twice named to the All-Pac-10 Academic Track and Field Team and honored as WSU's Pac-10 1992 Conference Medal Winner.

Macdonald graduated from WSU with a B.A. in Social Studies Education in 1992, and earned a master's degree in Athletic Administration in 1993.