Coaching Highlights
4 – Olympians
1 – NCAA individual champion
1 – NCAA national team championship at Arkansas
1 – SEC meet record holder
2 – SEC team championships at Arkansas
12 – SEC individual champions
5 – Top-5 team finishes at NCAA Championships
40 – First-team All-America selections
2011 – USTFCCCA Regional Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year – Great Lakes
John Newell was hired as an assistant throws coach in August of 2023. He is no stranger to the SEC, having made two stops over a 10-year period, and brings over 16 years of coaching experience to this Commodore team.
Achievements at Vanderbilt (2023-Present)
In his inaugural season with the Commodores, athletes Newell coached combined to score 34 of 70 points at the SEC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In 2024, he guided student-athlete to achieving three first-team and two second-team All-America selections. To end the NCAA season, SEC Field Athlete of the Year Veronica Fraley recorded a collegiate-best throw in the discus to win the NCAA title.
During the indoor season, SEC Freshman Field Athlete of the Year Giavonna Meeks recorded the No. 2 weigh throw mark in collegiate freshman history, 23.04 meters. At nationals, Meeks placed sixth, registering the best finish by a freshman in the weigh throw since 2004.
Before coming to Vanderbilt
Two athletes Newell coached competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Travis Bailey, representing the United States in the discus, and Steven Mozia, competing for Nigeria in the shot put. Stamatia Scarvelis, also coached by Newell, competed in the hammer throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for Team Greece.
At Arkansas – Volunteer Assistant Coach (2022-23)
During the 2022–23 season, he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Arkansas, where he coached men’s throws student-athletes. With Newell’s assistance, the Razorback men won the 2023 NCAA indoor team title and were runners-up to the outdoor team crown. That season, Rojé Stona, coached by Newell, recorded the No. 2 all-time mark in NCAA discus history, 68.64 meters, and earned a silver medal at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Stona and Ralford Mullings, also tutored by Newell, finished first and second, respectively, in the discus at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Stona also won a bronze medal in the shot put at the SEC Indoor Championships that year.
At Tennessee – Assistant Coach (2013-22)
For nine years, Newell was an assistant coach for the Volunteers, coaching one gold and two bronze medalists at the 2022 SEC Outdoor Championships and two silver medalists at that year’s SEC Indoor Championships. On a national level, he guided three first-team All-Americans, who totaled 14 points at the 2022 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. As a team, Tennessee finished third at both championship meets. Coached by Newell, 2021 SEC shot put champion Latavia Maines set a meet record in the event, throwing 18.71 meters. The Volunteers swept the SEC indoor shot put titles in 2020 under Newell’s guidance. Maines took the women’s title, while Joseph Maxwell placed first on the men’s side.
At Michigan State – Assistant (2007-13)
Newell began his coaching career as an assistant at Michigan State (2007–13). There, he tutored Beth Rohl, a walk on who eventually became a five-time Big Ten champion and two-time medalist between the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships in 2013.
Personal
In 2005, Newell graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He also received an Associate of Arts degree from Sacramento City College in 2002. As a student-athlete, he was a six-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships and was an All- America selection in the indoor shot put in 2005.
Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Vanderbilt (2023–present)
• Volunteer Assistant Coach, Arkansas (2022–23)
• Assistant Coach, Tennessee (2013–22)
• Assistant, Michigan State (2007–13)