Grand Forks, N.D. – North Dakota Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach Jim Vahrenkamp announced the addition of two assistant coaches to his staff which includes Elijah Talk and Molly Jones Vahrenkamp. 
 
"I am excited to add both Molly and Elijah to the staff here at North Dakota," head coach Jim Vahrenkamp said. "Any time we can bring in people with this level of expertise and passion it is very exciting. I am committed to getting better as a program every day and today we got a lot better as a staff."

Seven-time NCAA Division II shot put All-American Talk will coach the Fighting Hawk throwers.  He was on three straight Division II national championship coaching staffs at Ashland, his alma mater.  The Eagle men captured the indoor and outdoor men's national titles in 2019 and the 2021 men's national indoor crown. 
 
Talk directly coached then-freshman Lindsay Baker to an outdoor shot put national championship and a national indoor runner-up finish in 2019. As a student-athlete at Ashland from 2015-2018, Talk threw a personal best 18.97m (62-3) in the shot put. 
 
"Ashland is one the best throws program in the NCAA regardless of Division," Vahrenkamp said.  "Jud Logan continues to put out coaches that elevate the sport of track and field everywhere they go.  Elijah will help elevate our throws group with a strong track record of student-athletes and coaches." 
 
Jones Vahrenkamp comes to North Dakota from Davidson College in the Atlantic 10 Conference where she mentored the sprints, jumps, throws, hurdles and multis.   She will work with the Hawk jumpers and sprinters. She coached conference champions in the shot put, 400m hurdles, and the 1600m relay at Davidson.  
 
Jones Vahrenkamp spent three years at Iowa in the Big Ten Conference coaching the pole vault, high jump and multis where she helped Kevin Spejcher and Khanishah Williams win Big Ten Conference high jump championships. 
 
Prior to her time in Big Ten, she spent two seasons at Florida State as a volunteer assistant with the short sprints, jumps, javelin and multis.  She worked with six All-Americans and was a part of the staff which won 2012 and 2013 ACC championships.  She contributed to the staff that brought in the top recruiting class in the country on the men's side according to Track And Field News in 2013.
 
She competed collegiately at Princeton where she scored in each conference meet she participated in.
 
"Molly is experienced with Division I success as a student-athlete in the Ivy League and a coach at the autonomy five level," Jim Vahrenkamp said.  "She brings 10 years of Division I coaching experience to the table that our student-athletes from various event groups can draw upon as well as the knowledge of competing as a Division I student-athlete.
 
A third assistant coach is planned to be named in the future.