Track & Field
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach - Throws Coach
- Email:
- dbabbitt@sports.uga.edu
- Phone:
- 706-542-7915
Email Coach Babbit
With the arrival of his 29th year in red and black and in his 41st year overall coaching, Don Babbitt has transformed the Georgia throws program into arguably the most continually talented group in the country. And along a total of 31 NCAA champions and 153 All-Americans, the dean of SEC throws coaches is perhaps the most accomplished throwing coach in the world. Babbitt was promoted to Associate Head Coach in June 2015 and since his promotion, the Bulldogs have finished in the top six nationally 18 times, including two national team titles and a trio of runner-up finishes.
Under Babbitt’s guidance since 1996, Georgia’s throwers have reached a continued high level of success. The Bulldog throwers have captured 16 NCAA titles, earned 118 All-American certificates and won 65 SEC titles since Babbitt arrived in Athens.
Thanks to the performances listed above and others, Babbitt has garnered the following honors while coaching at Georgia:
- 2003 USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2007 USTFCCCA East Region Women’s Throws Coach of the Year
- 2009 USTFCCCA East Region Men’s Throws Coach of the Year
- 58 athletes who have competed at the Olympic Games/World Championships
- His throwers have captured 26 medals in international competition
- His throwers have won 20 titles at the USA Championships
Nine NCAA titles, 67 All-American honors and 31 SEC crowns during the last 17 seasons further solidified Babbitt’s hold as one of the world’s premier throws coaches.
Most recently, another flurry of notable performances in a variety of events arrived under Babbitt’s watch in 2024. Marc Minichello’s second year training with Babbitt ended with an NCAA title outdoors in the javelin after the Penn graduate reached 80.70 meters/264 feet, 9 inches, marking his third series of the season at 80 or more meters. Collecting his second straight SEC championship to start the postseason, Minichello kicked off his final season with a national leading launch of 82.32m/270-1 to win the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational, which vaulted him to No. 2 in the school record books and No. 13 on the collegiate all-time list. Throws teammate Alex Kolesnikoff dropped a UGA personal best shot put of 19.78m/64-10.75 at the NCAA East Prelims to punch his ticket to NCAAs. Boosted by consistency the entire outdoor season, the Australian native later earned First Team All-America honors (6th – 19.70m/64-7.75). For the Lady Bulldogs, Babbitt guided Stephanie Ratcliffe to silver medal honors in the hammer throw at the SEC Championships with a UGA PB (67.68m/222-0) as she battled through injuries. Newcomer Kelsie Murrell-Ross posted a regular season shot put mark of 18.33m/60-1.75 (fifth best in NCAA), scored at the conference level and qualified for the NCAA Championships under Babbitt’s tutelage. Also of note, graduate transfer Erin McMeniman shattered her previous personal best with a javelin mark of 53.32m/174-11 (No. 6 in UGA history) for 10th at the NCAA Championships a month after taking sixth at SECs.
Indoors, Kolesnikoff launched the nation’s longest put in ‘24 (20.45m/67-1.25) at the New Balance Showdown, which ranked No. 2 in UGA history. Kolesnikoff returned to Boston to end the season and earned First Team All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the shot put. Murrell-Ross made her Lady Bulldog debut and quickly made her mark with a fourth place showing at SECs. Her effort of 17.10m/56-1.25 was a Grenadian national record and No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time top-10 list. Murrell-Ross also took control of the No. 10 spot in the UGA record books in the weight (18.63m/61-1.50).
In 2023, Babbitt’s corps of throwers scored at the conference and national level and continued to sharpen the school record books. A javelin specialist himself during his UCLA days, Babbitt began work with Minichello who finished the season as the SEC champion and a First Team All-American. Minichello’s season best of 80.62m/264-6 ranked second in Georgia history and stood at the No. 3 spot on the national list at season’s end. After coming from behind to win the Bulldogs’ 12th SEC title in the javelin all-time, Minichello sent his spear 77.27m/253-6 to take fourth at the NCAA Championships.
Also on the men’s side, Babbitt guided senior Alencar Pereira to a runner-up finish in the hammer throw at SECs and a personal record in the event (72.85m/239-0) that stands second on the Bulldogs’ all-time top-10 list and sixth on the NCAA’s 2023 list. Pereira finished one spot out of scoring at NCAAs. Fellow Brazilian Ana da Silva also surged during her final season under Babbitt’s tutelage in both the shot put and hammer throw. Da Silva went 17.62m/57-9.75 to win the LSU Invitational in the shot put and was a Second Team All-American in the event after taking sixth at SECs. In the hammer, Babbitt helped da Silva make the necessary changes that helped her lock down a fresh personal best (64.60m/211-11, No. 6 in UGA history) for 10th at the NCAA Championships.
Babbitt had another range of throwers improve on their career-best efforts, including his stepdaughter Julia Harisay. Harisay, who shot up to No. 7 in the school record books in the discus (50.41m/165-4), advanced to her first NCAA meet and scored for the second season in a row at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the javelin. Her training partner, McMeniman, also punched her ticket to Nationals in the javelin, scored during her first opportunity at SECs and took over the No. 10 spot in the school record books (50.48m/165-7).
While Elsie Igberaese bettered her hammer throw personal record to 64.01m/210-0 thanks in part to Babbitt’s teaching, Beverage used Babbitt’s techniques to improve his career best to 18.81m/61-8.50, which ranks No. 9 in UGA history, during the 2023 outdoor campaign.
Babbitt also continued to work with decathlete Kyle Garland and during a combined events competition at the Mt. SAC Relays, Garland posted the all-time best collegiate dec shot put mark of 16.77m/55-0.25.
Babbitt continued the development of his throwers by having two SEC scorers and making a pair of improvements to Georgia’s all-time top-10 lists during the 2023 indoor campaign. Da Silva posted a season-best shot put toss of 17.25m/56-7.25 to take fourth while Pereira managed a sixth-place showing in the weight throw. Pereira rocketed to fourth in the Bulldog record books in the weight at the Dr. MLK Jr. Invite with a toss of 21.89m/71-10. In the women’s weight, Igberaese improved to No. 7 on the school’s all-time top-10 list after reaching 19.57m/64-2.50 at the Tiger Paw Invite.
Babbitt’s throwers earned four All-America certificates in 2022, broke two school record and captured the women’s SEC outdoor shot put title. Competing for the first time in the red and black, da Silva worked up to a school record of 17.52 meters/57 feet, 5 ¾ inches, which ranked ninth nationally, for bronze honors at the SEC Championships. The Brazil native answered that performance with a First Team All-America showing at Nationals after finishing seventh. Outdoors, da Silva launched the longest toss of her career for a school record (18.46/60-6.75) on her sixth and final toss to secure the Lady Bulldogs their first SEC shot put title since 2000. She went on to win the Brazilian National Championships and competed at the 2022 World Championships. Da Silva was one of a number of competitors who experienced success under Babbitt’s tutelage in 2022. Pereira earned SEC runner-up honors in the hammer throw after building to a PR of 70.74/232-1 during the regular season finale and qualified for Nationals for the second year in a row. Pereira’s year began with establishing a fresh career best in the weight throw (21.30/69-10.75) indoors. Another second-place finish at SECs came from Ahmed Magour in the javelin after the Qatar native acquired the fifth-longest throw in Bulldog history (74.40/244-1). He returned to score at his first NCAA Championships. In addition, Beverage eclipsed 61 feet outdoors in the shot put to earn a spot on the school’s all-time list and qualify for the NCAA Prelims. Igberaese, Mia Anderson and Harisay also all tallied a combo of personal bests in the weight throw, shot put, hammer, discus and javelin.
In 2021, Babbitt wrapped up the collegiate development of javelin standout Marie-Therese Obst as she won seven meets in her final campaign, including capturing the 2021 SEC and NCAA titles. Obst topped out at a school record 61.37 meters (201 feet, 4 inches) in her final home meet at the Spec Towns Invitational and ended as the NCAA’s No. 4 all-time collegiate performer.
Babbitt concluded coaching one of the Bulldogs’ all-time greats, Denzel Comenentia, in 2019. Comenentia finished his UGA career as a 13-time First Team All-American, eight-time SEC individual champion, two-time NCAA individual champion and the Amsterdam native accomplished a feat in 2019 that had never been conquered in history. Comenentia balanced a trio of events at the NCAA Championships and scored in all three, including a runner-up finish in the shot put (20.77m, 68-1.75) and fifth-place showings in both the discus (a personal record of 59.97m, 196-9) and the hammer throw (72.93m, 293-3). Following Babbitt’s leadership, Comenentia was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Co-South Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year outdoors for the second straight year. He also captured the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy for the second year in a row as the league’s high scorer at the conference meet thanks to his third shot put title in a row and second-place finishes in both the discus and hammer. His personal bests from his final outdoor campaign featured a hammer mark of 76.80m (252-0, No. 10 all-time collegiate performer, longest NCAA mark in 2019, Dutch national record), a shot put effort of 20.78m (68-2.25, No. 5 on 2019 NCAA list) and a personal-best discus mark that finished No. 2 on Georgia’s all-time list.
Comenentia earned another USTFCCCA honor at the conclusion of the indoor season as he was third in both the weight throw (23.32m, 76-6.25) and the shot (20.58m, 67-6.25) at the NCAA meet and won his second SEC indoor shot crown. Babbitt tuned his All-American up to muscle a school record in the shot (20.72m, 67-11.75), which ended up being the country’s third-longest toss of the year, and the NCAA’s third-longest weight throw of 2019 with a mark of 23.52m (77-2).
On the women’s side, Obst launched the then fifth-longest javelin effort in UGA history during the 2019 campaign, was third at SECs and qualified for another NCAA Prelims. In addition, Hayden Merrick worked her way up to No. 4 on Georgia’s all-time list in the discus to finish one spot from qualifying for Nationals with a toss of 52.34m (171-9).
In 2018, Babbitt directed Comenentia to two NCAA crowns, four First Team All-America honors and a trio of SEC individual championships. Most importantly, Comenentia was the key component to bringing the Bulldogs’ first NCAA team crown back to Athens outdoors. Sweeping the hammer throw and shot put at the SEC Outdoor Championships for the second straight year (while also placing in the discus to win the Commissioner’s Trophy as the meet’s high scorer), Comenentia collected the hammer and shot put NCAA titles together for only the third time in meet history to lead the Bulldog men to their national championships. Babbitt first coached the Amsterdam native to reach a school record distance of 20.44m (67-0.75) in the indoor shot put and 23.71m (77-9.50) in the weight throw, which is a mark that sits only behind one of Babbitt’s former throwers, NCAA champion and Olympian Andras Haklits (79.30m, 80-2). Outdoors, Comenentia improved to second on Georgia’s all-time list in the shot (20.88m, 68-6), hammer (a Dutch national record of 76.41m, 250-8) and discus (58.81m, 192-11). The effort in the hammer put Comenentia as the No. 10 all-time collegiate performer and gave the Bulldogs two on the all-time list as Haklits remains No. 2.
Babbitt’s trend of coaching his student-athletes to greatness became even more evident as the native of Santa Monica, Calif., led freshman Freya Jones to the 2013 NCAA javelin title and four other throwers to All-America honors that year. In 2014, his throwers swept the SEC hammer throw titles (first time the Bulldogs have won both since 2001; UGA accomplished the feat again in 2017) and added six more All-America certificates, including three top-six national finishes in the men’s hammer, men’s shot put and women’s javelin. Alex Poursanidis won his second consecutive SEC hammer championship in 2015 and Ashinia Miler topped a 20-year-old school record in the indoor shot put (20.31m, 66-7.75) as Babbitt’s corps picked up another pair of First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. When 2016 had come and gone, Babbitt had directed then freshman Comenentia to First Team All-America honors in the indoor shot put and Ashinia Miller to a sweep of the SEC shot put titles.
Babbitt’s throwers have seen success throughout the 2000s. Nikola Lomnicka registered four All-America certificates over her years at UGA (2010-12) to go along with the 2010 national title in the hammer throw, marking Georgia’s third championship in the event during a five-year span (2006-10). In 2009, Chris Hill won his second consecutive NCAA title in the javelin throw and capped his NCAA career with a USATF National Championship as well with a throw of 83.87m (275-2). This mark established a new NCAA American collegiate record.
Other notable Bulldog performers under Babbitt’s tutelage include now former collegiate record holder Jenny Dahlgren (hammer throw), 2003 NCAA champion Lucais MacKay (hammer) and the three-time national champion Haklits (two hammer, one weight). In 2007, Dahlgren finished her Bulldog career with three NCAA titles, eight All-American certificates and four SEC titles while the Argentinian shattered school, SEC, collegiate, NCAA Championship and South American records in the hammer throw (72.94m, 239-3) under Babbitt’s guidance. Two years before Dahlgren’s finale, Babbitt led his throwers to eight top-20 finishes during the 2005 NCAA Championships, highlighted by Trevor Snyder’s second-place finish in the javelin and Dahlgren’s pair of top-five finishes in the NCAA Championships.
In 2003, Babbitt guided MacKay to All-America honors in the weight, hammer and discus as MacKay became a six-time All-America thrower while at UGA. Babbitt also coached MacKay to an NCAA title in the hammer throw and led Panagiotis Mavraganis to All-America honors in the weight throw as well as SEC titles in the weight and hammer throws in 2003.
In addition, Babbitt has had a long-term coaching relationship with Haklits, the four-time Croatian Olympian and hammer record holder. Haklits finished eighth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and seventh in the hammer at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany.
Babbitt has also guided a number of the world’s top performers at the professional level. These include 2004 Olympic champion and 2005 World Outdoor shot put champion Adam Nelson and 2006 World Indoor and 2007 World Outdoor shot put champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Reese Hoffa. Hoffa developed into the world’s most consistent thrower over a 15-year period and will go down, along with Nelson, as one of the all-time greats in the sport. Babbitt is has also served as the personal coach of eight-time U.S. Champion and current American record holder Breaux Greer (javelin), as well as Canadian record holder Jason Tunks (discus) and three-time Canadian Olympian and former Canadian record holder Brad Snyder (shot put).
Babbitt came to Athens from California State University in Los Angeles where he was an assistant from 1988-96. He built the Cal State-Los Angeles throwing program into the strongest at the NCAA Division II level, producing 46 NCAA qualifiers, 39 All-Americans and 15 NCAA Champions.
Babbitt received his bachelor’s degree in Biology from UCLA in 1989 and his Master’s degree in Exercise Science from Cal State-Los Angeles in 1994. He is currently completing a PhD in Kinesiology (Sport Pedagogy) at the University of Georgia.
An avid writer and clinician, Babbitt has written over 83 articles and three book chapters for publications on six continents and in six different languages. He has also conducted clinics and seminars on six different continents, including 18 different states in the US. Babbitt has served the Throws Editor for the World Athletics Coaches Education Program and a World Athletics Level V Lecturer for the World Athletics Throws Academy Courses since 2009. In addition, Babbitt produced and taught the throws curriculum for the new USATFCCCA Coaching Academy which was established in 2011 and has contributed to the development of the UK Athletics Coaching Education Curriculum for the heavy throws (shot, discus, hammer) and ALTIS’ Coaching Education Program.
Babbitt is also an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and designed strength and conditioning programs for Cal State-Los Angeles’ basketball, soccer and track and field teams. He served as assistant manager and throws coach for the U.S. men’s track and field team at the 1997 World University Games in Italy. He has also been a national team coach for Canada, Croatia, Taiwan, Netherlands and Argentina in various major international championships.
While at UCLA, Babbitt competed in the javelin throw for the Bruins, placing seventh at the 1988 Pac-10 Outdoor Championships.
Babbitt is married to the former Petra Juraskova, who is a member of the NCAA Division II NCAA Track & Field Hall of Fame. They have two daughters, Julia (born in 1998), and Veronika (born in 2006). Julia competed on Princeton’s track and field team and was a graduate transfer NCAA qualifier in the javelin for the Bulldogs. Julia reached 52.03m/170-8 for fourth place at her first SEC Championships in 2022 and rocketed to sixth on the school’s all-time list.
