Luke Bryant enters his second year as an assistant coach-throws at Texas State. The former First-Team All-American thrower also serves as the assistant athletic director for major gifts, a position he has held since arriving at Texas State in 2016.
In his first season, Bryant led the Bobcat throwers to a historic season in 2021. He guided Brandon Busby, Dias Redmond II, and Tyler Noles to first, second, and eighth-place finishes at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships. It marks the first time in Texas State school history and the first time since 2007 that a school placed first and second in the shot put at the Sun Belt Indoor Conference Championships.
Bryant also played an instrumental role in Busby becoming the first athlete in Sun Belt history to win a conference championship in the discus, weight throw, and indoor shot put.
Busby dramatically won the weight throw when he posted a personal best of 19.64 meters on his final effort. As a result, he became the first Bobcat thrower to win both the shot put and weight throw at the Sun Belt Indoor Championship in nearly a decade. Busby’s performance earned him the Sun Belt Conference Field Athlete of the Year and the Sun Belt Conference Co-Most Outstanding Performer.
Bryant coached Busby to a 12-meter improvement in the hammer during the outdoor season when Busby broke the Texas State school record with a throw of 64.86m (212’9”). Busby also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary Rounds in the discus.
Bryant coached Ebony Wolridge, Lauryn Small, and Alex Headley to five meet victories and personal bests in the shot put, discus, hammer, and weight throw on the women’s side.
Bryant also served as the interim throws coach and handled his administrative duties during the 2018 fall semester. The throwers had a very successful 2019 Sun Belt Championships by winning the shot put at both the indoor and outdoor championships, winning the hammer throw, and sweeping the discus. Busby won the gold medal, Bobby Smith was second, and T’Mond Johnson finished third.
A former First-Team All-American thrower at Oklahoma, Bryant owned the No. 1 discus throw in the NCAA in 2012, set an OU school record, and won two Big 12 Championships in 2009 and 2012. He also was a finalist at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
He placed third at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships after winning the discus championship and setting a meet record at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. He was a four-time All-Big 12 performer (2009-12), a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection (2010-12), and a 2012 team captain for the Sooners.
He went to OU after winning a Gold Medal at the 2007 Junior Pan Am Games and a 2007 national championship in the discus at the 2007 Nike Outdoor National Championships. Bryant was on USA Today’s All-USA Track and Field Team and a Track and Field News All-American. He set a state meet record while winning the discus throw and earned a silver medal in the shot put at the 2007 Kansas State High School Championships.
Bryant earned a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2012 and his master’s degree in intercollegiate athletic administration in 2014 at Oklahoma. The Clearwater, Kan., native is married to the former Jessica Stone, who competed as a tennis student-athlete at Saginaw Valley State University. The couple resides in San Marcos.
