Head Coach Dirk Doehring

Dirk Doehring is in his second season as the head track & field coach and his 10th overall with the Illinois College programs.

Doehring’s first season as the head coach was a success for both the IC men’s and women’s programs. 

The men’s team finished second at the Midwest Conference Outdoor Championships and boasted a second-team All-American in freshman Dylan Doss who placed 10th in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Doss was All-Midwest Region after both the indoor and outdoor seasons and fellow freshman Adam Hernandez earned the Newcomer of the Year honor after the outdoor Championships. That duo combined to win a total of three conference titles during the season (Hernandez in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and Doss in the indoor 200-meter dash). The Blueboys had a total of 16 All-Midwest Conference performances in 2024.

The IC women’s program enjoyed similar success during Doehring’s initial campaign as well. Freshman Deja Anderson was the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor 4 x 200-meter relay team of Mattie Brown, Haley Garrett, Fynesse Jones, and Anderson won the league indoor title and set a school record. Outdoors, the highlight of the season came when the 4 x 100-meter relay team of Brown, Mady Salisbury, Garrett, and Anderson cruised to the conference title, smashing both IC and Midwest Conference Outdoor Championship records in the process. The Lady Blues had a total of 20 All-Midwest Conference honorees in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

While on the Hilltop, Doehring has guided 32 conference champions and 119 All-MWC performers. Blueboy and Lady Blue athletes have set 21 school records during his tenure on the staff.

In 2017, both Andrea Hyde and Chris Moore were named MWC Newcomers of the Year at one of the MWC Championships, and in 2018 Hyde and Brett Peifer were awarded the Outstanding Track Performers of the Meet at the MWC Outdoor Championships. Marshall Brown was named the Men's Newcomer of the Year at the Outdoor Championships in 2019. Hyde was an eight-time NCAA Championship qualifier in her career. The men's 4 x 100 Meter Relay also qualified in 2018 for NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hyde ended her 2018 season as an All-American after finishing sixth in the 100-meter dash. and was an All-American again in 2020, ending the year eighth nationally in the 60-meter dash and 17th in the 200-meter dash.

Doehring came to IC from the University of Illinois where he was a volunteer assistant for two seasons. During that time, the Illini had 41 Big Ten finalists in sprints, jumps, and hurdles. Illinois had 11 individual Big Ten champions, six first-team All-Americans, and five second-team All-Americans. The 2015 squad won the Big Ten Outdoor title and finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Before his stint in Champaign, Doehring was the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Millikin for two seasons. The Big Blue boasted 14 CCIW champions and a pair of All-Americans in that span. Prior to becoming the Director, Doehring made stops as a volunteer assistant coach at Delaware State and Defiance and began his coaching career as an assistant at Millikin.

Doehring graduated from Millikin in 2002 and received his master’s degree from Defiance in 2010. He has a USATF Level One Certification and a USTFCCCA Jumping Events Specialist Certification. He and his wife, Angie, live in Springfield with their children, Ayden and Madeline, and their dog, Max.