Brian Gawne enters his seventh season as an assistant coach with the Piedmont track and field teams in the fall of 2024. Gawne has over 30 years of coaching experience and oversees the throws unit and pole vault for the Lions.
The sixth season for Gawne saw more success, as he helped lead the Lions to a CCS Championship on the men's side while the women took second.
His fifth season in the program saw Gawne oversee the Lions deliver a clean sweep of the inaugural CCS Men's and Women's Track & Field Championships, the second sweep in three years. He helped Allie Feltus earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the discus while Cortney Brown earned honors in the javelin.
In his fourth season with the program, Gawne helped guide the Lions to a second place finish on both the men's and women's sides of the USA South Conference Championships. He helped guide freshman Allie Feltus to USTFCCCA All-Region honors while she was named Women's Field Rookie of the Meet at the USA South Championships.
The success continued in Gawne's third season as the men's and women's programs took home the USA South Conference Championship for the second time in two years he has been assisting the programs. Killian McClain took home Men's Field Athlete of the Meet while on the women's side Madison Cassidy was the pole vault champion and Nakiyah Washinigton setting new Piedmont and USA South records on her way to winning the shot put. After the outdoor season, Gawne helped Cassidy earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors.
The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19 but the Lions saw three indoor/outdoor records broken during the shortened season. In total, Gawne has helped guide the Lions to 16 total indoor/outdoor records with 13 during the 2019 season.
Gawne has led nine individual event champions at the USA South Conference Championships with the women sweeping the top three in both the pole vault and shot put in 2019. The nine event champions in 2019 came in the men's and women's pole vault, men's and women's high jump, men's and women's discus, men's and women's hammer and women's shot put.
Thanks in large part to those nine individual champions, both the men's and women's outdoor programs claimed the 2019 USA South Championships with Giahnni Fernandes earning Athlete of the Year on the women's side. Fernandes won the shot put, discus and hammer throw with three of Piedmont's eight victories in the women's championship.
In the men's championship, Killian McClain won the discus and hammer throw with Tyler Fisher taking bronze in both events. Will Underwood also took third with his mark in the shot put.
Gawne began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, The College at Brockport, in 1992 where he served as the throws and lifting coach for the first eight years at the college. In 2000, he was promoted to head coach.
During his time at Brockport, Gawne coached three Division III All-Americans (long jump, hurdles and javelin), two of which are in the college’s Hall of Fame. While acting as throws coach, Gawne coached 11 Division III national qualifiers and 44 SUNYAC Champions.
After his time at Brockport, Gawne returned to LA Webber Middle-High School where he coached boys and girls track & field and taught health education. In 2000, Gawne was named Dean of Students and held the position for 12 years.
Prior to his time in Brockport, Gawne spent seven years with the Lyndonville Central School District. During his time with Lyndonville, he coached three future NCAA Division I and three Division III athletes.
After retiring from the school district, Gawne returned to the collegiate level as the throws coach for Alfred University and Alfred State College.
Gawne graduated from SUNY Brockport in 1983 with a health education degree before receiving his Masters from SUNY Brockport in 1990 with a degree in health education.
In 2013, Gawne was elected to the College of Brockport Hall of Fame after a successful career as an undergraduate where he played football and competed with the track & field program. Gawne holds the school record in both the weight throw and hammer throw and was a two-time national qualifier.
In football, Gawne was a Division III All-American as a member of the offensive line.
Originally from Lyndonville, N.Y., Gawne will assist Jimison in all facets of the Lions track & field programs.
Last updated 8/24
