John Zera is entering his fourth season as assistant track and field coach at Purdue. Zera[apos]s main responsibilities are coaching and recruiting for the shot put, discus, hammer, and weight throw.
The remarkable success of the Purdue throwers in the 2004 season led to Zera being named the United States Track Coaches Association Mondo Men[apos]s National Assistant Throws Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I Track & Field.
The highlight of the season was Nedzad Mulabegovic[apos]s appearance in the shot put at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Mulabegovic[apos]s lifetime best of 20.31m/66-7.75 qualified him for the Olympic Games, where he finished in 29th place.
The Boilermakers[apos] most impressive outing was at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where Purdue had a trio of throwers earn four All-America titles en route to a best-ever national finish of sixth place. Keith McBride was runner-up in the weight throw, Mulabegovic finished fourth in the shot put, and Scott Hecht finished fifth in the weight throw and 10th in the shot put.
In Big Ten action, the Purdue men outscored all other teams in the throwing events at both the indoor and the outdoor championships. Six throwers qualified for the NCAA Regional meet and three advanced to the NCAA Championships. McBride, Hecht, and John Paul Smolenski each finished the season ranked in the top-30 of the U. S., narrowly missing an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Trials.
On the women[apos]s side, the Purdue throwers were competitive at the conference and the national levels. A Boilermaker scored in each throwing event at the indoor and the outdoor Big Ten Championships. Tiffany Britten placed fourth in the shot put both indoors and outdoors, Magnuson placed among the top eight in the weight and hammer throws, and newcomer Astin Steward scored in the discus and weight throw. Mandy Bodnar joined Britten, Magnuson, and Steward in qualifying for the NCAA Regional meet. Magnuson advanced to compete at the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw.
In total, six school records were broken in 2004. Britten and Mulabegovic established new records in both the indoor and the outdoor shot put, Magnuson registered a new mark in the hammer throw, and McBride set a new standard in the weight throw.
Since joining the Purdue staff, Zera-coached athletes have excelled at the conference, national, and international levels. Zera has guided 12 student-athletes to the finals of a Big Ten championship a total of 47 times, including two conference champions and an additional 14 top three finishers.
Top-five performances on Purdue[apos]s all-time list have been attained by 11 different individuals. At the national level, six athletes have participated in the NCAA Championships, earning a total of seven All-America titles. Additionally, five athletes have competed at the USA Track and Field Championships. Smolenski was the 2002 Junior national champion in the hammer throw and volunteer coach, Toyinda Wilson Smith, finished third in the weight throw at the 2002 indoor championships.
In international competition, Mulabegovic participated in the 2004 Olympics and the 2003 World University Games, while Smolenski represented the United States at the 2004 North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) under-23 meet in Sherbrooke, Canada.
Before arriving in West Lafayette, Zera coached for three seasons at Marshall University, where he dramatically increased the number of conference finalists and school record performances. Prior to his coaching days at Marshall, Zera served as a graduate assistant at Miami University, where he developed the strength training programs and served as the coach for the men and women throwers.
Zera was a four-year letter winner in the shot put, discus, hammer and weight throw at Miami University. As a post-collegiate thrower, Zera finished sixth in the weight throw at the 1996 USATF indoor championships. Later that season, Zera finished 18th in the hammer at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
A native of Evanston, Illinois, Zera earned bachelor[apos]s degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing from Miami University in 1993. Zera earned a master[apos]s degree in exercise and health studies from Miami in 1998. Zera obtained Level II USATF certification in the Throws in 1999. He is married to the former Jodi Sullivan of Milford, Ohio. The couple has a daughter, Julia, and they reside in West Lafayette.