Britten Olinger was announced as the head coach of the Montreat men's and women's track & field teams in 2016. Olinger later transitioned to the role of an assistant cross country and track & field coach following a serious car accident in 2017. He completed his eighth season with the Cavaliers in 2023-24.
COACHING AT MONTREAT
For his efforts during a stellar 2022 outdoor track & field season, Olinger captured the USTFCCCA South Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year honor. With Olinger's aid, the Cavaliers have claimed a total of 10 AAC Staff of the Year awards.
Under Olinger's leadership and assistance, the Montreat track & field teams have achieved unparalleled success. With the women's indoor track & field team, Olinger has helped coach athletes to 55 all-conference performances, 11 individual conference championship efforts and four NAIA All-American showings. In regards to the women's outdoor track & field team, Olinger has helped coach the Cavaliers to 44 all-conference efforts, four individual conference titles, one team conference championship and four NAIA All-American outings. Meanwhile, with the Montreat men's indoor track & field team, Olinger has helped coach athletes to 136 all-conferences performances, 35 individual conference crowns and 22 NAIA All-American honors. Outdoors, he's aided the men along the way to 104 all-conference efforts, 27 individual conference titles, three team conference championships, one individual national championship (long jump) and 14 NAIA All-Americans. Since being assigned as the horizontal and high jump coach in 2017-18, Olinger has coached 10+ NAIA All-Americans, 20+ NAIA national qualifiers and a national champion in jumps alone.
PRIOR TO MONTREAT
In addition to the coaching awards and athlete success, Olinger holds USA Track and Field Level 1 certification and USA Track and Field Level 2 certification in Jumps, which are both highly regarded qualifications. In the summer of 2021, he completed the USTFCCCA Jumping Event Specialist Certification program.
Olinger came to Montreat from Eastern Mennonite University where he spent the previous five years. From 2011-2015, Olinger served as the assistant cross country/track & field coach under current Montreat Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Jason Lewkowicz. After Lewkowicz left his post at EMU to come to Montreat, Olinger was promoted to head coach for the 2015-2016 season.
While coaching at the NCAA level, Olinger saw numerous athletes succeed under his watch, including a pair of NCAA Division III All-Americans, seven NCAA Division III National Qualifiers and four All-South/Southeast NCAA Region Cross Country runners. Olinger helped transform an EMU program that had less than ten athletes when he arrived in 2011. By the time the 2015-2016 season rolled around, the program had grown to 55 student-athletes and had attained tremendous team and individual success. During that year, Olinger's Royals had three individuals qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships with senior Hannah Chappell-Dick earning All-American honors. During the track season, there were three more national qualifiers and two more All-American performances. The men's indoor track & field team posted its highest team finish in a decade and highest point total since 2003. Seven EMU student-athletes were ranked in the top-50 nationally in their respective events while garnering 10 individual conference titles and 19 All-ODAC performances. Olinger's squad also re-wrote the EMU record books as the team earned 77 top-10 placements while setting three school records.
At Montreat, Olinger re-united with Lewkowicz, who guided the cross country programs while providing oversight of both the cross country and track & field programs. The two have a long history, as Olinger competed in cross country under Lewkowicz at UVA-Wise, where he graduated with a degree in history. After serving as an assistant at UVA-Wise for a season, Olinger coached in the high school ranks where he had successful stints at Patrick Henry High School and Abingdon High School in Virginia before making the jump to college coaching at EMU.
