Bio

Michael Stark's time as assistant men's and women's track and field coach has seen the men's team finish first or second in the University Athletic Association (UAA) on 17 occasions during his 12 years with the team while the women's team had one of its best finishes in program history for the indoor season in 2022 with a third-place finish at the association championships.

UAA Coaching Staff of the Year Awards
2023 – Men’s Outdoor
2019 – Men’s Indoor
2017 – Men’s Indoor, Men’s Outdoor
2013 – Men’s Indoor
2012 – Men’s Outdoor

As the pole vault coach, Stark has mentored one All-American, two NCAA competitors, and one three-time UAA Champion.

His career as a Tartan coach started with improved marks and All-UAA honors by athletes in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump.

Major Athlete Honors:
All-American – Michelle Karabin 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships and 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships
NCAA Competitors – Michelle Karabin 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships and 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Grace Yee 2017 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships
All-Region Honors – Women – 13; Men - 10
UAA Champions – Women – 3; Men - 4
All-UAA Honors – Women – 13; Men – 22

Before joining the Tartans, Stark was a four-year varsity letter winner on the track and field team at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College where he graduated with a degree in finance and economics with a minor in management in 2011. As a freshman, Stark was named Rookie of the Year for the program as he also garnered three indoor team MVP awards and two outdoor team MVP awards.

While at Behrend, Stark set the school records in the decathlon, 60m hurdles, and pole vault. A multiple conference title winner in pole vault, decathlon, hurdles, high jump, and long jump, Stark met provisional qualifying marks in the pole vault and hurdles, thus earning USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.

Stark is currently working for PNC as a Relationship Strategist Manager in their Wealth Management department after holding a position at BNY Mellon in Pittsburgh as a Portfolio Manger in the Wealth Management department. He holds the following coaching certifications; USTFCCCA Track & Field Technical Certification, National Pole Vault Coaches Association and NFHS Pole Vault Certification, and is a Pole Vault Safety Certification Board member.