Ryan Conan Joins Lobo T&F as Assistant Coach for Jumps
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico Track & Field Head Coach Darren Gauson announced the addition of Ryan Conan to the Lobos’ staff as the Assistant Coach for jumps ahead of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday.
Conan – who joins the Lobos by way of Southern Utah, where he has been a part of the Thunderbirds’ staff for the last seven seasons – will be primarily responsible for coaching long jump, triple jump and high jump athletes at UNM. Conan was an all-conference sprinter/hurdler for SUU during his time as an athlete from 2014-17 and coached in a volunteer/part time capacity for the Thunderbirds for the next four seasons before becoming a full-time coach ahead of the 2021-22 season.
“I’m excited to join such a great program with a staff whose goals align so closely with my own,” Conan said on why he chose to join the Lobos’ staff. “The University of New Mexico is an amazing institution – it’s an excellent program with a history of success on the track and I’m ready to see what we can all achieve together!”
In his last three seasons at SUU, Conan coached 19 All-Conference athletes, 14 NCAA regional qualifiers and five All-Americans, with his athletes breaking 28 school records in that span. He also coached UNM outdoor and indoor program record holder Lizzie White to her first All-American honors in the long jump in 2022 before she transferred to UNM the following season.
“We’re so excited to add Coach Conan to this key role on our staff. After conducting a national search, Ryan rose to the top of our list. He’s done an incredible job of developing national level jumpers at Southern Utah and is a proven commodity.”
Most recently in 2023-24, Conan’s sprinters and Jumpers combined to score 99.5 points – with 79.5 from the men – at WAC Indoor Championships to help the Thunderbirds to win the conference title on the men’s side, coaching three conference champions as well as Astley Davis, who finished as an All-American in the triple jump for the second time in as many years.
Originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Conan graduated from SUU with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science in 2017 and a Masters degree in Sports Conditioning and Performance in 2020.