Arkansas assistant coach Bryan Compton announces retirement

EUGENE – Arkansas assistant coach Bryan Compton will retire upon the conclusion of his 26th year with the Razorback women’s track and field program following the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships being held this week at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus.

“It’s been a fun ride, and 26 years here for an assistant is a long time to stay at one place,” noted Compton. “That’s a sign of the stability this program has for all the coaches that have been here.

“I’m very fortunate to have 26 years with this program. When I arrived in 1998, we weren’t anywhere close to the top, and we’ve gotten to where we are now from the hard work of a lot of coaches and women who have built this program.”

Accolades that include coaching conference and national champions, World and Olympic medalists, as well as collegiate, international, and American records highlight an impressive and lengthy resume by Compton during his time with the Razorbacks.

Compton has been part of the Arkansas women’s program as it achieved nine NCAA team titles and 40 SEC team championships, which includes 14 SEC Indoor and 10 SEC Outdoor team titles.

“Ever since I joined the staff as a volunteer back in 2000 and then coming back in 2012, he’s been a mainstay with the program,” said Arkansas women’s head coach Chris Johnson. “His resume stands alone and we’re fortunate to have had him. He has a passion for the sport. It’s going to be very difficult to replace him if you will. I think he’s irreplaceable in terms of what he’s been able to do at the University of Arkansas.

“He helped Coach Harter develop the program to the point we have it, and when I took over he’s been a great help in pushing this program forward. Any time you get to coach for 40 years, with 26 of them being at the University of Arkansas, it’s impressive.”

Compton established an elite group of pole vaulters at Arkansas, and he also had a hand in developing athletes in multiple field events as well as combined events.

A total of 11 national champions, with nine attained in the pole vault, were coached by Compton. The two additional NCAA titles came in assisting with Taliyah Brooks, who won the 2018 NCAA Indoor heptathlon, and Rachel Glenn, who equaled the collegiate record of 6-6.75 (2.00) in winning the 2024 NCAA Indoor high jump.

Honors among the athletes coached by Compton include 93 All-Americans, a Bowerman semifinalist and finalist, five Olympians, and an Olympic silver medalist with Sandi Morris at the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro.

Morris also claimed a pair of World Indoor gold medals in 2018 and 2022 while earning three silver medals at World Outdoor Championships in 2017, 2019, and 2022.

“You dream of it as a coach of having athletes in the Olympics,” said Compton. “The kids have a great talent, but to make a USA team is hard to do in any event.

“I’m very fortunate to have the Olympians and even the international kids like Tina Sutej and Makeba Alcide, who went on to compete in the Olympics and World Championships as well. It’s something I’ll always cherish.”

Compton managed to accomplish those impressive achievements at Arkansas from very basic beginnings.

“When I arrived in 1998, there were no pole vaulters and no poles,” Compton noted. “It was really just getting started. April Steiner was the first 13-footer in the SEC, and we really thought that was a big thing back then. Now, you don’t even place at conference with a 13-foot mark.

“April was the first of almost everything here. She wasn’t the first pole vaulter here, but she was the first All-American, the first SEC champion, and the first Olympian in Beijing. April was one that got it all kicked off for us and we kept it rolling from there.”

Early success drew interest in the program and the pole vault became a vital point-producing event for the Razorbacks on the conference and national level.

“Pole vault is one of those events that can collect talent,” Compton said. “Once you have a program it’s a lot easier to recruit. They hear about it and want to know what the coaching is like and plus the winning part of it. They gravitate to whatever program is doing well, and we were fortunate to have all the ones that came through here.

“I’ve got one son, and I have a ton of daughters I feel like. I get to watch them grow up, get married, and have kids. They come back and bring their kids to visit you. It’s really rewarding to be part of their life in some part, and they feel the same way.”

Five Razorback vaulters combined for nine national championships in the pole vault, and seven vaulters totaled nine silver medal finishes at NCAA Championships.

Claiming NCAA Indoor titles were Tina Sutej (2011, 2012), Sandi Morris (2015), Lexi Jacobus [nee Weeks] (2016, 2018, 2019), and Amanda Fassold (2023). NCAA Outdoor titles were attained by Jacobus (2016) and Tori Hoggard [nee Weeks] (2019).

On the conference level Arkansas has totaled 26 SEC titles in the pole vault, 12 at SEC Indoor and 14 at SEC Outdoor.

“At first you claw your way up to get the first SEC title, then you claw your way to get that first national title,” said Compton. “Then keeping it up there at a high level is such hard work for the girls, coaches, training staff, and everybody. It’s rewarding as well.”

Coaching honors for Compton include being named Indoor National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019. He received three region Assistant Coach of the Year accolades in the South Central (2017, 2019) and Mideast Region (2005).