POMONA, Calif. – Since their hiring in early Fall 2014, a trio of new assistants at Cal Poly Pomona - Ola Adeniji, Pamela Donnelly and Josh Linker - have helped to elevate and improve the  Broncos' track and field program.
 
Ola Adeniji
Adeniji arrived to CPP after having lots of success in the coaching field. She has experienced both the high school and the collegiate level of coaching.
 
In her high school coaching stints, she has earned two CIF state titles, six CIF-Southern Section titles, and 10 league championships. At the collegiate level, her men's and women's teams at Occidental earned All-SCIAC honors, and many of her student-athletes set personal records while they competed in the NCAA Division III Championships.
 
"Ola is a coach that I've always been impressed with," head coach Octavious Gillespie-Bennett said. "She did a fantastic job as a member of the track and field team at UCLA and she comes with great mentorship from previous coaches that have proven success in track and field."
 
Ola received her Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design, Media Arts from UCLA. She continued her graduate education and earned her Master of Science in Sports Medicine/Injury Studies.
 
"I'm excited to be a part of the program and staff," Adeniji said. "I think Coach Gillespie has done a great job in reviving the program and has helped it become well respected in community, the conference, and the national level. "

Pamela Donnelly
Donnelly entered her role after five seasons as the assistant track and field coach at South Hills High School where she coached hurdlers. She coordinated and designed the workouts and monitored her athlete's progress and successes throughout the seasons.
 
"I'm ecstatic to come back and coach as an alum at the program that enhanced my track and field career," said Donnelly.
 
Donnelly simultaneously coached cross country at South Hills High School, where she led approximately 60 athletes in daily workouts and routines to ensure that they maintained the maximum fitness level for their season. She put together high altitude training regimes as her team traveled to Mammoth Lakes to partake in altitude training.
 
"We are very excited to have an alum back working with us," said Gillespie-Bennett. "Pam has primarily worked with hurdles and sprints but she will be helping us out with a little bit of the multi's as well. She has been very successful with her coaching and I believe that her experience in the area will be a great addition to our staff."
 
During her time at CPP, Donnelly (formerly Fortner) landed herself in the Cal Poly Pomona track and field record books. She has collected four records, including eighth place in the 400-meter hurdles, seventh in 4x100 relay, second in 4x200 relay, and fifth in the 800-meter sprint Medley.
 
Pam received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with and emphasis in retail marketing from Cal Poly Pomona. She completed her graduate work at the University of San Francisco and earned a Master of Arts in Sport and Fitness Management.

Josh Linker 
Linker entered his role after four seasons as the Assistant Track and Field Coach at the University of La Verne. Through that time he mentored: five All-Americans, 10 National Championship qualifiers, seven SCIAC champions, 26 All-SCIAC selections, four school record holders and 22 Top 10 school performances.

"Josh is a coach that I've known for quite some time," Gillespie- Bennett said. "I am very confident with his skills as a coach and I'm impressed with his demeanor and how he handles the athletes. He is a very technical coach and our athletes are very lucky to learn from him and his experiences."
 
The 2013 season proved to be one of the best seasons Linker had coaching the Leopards. One of his athletes, a six-time All-American, leapt to a third-place finish in the triple jump in the NCAA Indoor National Championships, which earned him All-American honors. Two more of Linker's athletes earned the school record for pole vault, a mark which qualified both of them for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships.
 
"I'm very excited to work with the athletes and administration here," said Linker. "To be back in the CCAA and be able to coach is a great honor."
 
Linker earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Cal State L.A., where he competed in track and field. As a Golden Eagle, he earned the 2009 CSULA Male Athlete of the Year/Most Valuable Track and Field Athlete. He continued his schooling to receive his Master of Business Administration from the University of La Verne.