Octavious Gillespie-Bennett enters his fifth year in 2016-17 as Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s and women’s cross country and track and field head coach. Both programs have risen to new heights under the leadership of Gillespie-Bennett.
The 2015-16 season saw a pair of All-American finishes in men's cross country from Mark Huizar and Francisco Gomez as well as a ninth-place finish at Nationals. On the women's side, Marissa Nickles ran to a 10th-place finish at the Western Regionals in Oregon.
Five members of the 2016 track and field team made the trip to Nationals in Bradenton, Fla. Huizar, Gomez, Rodger Mantor, Lizette Huerta, and Tiffany Tate all qualified. Huerta ran to a CPP record time in the 1,500 meter event and secured an All-American finish. Gomez finished strong in the 5,000 to also earn All-American status.
In the 2016 CCAA Track and Field Championships, Kyle Goodenough placed first in the decathlon of seven competitors that qualified.
In the 2014-15 season, the Broncos’ men’s cross country team ran to a 16th place finish at the National Championships in Louisville, Ky. The CPP women’s squad finished 10th in the NCAA D-II West Region Championships in Billings, Mont.
The 2015 track and field season featured a National Champion on the squad in Justin Ellerbee, who joined Rodger Mantor and Austin Allen in earning All-American recognition. Ellerbee earned an Academic All-American nod as well and was the first male in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)’s history to be named both the Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Athlete of the Year. Under Gillespie-Bennett's coaching, 10 members of the squad earned All-West Region honors, and four earned USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades.
Women’s track and field put together an impressive 2015 campaign as well with four members of the squad earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. Tiffany Gray, Erin Zwinger, and Lizette Huerta qualified and competed at nationals. Gillespie-Bennett also coached Zwinger to her second CCAA Heptathlon championship.
Broncos’ Director of Athletics Brian Swanson announced on Aug. 14, 2012, the hiring of Gillespie-Bennett, who arrived to CPP with collegiate coaching experience at Cal State L.A., Tulsa and UCLA.
Prior to joining the Broncos in August 2012, Gillespie-Bennett’s most recent experience was a highly successful two-season stint at CCAA institution Cal State L.A., where he served as the assistant coach in charge of jumps, throws and multi-events for the men’s outdoor track and field, women’s indoor track and field and women’s outdoor track and field teams from 2010 through 2012.
With the guidance of Gillespie-Bennett, the Golden Eagles’ outdoor track and field teams achieved a wide range of accomplishments in 2012. As the hosts of the CCAA Championships in May, CSULA finished second on the men’s side and third on the women’s side. The men totaled the program’s most points in a conference championship meet since 1988 and the women placed third in both years during Gillespie-Bennett’s tenure.
At the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships in Colorado, Gillespie-Bennett coached sophomore Calista Lyon to a national title in the discus. He also helped Samantha Gutierrez (discus), Tuekeha Huntley (heptathlon), Giorgio Bryant (long jump) and Julius Joseph (discus) reach All-American status as well. Earlier in 2012, Huntley collected All-American honors in the pentathlon at the D-II Indoor Track & Field National Championships.
Gillespie-Bennett also had a tremendous impact in his first season with the CSULA program in 2011 and was named the NCAA Division II West Region Assistant Coach of the Year for women’s track and field by the USTFCCCA. He helped Huntley to All-America honors in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon and he helped Na’i Leni to a third-place national finish in the discus. Leni was also the West Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2011. Gillespie-Bennett also helped men’s jumpers Josh Como and Giorgio Bryant to national championships in the long jump and triple jump.
Prior to his time with the Golden Eagles, Gillespie-Bennett served as the field event, hurdles and multi-event coach at Tulsa from 2008 to 2010. During his time with the program, his student-athletes set 10 new Tulsa records, earned 21 All-Conference USA honors and won two Conference USA championships. He also coached three NCAA Division I regional qualifiers and one national qualifier. Gillespie-Bennett was the meet director for the 2009 Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Before he coached at Tulsa, Gillespie-Bennett was the decathlon coach and jumps assistant at UCLA from 2006 through 2008. Several of the student-athletes he coached placed in the Pacific-10 Conference Championships.
He was also the field event coach at the Brentwood Schools in 2004-05 and coached league champions in the boys long jump, high jump, shot put and girls long jump. He also assisted in meet operations and coached all field events.
As a student-athlete, Gillespie-Bennett competed for Lane Community College, UC Santa Barbara and UCLA. While at UCLA, he scored in the javelin and decathlon events at the 2002 Pac-10 Conference Championships.
Professionally, Gillespie-Bennett was the Guatemalan national record holder in the javelin (65.87 meters) and decathlon (7,448 points) and was a Pan-American competitor in 2003 and 2007. He was the Central American Champion in the high jump in 2004 and in the pole vault in 2007. He was also second in the long jump and third in the javelin in 2007.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA in 2003 and was a UCLA Student-Athlete Academic mentor from 2003 to 2005. He also served as the Assistant Athletic Tutorial Director for UCLA during the 2005-06 academic year.
Born in Guatemala and raised in the Portland, Ore., area, Gillespie-Bennett now resides in Tustin with his wife Nicole and their son Elias.
