Toby Colyer is in his 11th season as assistant track coach at the University of South Florida and is responsible for the throws.
Colyer's prior track and field experience spans more than 10 years, both professionally and as an all-America student-athlete, and includes numerous top performances by both him and the athletes he has mentored along the way.
With Colyer's coaching, Devin Screen scored 22 points at the American Outdoor Championships in 2016 including the discus title. Screen also was an NCAA qualifier in the discus for the second time in as many years competing. Also that year, Bernicia Holifield became an NCAA qualifier in the hammer throw in her first season with the Bulls.
The 2010 campaign saw Colyer's athletes continue to excel on the field, as sophomores Casey Wagner, Lauren Noe, Sarah Canter and Jared Thomas and senior Tyler Perkins each qualified for the NCAA East Prelim. Wagner and Thomas went on to compete at the NCAA Championships, two of USF's four total NCAA qualifiers.
Wagner became the first javelin thrower at USF - men or women - to qualify for the championships, while Thomas became the first USF thrower (discus, shot put, hammer, javelin) on the men's side to earn a spot at the Championships.
Both also extended their school records set during their freshman campaigns on three different occasions during the 2010 season, as Wagner threw 155-8 in the javelin at the East Prelim while Thomas threw 193-6 at the FSU Relays. Thomas finished the 2010 season ninth in the nation in the discus with that record-setting throw.
Perkins finished his career second all-time in the discus behind Thomas after a PR of 176-8 in 2010. Canter and Noe moved up to third all-time in the javelin (143-1) and hammer (179-3), respectively, while sophomore Atasha Warren posted the fourth-best hammer throw ever at USF with a toss of 167-0.
Since Colyer has taken over as the throws coach, 15 total performances have landed USF student-athletes, both men and women, on the top-5 all-time list for the javelin, hammer, shot put and discus.
Noe and Wagner also earned a spot on the 2010 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, with Wagner taking home the honor for the second year in a row.
Throughout the 2009 season, Colyer coached perhaps the finest group of freshmen throwers in school history. Both Wagner and Thomas set school records in the javelin and discus, respectively, while qualifying for the U.S. Junior National Championships. Wagner went on to win the national championship, USF's first ever at the championships, while Thomas finished fifth at the meet.
Colyer also coached rookie Noe to class records in the weight and the hammer, while Wagner, Thomas, Jara Cornett (javelin) and Perkins (discus) all qualified for the NCAA Regional, with Cornett and Perkins competing for the second year in a row.
In 2008, Colyer coached Taylor Stallings to a 13th-place finish in the discus at the NCAA Championships along with three different qualifying marks for NCAA regionals in the shot put, discus and hammer. He also led Cornett and Perkins to the NCAA Regional, while Stallings and Perkins earned All-BIG EAST performances in the shot put and discus, respectively, with silver medals at the conference meet. All three carved their names on the top-5 all-time performance list at USF.
Colyer made an immediate impact in his first year with the Bulls, as Perkins not only set a class record in the discus, but threw the third-best mark in school history. Grant Scelzi also threw the second-best mark in school annals in the javelin, breaking his previous personal best by 20 feet. During the 2007 season, all athletes Colyer coached earned personal best in their respective events, while Perkins and Scelzi posted all-Conference performances.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Colyer remained with the team from 2003-06, first as a student-coach and later as an administrative assistant, where his main duties included team travel, equipment, team banquets, budgeting and supervising three team managers. While working at Tennessee, Colyer earned his Levels I and II USA Track and Field certifications and lent his expertise as an instructor at UT's All-American Track and Field Camp in 2004 and 2005.
An all-American in the javelin at Tennessee, Colyer was a three-time letterwinner for the Volunteers and was elected a team captain prior to the squad winning the 2001 SEC and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Colyer's junior season saw him join the Tennessee elite when he earned All-SEC and All-America honors. His personal best of 225-10 in the javelin ranks seventh all time in school history. Colyer was also a two-time SEC All-Academic selection while at Tennessee.
After a successful high school career at East Juniata High in Cocalamus, Pa., Colyer was recruited to throw for Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala. It was there that Colyer made a name for himself, as he captured the national championship in the shot put and placed second in the javelin in his first college season in 1997, earning NJCAA All-America honors. Following his rookie campaign, Colyer was recruited to SEC powerhouse Tennessee to throw the javelin and shot put.
Along with the collegiate ranks, Colyer's background also extends to coaching throwers at the high school and club levels.
A native of McAlisterville, Pa., Colyer earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Tennessee in the fall of 2001.
