Fresno State head track and field coach Jason Drake announced on Monday the hiring of Joe Riccio and Gary Newell as assistant coaches, according to a Fresno State Athletics news release.

“We are thrilled to add Joe as our new throws coach here at Fresno State. I anticipate we will see great things from him and his athletes,” Drake said in the release.

Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Riccio was an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University for five years, where he guided his athletes to 15 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) individual championships and helped several athletes qualify for NCAA West Preliminary Round.

As a student athlete, Riccio competed for one season at Wyoming and Arizona State, earning multiple NJCAA All-America honors and a national championship in the hammer throw at Mesa Community College. 

“I’m excited to have Gary join the staff here at Fresno State,” said Drake in the release. “Gary’s experience at San Francisco and in West Texas will be extremely valuable to our program.”

Newell comes to the ‘Dogs by way of San Francisco. He will be focusing on coaching the sprinters, hurdlers and relay runners. 

Newell began his coaching career as an undergraduate student at West Texas A&M. In four seasons, he helped West Texas A&M capture 22 NCAA DII qualifying spots. Nine of those athletes earned All-America honors. 

Newell was an assistant coach for two seasons at Texas Tech. During his time there, the team brought in the Big 12’s top sprint recruiting class.

Following the two-year stint as an assistant coach at Texas Tech, Newell took his talents to San Francisco State. In his two seasons there, he broke school records in the 60 meters, 400 meters and 4×400 relay.

“He is a timeless recruiter, has worked with one of the best track programs in the country at Texas Tech and has a solid foundation of knowledge,” Drake said in the release. “I am confident that he will have an immediate impact on our team.”