Mike Judge enters his fifth year as an AssistantTrack and Field coach at Kennesaw State University in 2022-23. Judge has brought national acclaim to the Owl track and field programs in the throwing events.
In the 2022 season, Judge helped guide the men's shot putters to a dominant 1-2-3 finish at the Indoor ASUN conference championships. Tyler Blalock was the ASUN champion throwing 19.13 (62’9 ¼”) and finished an impressive double in the runner-up spot in the 35lb. weight throw with a throw of 19.01 (62’4.5”). In the women’s 20lb. weight throw, Javon Joiner claimed her second consecutive indoor ASUN runner-up finishwith a throw of 19.06M (62' 5.5").
At the 2022 Outdoor ASUN Championship, the Owl throwers continued their record setting ways. Anthony Harrison established a school record in the men’s discus of 58.86m (193’11”) in-route to his runner-up finish. Freshman Kali Terza finished second in ASUN women’s hammer throw and established a school record of 58.14m (190’9”). Terza went on to make the USA junior team in the women’s hammer throw and competed for team USA in Cali, Columbia.
Tyler Blalock was the 2021 ASUN indoor shot put champion throwing 18.56 (60’10”3/4) and finished in the runner-up spot in the 35lb. weight throw with a throw of 18.14 (59’4.5). Javon Joiner claimed women’s indoor 20lb. weight throw ASUN runner-up honors with a throw of 19.24M (63' 1.5") helping contribute to the Owls to the 2021 ASUN Indoor Championship victory.
Under Judge’s tutelage, the KSU throwers continued setting records during the 2021 outdoor season. Tyler Blalock set the school record in the shot put at the Clark Wood Invitational with a throw of 19.98m (65' 6.75"). Blalock went on to finish a respectable 15th place at the USA Olympic trials in Eugene Oregon throwing 19.00m (62' 4")
In the 2020 Covid-19 shortened season, Coach Judge guided one ASUN indoor conference champion and two ASUN conference runner-ups. Judge coached Nia Seldon to the ASUN conference title in the 20lb weight throw, Tanner Duffin was the ASUN conference runner-up in the men’s 35lb weight throw and Tyler Blalock was the ASUN conference runner-up in the men’s shot put.
In Judge’s first season he guided Daniel Haugh to KSU's first national champion in the Division I era winning the hammer throw with a toss of 74.63m (244'10"). After his NCAA title in the hammer throw, Haugh came to the USATF Outdoor Championships needing to hit the world championship standard of 76.00m (249-4) and finish in the top-3 to earn a spot with Team USA. Haugh put together a fantastic series and his second attempt of 76.44 (250-9) gave him a third-place finish and birth on his first US world championship team. In 2021, Judge travelled to Tokyo serving as a personal coach for Team USA as Haugh finished 11th in the hammer throw at the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games. Judge continued to guide Haugh as he developed as a post-collegiate athlete, training at KSU. More recently, Haugh won gold in the hammer throw at the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships with a throw of 80.18 (263-1) and finished eighth in the prestigious World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Prior to his work with the Owls, Judge was the founder and director of the nationally acclaimed Throw1Deep track and field club. Judge, who served as the throws coach, produced two athletes (Kenneth Brinson, hammer in 2014, and Shelby Ashe, hammer in 2010) who competed in the newly established Youth Olympic Games. Shelby Ashe still holds the high school national record in the 20lb weight and hammer throw. She also holds the American Junior record in the hammer throw of 223-6. Judge has also had multiple athletes eclipse the 70-foot barrier in the boy’s high school shot put, the 50-foot barrier in the girl’s shot put and the 80-foot barrier in the boys 25lb weight. He has led 20 student-athletes to High School individual championships and has had 200 student-athletes earn high school All-American honors.
For his unparalleled success, Judge was named the 2013 New Balance National High School Coach of the year. Judge is a two-time Georgia Club Coach of the Year and was the Georgia High School Coach of the year in 2012. He was named the USATF Coaching Education 2015 Fred Wilt award winner, the 2018 USATF Coaching Education Ron Buss service award winner and most recently was named the USATF Coaching Education 2020 Joe Vigil sport science award winner.
Besides his international success with Haugh, Judge has also had success in the rotational throws with his post-collegiate athletes. In the 2021 Olympic Trials, Whitney Simmons finished eighth in the women’s hammer with a personal-best toss of 67.82m. In 2020, Haley Teel (shot put) threw a personal best of 18.40m to finish runner-up at the USATF indoor nationals. In 2019, Kord Ferguson finished third in the men’s discus and David Pless finished fifth in the USATF Outdoor Nationals. In 2005, Carl Brown finished third in the USATF outdoor nationals in the men’s discus throw and went on to compete in the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Judge received his USATF Level 3 Throws Certification in 2010 and his IAAF (World Athletics) Level V certification in 2012. He received his USATF level 2 certification in the throwing events in 1999 and received his USATF level 1 certification in 1994.
Currently, Judge serves as a member of the USATF Coaching Education Executive committee. He is a frequent instructor in the USATF Coaching Education level 1 and level 2 program and lectures for the World Athletics coaching education program. He has also made instructional videos (
www.championshipproductions.com) on the throwing events.
Judge has served as an assistant coach on several team USA national team staffs including the: the 2017 under 20 championship, the 2015 Under 23 championships, and 2013 USA Junior championships.
As a student-athlete, Judge set school records in the shot put and javelin throw for the University of Georgia. He was a Southeastern Conference indoor shot put runner-up in 1986 and competed in the NCAA indoor and outdoor nationals in the shot put in the same year.
Judge is a 1987 graduate of the University of Georgia. He holds his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Judge and his wife, Kim, have two children, Jay who is 23 and Hannah who is 21.
