AUBURN, Ala. - Former Auburn national champion thrower Cory Martin has been named Auburn track and field throws coach, head coach Ken Harnden announced Monday.
A nine-time All-American at Auburn, Martin won a pair of national championships in 2008 in the shot put and the hammer throw, the first time since the 1930s an athlete won NCAA Championships in those events at the same national meet.
Martin, who has 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, spent the last three years at the University of Louisville and nine seasons prior the University of Indiana.
“I am honored to join the Auburn track and field family as the throws coach,” Martin said. “I want to thank Coach Harnden for the opportunity and for welcoming my family and I to an outstanding staff. Coming home to The Plains makes this opportunity incredibly special, and I can’t wait to get to work. War Eagle!”
Named the 2024 USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year, Martin coached his Louisville athletes to one appearance at the Olympic Games, eight USTFCCCA All-America honors, eight NCAA Championships qualifications, six individual ACC titles, 13 All-ACC honors, and 10 NCAA East First Round bids.
"Cory is one of the most accomplished throwers in Auburn history, and we're thrilled to welcome him back home,” Harnden said. “He has excelled at every level of our sport as an athlete, from NCAA champion to one of the top shot putters in the world, and he has translated that success into his coaching career. Cory's ability to develop elite throwers, combined with his passion for Auburn makes him a tremendous addition to our staff."
This past season, Martin led Kaia Tupu-South to a third-place finish in the women’s shot put at the ACC Indoor Championships and second team All-American honors in the shot put in her first career appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also claimed a pair of silver medals at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the women's shot put and discus.
Martin also coached Team USA member Jayden Ulrich, who competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in the discus. Ulrich earned six first team All-America honors, won five ACC championships, and was named the 2025 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and the 2024 ACC Outdoor Field Performer of the Year. She also won back-to-back ACC indoor shot put titles and first team All-America honors in the event.
The 2024 NCAA discus runner-up and silver medalist at the 2024 U.S. Championships, Ulrich became the first Louisville athlete to compete for the United States in the Olympic Games. In 2025, she shattered both school and ACC records in the discus with a throw of 69.39 meters, moving to No. 2 in collegiate history and No. 3 in U.S. history. Ulrich closed her Louisville career as a two-time ACC champion in both the shot put and discus,and was the 2025 ACC Outdoor Championships Women’s Field MVP.
Martin's men’s throwers made significant strides during his three seasons at Louisville, highlighted by the development of Noah Koch and Matt Giuliano. Koch emerged as one of the ACC’s top throwers, earning second team All-ACC honors indoors in 2025 and finishing as the ACC Outdoor runner-up in the shot put.
On the national level, Martin guided freshman Matt Giuliano to the top three weight throw marks by a freshman in program history before the young thrower earned his first NCAA East Regional berth in the hammer throw and a seventh-place finish at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Prior to his time at Louisville, Martin spent nine seasons (2014-23) as the throws coach at Indiana University, where he saw his athletes earn 19 USTFCCCA All-America honors, five individual Big Ten titles, multiple international championships and broke over 30 program records.
The 2022-23 outdoor season was marked by a pair of NCAA qualifications and honorable mention All-American nods for Noah Koch and Ulrich, who started her career at IU. Koch concluded his first season with the Hoosiers by becoming the first IU NCAA qualifier in the discus since 1994. Ulrich qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in the women’s shot put while bettering her own school record in the discus earlier in the season.
Martin mentored two freshman, Ulrich and Sean Mockler, to NCAA berths and record-breaking performances over the course of the 2021-22 season. Ulrich originally broke a 30-year-old program record in the discus on her way to winning the Big Ten Championship while also earning two NCAA qualifications on the year in the shot put and discus. Mockler also set a new IU record in the men’s hammer throw, earning a spot on the podium at the Big Ten Championships and finishing as an All-American in the event.
During his first four seasons in Bloomington, Indiana throwers finished in the top 16 nationally six times, won three Big Ten titles, and saw Morrison break the Hoosiers’ program record in the men’s indoor shot put twice and the men’s outdoor shot put record four times.
At the time of his hire at Indiana in 2014, Martin held the No. 16 spot on the all-time world performance list in the men’s shot put with a lifetime-best mark of 22.10m (72-6.25). During his athletic career, Martin represented the United States at three World Championships, finishing as a finalist at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.
The Bloomington, Ind. native graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in education and earned a master of science in sport management from Florida. Martin at his wife, Taryn have two children, Knox and Harper.
A nine-time All-American at Auburn, Martin won a pair of national championships in 2008 in the shot put and the hammer throw, the first time since the 1930s an athlete won NCAA Championships in those events at the same national meet.
Martin, who has 12 years of collegiate coaching experience, spent the last three years at the University of Louisville and nine seasons prior the University of Indiana.
“I am honored to join the Auburn track and field family as the throws coach,” Martin said. “I want to thank Coach Harnden for the opportunity and for welcoming my family and I to an outstanding staff. Coming home to The Plains makes this opportunity incredibly special, and I can’t wait to get to work. War Eagle!”
Named the 2024 USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Women's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year, Martin coached his Louisville athletes to one appearance at the Olympic Games, eight USTFCCCA All-America honors, eight NCAA Championships qualifications, six individual ACC titles, 13 All-ACC honors, and 10 NCAA East First Round bids.
"Cory is one of the most accomplished throwers in Auburn history, and we're thrilled to welcome him back home,” Harnden said. “He has excelled at every level of our sport as an athlete, from NCAA champion to one of the top shot putters in the world, and he has translated that success into his coaching career. Cory's ability to develop elite throwers, combined with his passion for Auburn makes him a tremendous addition to our staff."
This past season, Martin led Kaia Tupu-South to a third-place finish in the women’s shot put at the ACC Indoor Championships and second team All-American honors in the shot put in her first career appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also claimed a pair of silver medals at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the women's shot put and discus.
Martin also coached Team USA member Jayden Ulrich, who competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in the discus. Ulrich earned six first team All-America honors, won five ACC championships, and was named the 2025 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and the 2024 ACC Outdoor Field Performer of the Year. She also won back-to-back ACC indoor shot put titles and first team All-America honors in the event.
The 2024 NCAA discus runner-up and silver medalist at the 2024 U.S. Championships, Ulrich became the first Louisville athlete to compete for the United States in the Olympic Games. In 2025, she shattered both school and ACC records in the discus with a throw of 69.39 meters, moving to No. 2 in collegiate history and No. 3 in U.S. history. Ulrich closed her Louisville career as a two-time ACC champion in both the shot put and discus,and was the 2025 ACC Outdoor Championships Women’s Field MVP.
Martin's men’s throwers made significant strides during his three seasons at Louisville, highlighted by the development of Noah Koch and Matt Giuliano. Koch emerged as one of the ACC’s top throwers, earning second team All-ACC honors indoors in 2025 and finishing as the ACC Outdoor runner-up in the shot put.
On the national level, Martin guided freshman Matt Giuliano to the top three weight throw marks by a freshman in program history before the young thrower earned his first NCAA East Regional berth in the hammer throw and a seventh-place finish at the ACC Outdoor Championships.
Prior to his time at Louisville, Martin spent nine seasons (2014-23) as the throws coach at Indiana University, where he saw his athletes earn 19 USTFCCCA All-America honors, five individual Big Ten titles, multiple international championships and broke over 30 program records.
The 2022-23 outdoor season was marked by a pair of NCAA qualifications and honorable mention All-American nods for Noah Koch and Ulrich, who started her career at IU. Koch concluded his first season with the Hoosiers by becoming the first IU NCAA qualifier in the discus since 1994. Ulrich qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in the women’s shot put while bettering her own school record in the discus earlier in the season.
Martin mentored two freshman, Ulrich and Sean Mockler, to NCAA berths and record-breaking performances over the course of the 2021-22 season. Ulrich originally broke a 30-year-old program record in the discus on her way to winning the Big Ten Championship while also earning two NCAA qualifications on the year in the shot put and discus. Mockler also set a new IU record in the men’s hammer throw, earning a spot on the podium at the Big Ten Championships and finishing as an All-American in the event.
During his first four seasons in Bloomington, Indiana throwers finished in the top 16 nationally six times, won three Big Ten titles, and saw Morrison break the Hoosiers’ program record in the men’s indoor shot put twice and the men’s outdoor shot put record four times.
At the time of his hire at Indiana in 2014, Martin held the No. 16 spot on the all-time world performance list in the men’s shot put with a lifetime-best mark of 22.10m (72-6.25). During his athletic career, Martin represented the United States at three World Championships, finishing as a finalist at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.
The Bloomington, Ind. native graduated from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in education and earned a master of science in sport management from Florida. Martin at his wife, Taryn have two children, Knox and Harper.