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Fritz Spence is in third year coaching the Nittany Lion jumpers and multi-event athletes, after guiding the his athletes to new heights again in 2008. Last year, Spence led junior standout and two-time Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year Gayle Hunter to a handful of All-America finishes, including fifth-place efforts in the NCAA pentathlon and heptathlon, as well as a fifth-place standing in the outdoor long jump. On the men's side, Spence saw junior Clarence Smith to an All-America finish and a Big Ten title in the triple jump. Spence's efforts were decidely noteworthy, as he was named Mid-Atlantic Men's Assistant Coach of the Year during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Along with Hunter and Smith, Spence also oversaw NCAA regional-qualifying performances from Ryan Taylor and Lena Bettis in the long and triple jumps, and Jay Pagana in the triple jump. Spence's athletes proved to be a big part of Penn State's scoring effort at the Big Ten Indoor Championships including a silver-medal finish from Taylor in the men's long jump, and bronze-medal standings from Hunter in the pentathlon, long jump, and triple jump. Spence's contingent was just as successful at the outdoor conference meet, including a two-three-four finish in the triple jump from Smith, Taylor, and Pagana, while the Penn State women provided four scoring finishes, led by Bettis in third. During his first year in Happy Valley, Spence led Hunter to NCAA appearances in the pentathlon indoors and heptathlon outdoors, where she posted an eighth-place finish, earning All-America honors. Under Spence's watch, Hunter, who was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year indoors, notched numerous career bests in 2007, including a personal-best and school-record score of 5711 in the heptathlon. Prior to coming to Penn State, Spence coached 14 conference champions, 26 all-conference performers, 22 regional qualifiers, 10 NCAA qualifiers, and three All-Americans at Missouri State. Spence, who was named NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year for Jumps/Combined Events in 2006, was a part of a coaching staff that won four Missouri Valley Conference Team Championships in both the indoor (2003 and '04) and outdoor (2002 and '03) seasons. The team also finished three times as the conference runner-up for the team championship (indoor 2002, outdoor 2004 and '06). One of the most acclaimed athletes under Spence's guidance was Tracy Partain, a two-time All-American and five-time Conference champion, earning the 2005 Indoor and Outdoor MVC Championship Awards, 2006 Outdoor MVC Championship Award and was named the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Mideast Regional Athlete of the Year. Partain is the Missouri State University and conference record holder in the pentathlon (4017) and heptathlon (5829). A three-time Missouri Valley Conference champion in the triple jump at Missouri State himself, Spence was the conference and school record holder. He earned his degree in 1997 and began coaching for the Bears in 2001. Spence resides in State College, with his wife Teri. He has three daughters, Ashli (20), Keiva (13), Aleka (7); and one son, Ashton (18).
Awards and Honors 2008 Mid-Atlantic Region 2008 Mid-Atlantic Region
2006 Mid-East Region
Outstanding Athletes Coached Gayle Hunter
Clarence Smith
Ryan Taylor
Lena Bettis
Jay Pagana
Tracy Partain (Missouri state)
Fabian Florant (missouri state)
Greg Hughes (missouri state)
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