Curt Kraft recently completed his 19th season as the director of the East Carolina men's and women's track and field/cross country squads in 2022-23. His appointment at ECU officially ended a 14-year affiliation with the University of Nevada, where he spent 10 honor-producing seasons as head women's track and field coach.

Since his arrival in Greenville, Kraft has rewritten the East Carolina track and field record book as 25 women’s outdoor records, 22 women’s indoor records, 15 men’s indoor records and 15 men’s outdoor records have fallen. Additionally, Kraft boasts 23 All-America selections (14 First Team), numerous All-Conference honorees, several NCAA Regional and National Qualifiers, three women's team conference championships and three C-USA Coach-of-the-Year honors (2012 Indoor, 2014 Indoor/Outdoor).

Most recently, Sommer Knight earned All-America honors in the pole vault for the Pirates in both 2021 and 2022, fishing third and eight, respectively.

The 2019-20 campaign was off to a strong start before the COVID-19 global pandemic erased the outdoor season. During the indoor portion of its schedule, Ryan Davis was named an All-American in the weight throw after qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The meet was canceled before he had a chance to compete for a national title.  
 
ECU’s women placed sixth at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships while the men took seventh. Kraft guided the Pirates to three individual league titles and five all-conference selections. Davis set the meet record in the weight throw while Mackenzie Whitaker struck gold in the pentathlon with a meet and school-record 3,954 points. Brooke Stith also captured the AAC triple jump crown after turning in an impressive school-record mark of 12.82 meters.
 
The Pirate women placed second at the 2018 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, the highest finish for the squad since joining the league. ECU produced 19 all-conference performers and had a pair of student-athletes, Stefano Migliorati (800m) and Galissia Cause (Shot Put) qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cause placed 10th in her event to earn Second-Team All-America recognition.

2013 was a successful year for Kraft’s squads as the indoor season saw senior Tynita Butts finish second in the NCAA Championships after matching her career-best and ECU school-record mark of 1.90-meters (6-02.75) in the high jump for her fifth All-America selection. Montrell Morrow made his second appearance in as many years at the NCAA Indoor Championship in the men’s weight throw after winning the same event at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Additionally, Butts, along with Joseph Samuels and Kayla Padgett, brought home gold at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Following the indoor season, Butts and Morrow were named C-USA Female and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively, by the league office.

Kraft’s squad continued its dominance throughout the outdoor season as the Pirates set five school records at the C-USA Outdoor Championships to go along with a number of personal bests. ECU went on to send three student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Padgett, Cameron Hudson and Lauren Lubarski. Hudson represented the Pirates in the men’s long jump and collected First Team All-America accolades in his first-ever appearance at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships after earning a fourth-place finish with a career-best and ECU school-record tying mark of 7.86-meters (25-09.50). Under Kraft’s tutelage, Hudson went on to place fourth at the USA Track & Field Championships in the long jump as he registered another mark of 7.86-meters (25-09.50).

The 2012 season was a banner year for the program, as the women's squad won the program's first-ever Conference USA title by defeating defending champion and nationally-ranked UCF at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Kraft was named C-USA indoor Coach-of-the-Year as a result. He also produced eight All-America performers, including the third and fourth All-America accolades for junior Tynita Butts who finished third in the high jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. It was the highest finish at the national championship for a female in program history. A program single-season 21 Pirate athletes qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round from which three moved on to the national outdoor finals.

The women nearly pulled off a sweep of the indoor and outdoor league titles, but finished second at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. It was still the highest-ever result for the ladies at the outdoor league meet. The men finished just six points behind second-place UTEP.

In terms of individual recognition, Butts earned United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association indoor and outdoor Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year honors while senior Dennis Aliotta was named the Conference USA Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year - a first for the program. Additionally, Aliotta and sophomore Kathryn Warner earned spots on the C-USA All-Academic Team.

While at Nevada, Kraft produced track and field teams which consistently were among the top 25 of the National Collegiate Division I Team Power Rankings. In addition, he headed a Wolf Pack program which set new school records in every event for track and field, and cross country since 1995.

Kraft earned consecutive Western Athletic Conference Coach-of-the-Year selections in 2003 and 2004 while leading the Wolf Pack to a pair of WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. His success in 2003, which included the school's first-ever WAC title, also earned him NCAA Division I Mountain Region Coach-of-the-Year honors which preceded another milestone in his career - guiding Nevada to a conference cross country championship the next fall.

For the second consecutive season, Nevada took three individual titles at the 2003 indoor championships. Erin Kelly broke her own WAC record to defend her pentathlon title, Chanika Corley won the 60-meter hurdles and the distance relay team (Julie Hinton, Kali Baker, Lindsay Roberson, Nicole McRae) also brought home gold. Additionally, Stephanie Tietjen won the lone outdoor event in the shot put.

In addition to the titles, the 2003 team also added six new individual school records to the list. Erin Seward set a standard with her 17:04.03 mark in the 5,000-meters and Shante Winters-Frazier in the 60-meters with a 7.66 showing. Also, Caira Hane added a new distance of 184-03.00 in the hammer throw to the books and Tietjen broke shot put records in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. McRae also bested her own indoor record in the 800-meters.

Kraft led the Wolf Pack to top-20 dual track meet rankings by the Track and Field Coaches' Association for five consecutive years as Nevada enjoyed its peak position at No. 5 after winning the WAC title. Additionally, three Wolf Pack athletes experienced competition at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ali McKnight competed in the meet twice, taking second in the heptathlon in 1995, while Jenni Ashcroft finished seventh in the pole vault (2002) and Sam Young took 15th in the javelin throw (2003). Ashcroft was named NCAA Woman-of-the-Year in 2002 for the state of Nevada due to her fine showing that season.

Prior to Nevada's move into the WAC, Kraft was selected as the 2000 Big West Conference Coach-of-the-Year after piloting the Wolf Pack to the league's outdoor championship. Off the track, Kraft's squad compiled the nation's second-highest grade point average (3.20) during the same season.

Kraft produced all 33 individual conference champions in Nevada program history, including three which advanced to the NCAA Division I National Championships. He served as Nevada's assistant men's and women's track and field coach from 1991 to 1994, playing a pivotal role in the recruitment of athletes which claimed the 1993 Big West Conference Men's Track Championship.

Kraft began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Nebraska in 1989 where he worked with all facets of the Cornhuskers' Big Eight Conference program, including distance, sprint-hurdles and all vertical and horizontal jump athletes. In 1990, Kraft served as the assistant meet director for the Junior Olympics in Lincoln, Neb., and worked alongside 1984 Olympic Throws Coach Ken Shannon at the Northwest Sports Track and Field Camp.

Kraft's career started as an athlete, running hurdles in both high school and college. He graduated from Minot State (N.D.) University with a dual major in physical education and social science in 1984. He then received a master's degree in education at the University of Nebraska, where he also spent two years as a graduate assistant, coaching the Cornhuskers’ women's track and field program.

He and wife Nancy are the parents of two adult daughters Alicia and Kayla.

The Curt Kraft File
Education
Minot State (N.D.), `84
Bachelor of Science - Physical Education/Social Science (Dual Major)
Nebraska, '91
Masters of Education

Coaching Experience
1984-89: Carrington High School - Head Coach
1989-91: Nebraska - Graduate Assistant Coach
1991-94: Nevada - Assistant Coach
1994-2005: Nevada - Head Coach
2005-06: East Carolina - Women's Head Coach
2006-present: East Carolina - Head Coach/Program Director

Career Awards and Accolades
23 All-America performers (14 First Team)
Six Conference Championships
77 School Record Holders
2014 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Coach-of-the-Year
2012 and 2014 Conference USA Coach-of-the-Year 
2004 Minot State Hall of Fame Inductee
2003 Indoor Coach-of-the-Year (WAC and Mountain Region) 
2000 Big West Coach-of-the-Year 
East Carolina's first-ever C-USA title 
Nevada's first-ever WAC title
Led Nevada to Top-20 dual track meet rankings by the United States Track Coaches Association (USTCA) for five-consecutive seasons
Oversaw Nevada's second-highest GPA in the nation in 2000 
Nevada athletes set new school records in every event

East Carolina NCAA Participants Under Kraft 
Outdoor
Sommer Knight – 2021 Pole Vault (3^rd), 2022 Pole Vault (8^th)
Ryan Davis – 2021 Hammer (18^th)
Stefano Migliorati – 2018 800m (SF)
Galissia Cause – 2018 Shot Put (10^th)
Raurra Ishmar – 2016 Discuss (20^th)
Avion Jones – 2014 High Jump (9^th), 2015 High Jump (3^rd), 2016 High Jump (4^th)
Aiesha Goggins – 2011 400m (SF), 2015 400m (SF)
Neal, Wilson, Hudson, Furr – 2014 W4x100m (SF)
Cameron Hudson – 2014 Long Jump (16^th)
Tania Minkins – 2014 200m (SF)
Tyshonda Hawkins – 2014 20m (SF)
Minkins, Hawkins, Tucker, Dawson – 2014 M4x100m (SF)
Tynita Butts – 2010 High Jump (7^th), 2012 High Jump (3^rd), 2014 High Jump (2^nd)
Cameron Hudson – 2013 Long Jump (4^th)
Kayla Padgett – 2013 Hammer (24^th)
Lauren Lubarski – 2013 Javelin (17^th)
Quinton Harley – 2012 400m Hurdles (SF)
Dennis Aliotta – 2012 Shot Put (10^th)
Chelsea Salisbury – 2007 Hammer (23^rd)
 
Indoor
Avion Jones – 2015 High Jump (7^th), 2016 High Jump (14^th)
Raqurra Ishmar – 2016 Weight Throw (11^th)
Kayla Padgett – 2014 Weight Throw (11^th)
Montrell Morrow – 2012 Weight Throw (15^th), 2013 Weight Throw (NM)
Tynita Butts – 2010 High Jump (11^th), 2011 High Jump (4^th), 2012 High Jump (7^th), 2013 High Jump (2^nd)
Hawkins, Harris, Minkins, Goggins – 2012 W4x400m (12^th)
Eric Frasure – 2006 Weight Throw (7^th), 2007 Weight Throw (4^th)
Terrence Myers – 2007 Weigh Throw (10^th)


Personal
Wife: Nancy (elementary school teacher)
Children: Alicia Kraft (social worker), Kayla Kraft (dental hygienist)