MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head track & field coach Kirk Nauman announced today the hiring of Josh Kuusisto as an assistant coach for the program.
 
Kuusisto, who has spent the past four seasons as the director of track & field/cross country and head track & field coach at the University of Minnesota Morris, will oversee the throwers for the Mustang track & field program.
 
"We are excited to add Josh as we grow our full-time staff in track & field and cross country," said Nauman. "He has done great work developing his throwers while also being head coach at Minnesota-Morris. With adding a throws specific full-time coach to our staff, we will continue to grow and succeed as a program."
 
Kuusisto was named the head coach of the UMM track & field programs in 2019 after serving as an assistant coach with the program for four seasons (2015-19). During his tenure as an assistant and head coach at UMM, Kuusisto coached more than 200 all-conference honorees and 58 individual champions in 15 different events. In 2021, he coached Jessica Bliese, who earned Division III All-American honors with a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw.
 
A three-time Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Coach of the Year, Kuusisto led UMM to a pair of UMAC Outdoor Women's team titles and two UMAC Indoor Women's team championships in both 2021 and 2022. He was also an assistant for a pair of UMAC Outdoor Women's championship teams in 2016 and 2019.
 
Prior to UMM, Kuusisto was an assistant coach at Greenville University for two seasons (2014-15).
 
Kuusisto is a 2014 graduate of Greenville University with a degree in parks, recreation, leisure and fitness studies. As a student-athlete, he was a two-time NCAA All-American in the hammer and weight throw in 2013 and 2014 and also won the NCCAA National Championship in both the hammer and weight. He earned his master's degree in education from Greenville in 2016.