An unfortunate hip injury that sidelined Josh Ireland from football his freshman year became a blessing in disguise for the Warhawk track and field program.
Head coach Josh Ireland, of the women’s track and field team, graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2009. Upon his graduation, he became an assistant coach for the men’s track and field team while pursuing his master’s degree in Health and Human Performance.
Before his coaching career began, Ireland competed in track and field for the ’Hawks and received four varsity letters. He competed in javelin as well as sprints and relays. The five-time all-WIAC honoree was team captain his senior year.
Ireland also achieved All-Academic honors three times and was a member of the All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.
At only 25 years of age, Ireland already has experience at both the college and professional levels. An internship with the Indiana Invaders, a pro circuit track and field team, had Ireland work on recruiting, team and meet management, and workouts.
An internship with Marquette University’s Strength and Conditioning Department had Ireland working with 14 varsity teams on aspects such as strength, speed and conditioning.
The Royal Purple had an opportunity to talk to Ireland and discussed his team’s progress this season as well as the path he took to coach at UW-Whitewater.
Royal Purple: How do you feel the team has performed so far this season?
Coach Ireland: Coming into it I honestly didn’t really know what to expect. I definitely think we are doing some good things. We are ranked No. 23 in the nation. We have had a lot of good performances, a lot of personal records and season bests. Overall I’m definitely pleased with the outcome thus far. I think we can only get better.
RP: Have injuries set back the team at all?
Ireland: We’ve had injuries that we didn’t want to have, but that kind of comes with the game. It’s part of the sport.
RP: How has your experience been so far in your first year as a head coach?
Ireland: Different. It’s been different in so many ways, especially administratively and with things that you don’t see coaches doing behind the scenes. You learn something new every day.
RP: What’s been the biggest difference working with women instead of men?
Ireland: Making work outs, as far as how much they can handle, has fast as they can go, how much rest time they get, so many different aspects that you have to look at. It’s a bit more experience and definitely learning for the better.
RP: How has running track at UW-Whitewater and now coaching here influenced your life?
Ireland: Definitely a positive impact. I learned a lot of new things about myself. A lot more structure in my academics when I joined track. I met a lot of great people. That experience (running) led me to this job. Overall it has been a great experience. This school, in my opinion, is one of the best schools in the state.
