The 2021-22 campaign marks Darrin Webb’s 28th season with the VMI track and field and cross country teams, and his 14th as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. Webb will continue to not only oversee all aspects of the six programs but also continue to work with each of the jumping events (LJ, TJ, HJ, PV) as well as the multi events.
2019-20---The men’s cross country team improved to a 4th-place finish at the SoCon Championships. The Keydets hosted four indoor meets - in addition to the SoCon Indoor Championships - seeing conference champions in the women's shot put (Sarah Leckman), women's 400m (Ahliyah Williams), with Ariana Ruffin placing second in the 400m. In addition, Webb saw scorers in both the men’s and women’s pole vault, as well as scorers in the heptathlon. The men’s and women’s team finished the indoor season at the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston, where they had their highest number of qualifiers with 25 individuals in program history. This included three different men’s relays (4x400, DMR, and 4x800). The VMI men’s team finish was their second-highest finish ever at this meet with a 14th- place finish out of over 100 schools that are eligible to qualify. The women's cross country and men's track teams were also rewarded with the athletic department's Jamison Award for having the best team academics for NCAA-sponsored sports for their respective genders.
2018-19 - The Keydets hosted four meets to positive reviews at the Corps Physical Training Facility (CPTF), including the SoCon Indoor Championships - the first of three straight years that will see VMI host. In addition, Webb coached Andrew Arlint and true freshman Griffin Kowal to scoring performances in the pole vault, along with multiple time scorer in the women’s pole vault McKenna Dunn. Blaine Ashton finished second in the triple jump as a freshman. In addition to scorers in the multi events for both the men and women, the women's program continued to set school records as five more fell during the indoor season.
2017-18 - The Keydets expanded the indoor schedule, putting the CPTF on the map as one of the best facilities in the country. Webb coached multiple All-Conference performers including Julia Logan (Pent-3rd, HJ-2nd ), and James Granderson (LJ-3rd)
In 2016-17, the Keydets opened the Corps Physical Training Facility, one of the premier indoor tracks on the east coast, with a dual meet win over The Citadel. The women's team set 11 school records as well, one season after the men's team had a runner-up finish at the 2016 SoCon Outdoor Championships. The team's 152 points scored were the most in over a decade.
In addition, both women's programs equaled their highest team finishes indoor and outdoor and the programs combined for 10 individual titles during the 2015-16 season, when on the cross country course, the men's team posted a second place finish at the SoCon Championships for the program's best team finish since 2005.
During the 2014-15 season, Webb took a women's program laden with freshmen to the best results in program history. Not only did the team shatter the previous highest point total at a conference meet, doing so at the outdoor SoCon Championships, but the squad also set seven school records during the year and had its first-ever ECAC qualifier in the 4X100-meter relay.
In addition to that accomplishment, Webb has earned two Big South Indoor Coach of the Year (men's) awards. He has also mentored two of the top athletes in the history of the women's program, three-time conference champion Kate Collins (pole vault) and fellow pole vaulter Jennifer Sing, who cleared 13'3 1/2" in 2012. He has also seen the Keydet women’s cross country team post its highest finishes ever, including a second-place result in 2009. The men's squad also posted second-place finishes indoor (2009 and 2011) and outdoor (2009), while cross country earned its best conference result since 2005 with a runner-up finish in 2015.
In Webb's first year at the helm of the Keydets, he earned Big South Indoor Coach of the Year (men's) honors, as the Keydets equaled their best finish (second place) since joining the conference. He then led the team to the same finish, a runner-up position, at the outdoor meet that year, which helped earn him VMI's Distinguished Coaching Award given yearly to a deserving athletic coach. Two seasons later, he once again earned men's Big South Indoor Coach of the Year honors, as VMI notched another second place finish at the indoor conference meet.
Webb, a 1994 graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in Exercise Science, came to the Institute shortly after his graduation. The native of Phelps, N.Y. served as an assistant under former VMI Coach Mike Bozeman for six seasons, and was then promoted to the position of Associate Head Coach in the year 2000, and served in that role until his current position.
Webb has earned his USA Track and Field Level II certificate in jumps, as well as sprints, hurdles and relays. During the pandemic this past spring, Webb also earned Certifications from Altis Sports Performance Education-in both the Horizontal Jumps and in the Pole Vault.
During his tenure at VMI, Webb’s responsibilities have included recruiting coordinator, budget management for travel, purchasing equipment coordinator, director of home meet management, as well as coordination with academic services, the admissions office, financial aid, and the sports information office for all publications regarding the VMI track and field program. He has also had to coach many different events, at any given time, to include: sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, and multi events.
Since joining the Keydet staff, he has been part of five Southern Conference team championships. Webb also has to his credit a 2004 Indoor NCAA All-American in the 200-meters, five NCAA qualifying marks in the 100-meters, 200-meters, high jump, and a 1996 provisional qualifier in the decathlon. The 2004 Indoor IC4A champion also holds the meet record of 20.85 in the 200-meters. Webb has also worked with 12 IC4A champions in various events, along with 81 conference champions, over 150 all-conference performers and athletes who have recorded over 225 all-time top-10 school performances.
Webb also coached former VMI Associate Head Track Coach, Garrett Brickner, who qualified to the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and was a three-time IC4A Champion in the high jump. Brickner was also a five-time conference champion in the high jump, and he has held the Big South record in both that event and the decathlon.
While at Syracuse University, Webb served as a team captain as a senior in 1994, and was a member of the 1992 Big East Indoor Conference Championship team. Webb is the current Syracuse indoor school record holder in the pole vault.
Webb and his wife, Michelle, have a daughter, Savannah. The family resides in Lexington.
NCAA All-Americans or NCAA qualifiers (either coached or member of team since 2008, when Webb was named head coach):
Paulvince Obuon---200m (indoor), 2x indoor qualifier in 200m, 1 time All American
Felix Kitur---800m, 2x honorable mention all American, 4x final round qualifier outdoors
Garrett Brickner-HJ-NCAA finals qualifier, 3x qualifier to NCAA 1st round, 1 time qualifier to NCAA finals
Donnie Cowart—steeplechase, 2x qualifier, 1x all American
Andrey Dmitriev---1500m-NCAA 1st round qualifier
Jennifer Sing---PV-NCAA 1st round qualifier
JB Rosson-PV-NCAA 1st round qualifier
Dennis James-HJ-NCAA 1st round qualifier
Gavin Jenkins - 3,000m steeplechase - NCAA East Regional qualifier (2021 - Jacksonville, Fla.)
