Track & Field

Kenneth DeBos, a two-time NCAA Div. III national champion at Mount Union College, is The College of Wooster’s pole vault coach. DeBos began his duties with the Fighting Scots in October 2022.

DeBos made an immediate impact with the program, guiding Dylan Garretson to a fourth-place finish in the pole vault at the 2023 NCAA Div. III Indoor Track & Field Championships, with Garretson becoming the men's first indoor track & field All-American. DeBos' pole vaulters have qualified for nationals twice and have earned four U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Region, five All-Ohio, and six All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors. 

A career educator, DeBos transitioned to the charter sector following a distinguished career in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, which included serving as the science department chair for five years followed by a four-year stint as mathematics coach. He was principal at Wright Preparatory Academy in Canton, Ohio, for seven years, spearheading a comprehensive K-8 curriculum while directing forward-thinking academic assessment efforts.  

DeBos, who gained collegiate coaching experience at Lindsey Wilson College, was the indoor and outdoor Div. III pole vault champion in 1986 and earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in 1984. He helped the Purple Raiders to a runner-up, a third-place, and a fifth-place finish at the Div. III Championships. The three-time Ohio Athletic Conference champion is a member of Mount Union’s M Club Hall of Fame.  

He graduated with a degree in education from Mount Union and furthered his education with a master’s degree in the field from Ashland University.