In rebuilding the Austin Peay track and field and cross country programs, Dr. Doug Molnar’s dedication and relentlessness has not gone unnoticed. With more than a decade of Division I coaching experience and more than 20 years of participation in college athletics, Molnar has set a standard on which to build for his ninth season as head coach.
2014 was the most successful season to date of the Molnar era. That season, Austin Peay placed third at the OVC Indoor Championships and were runner-up in the outdoor championships, with Molnar earning conference coach of the year honors following Austin Peay's second-place finish at the conference meet.
Much of Molnar’s success can be attributed to his team’s development in the field events. Pole vaulter Carrie Burggraf was named the 2010 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and jumper Leigha Tolliver was named Indoor Freshman of the Year. In 2014, Kaylnn Pitts became the first Austin Peay jumper of the Molnar era to reach the NCAA Preliminary Round.
Burggraf was a three-time indoor and two-time outdoor pole vault champion, while teammate Molly Bartkiewicz earned the indoor and outdoor pole vault crown in 2007.
However, in recent years Molnar has built the track program to rival the accomplishments of his field athletes. Chantelle Grey (800m, 2012-13) and Breigh Jones (400m, 2013-14) have each represented Austin Peay at the NCAA East Preliminary Round the past three seasons. Jones parlayed a successful freshman season into a spot on the US Junior Pan American team in 2013 and finished 20th in the nation at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.
A former distance runner, Molnar came to Austin Peay from Texas-Pan American where he led the cross country squads to a top-10 regional finish in 2003. His women’s program also recorded its best finish at an NCAA regional since the mid-1980s. In addition, he coached the program’s first All-American in 2002.
A native of Lorain, Ohio, Molnar excelled as an all-state selection in track and field at Admiral King High School. Following his prep career, he put his speed to work as a four-year runner at West Virginia, serving as a team captain his junior and senior year. Molnar graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 and remained in Morgantown another year, earning his master’s in business administration.
Molnar continued his education and launched his coaching career at Kent State. As a graduate assistant, he worked with men and women’s distance runners while completing his second post-graduate degree – a master’s of arts in physical education.
He graduated in 1992 and spent a year as a volunteer coach at Oberlin College before returning to serve as Kent State’s men’s cross country head coach while assisting with men and women’s track and field.
In his second stint with Kent State, Molnar asserted himself. He assisted with a team that finished 20th at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and coached six conference champions and two relay teams which were ranked among the top 10 by Track and Field News.
After several successful seasons at Kent State, Molnar again decided to further his education and his coaching experience at Tennessee. He earned a doctorate in educational administration and cultural studies, while serving two seasons as a volunteer assistant to men’s track and field and interim head coach for the Lady Vols cross country team. During his tenure, the Volunteers won a 2001 national title, claimed runner-up honors in 2002, a berth in the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships and the 2002 Southeastern Conference title.
Under Molnar’s tutelage, Austin Peay has seen 14 indoor and 15 outdoor school records fall. Included among those are nine indoor and eight outdoor marks from the 2014 season alone.
Molnar resides in Clarksville with his wife, Kim, and her children Cameron, Sydney and Tyler. Molnar’s daughter, Alyssa, was a distance runner for the Lady Govs.
