Connor Stumm joined the Concordia Chicago Track and Field field staff in the summer of 2018 as an assistant coach Stumm will work with the Cougars’ sprinters and jumpers.
Stumm, a native of Sheridan, IN, attended Wabash College between 2013-17 when the Little Giants won three outdoor and two indoor conference titles. Stumm himself was a six-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference champion in the high jump, long jump, heptathlon, decathlon, and both the 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 200-meter relays. In addition, he was a three-time United States Track and Field/Cross-Country Coaches’ Association All-Great Lakes Region athlete (twice in the heptathlon, once in the decathlon).
First drawn to the sport at the age of 11, Stumm had an auspicious introduction his first day of practice when he attempted the high jump. “On my very first try, I jumped from too far away and hit my head hard against the metal standard. It wasn’t a pretty sight. That didn’t stop me from trying it again, though. I enjoyed it, the sport felt like home, and I never thought of quitting. I wanted to do as many things as I could, and thankfully I got that opportunity, first with Sheridan High School and later collegiately with Wabash.”
Stumm knew that he wanted to coach, and upon graduation from Wabash, he became a graduate assistant at Southwest Minnesota State University, a Division II program. He was the coach and training supervisor for both men and women in the horizontal and vertical jumps, multi-events and short sprints. While he enjoyed his experience at SMSU, Stumm did not ponder too long when the offer came from Concordia-Chicago.
The program Stumm is joining is coming off arguably its best season in history, one in which six women’s athletes competed in the outdoor nationals and brought home All-American honors in both the 400-meter hurdles and the 4 x 400-meter relay.
Another aspect of Concordia-Chicago attractive to Stumm is its spiritual focus. Stumm’s background includes missionary trips to Northern Haiti and Managua, Nicaragua, and he has served as a worship/music leader numerous times (including some in Spanish).
Stumm earned his BA in history from Wabash College in 2017 and is working on an MS in physical education/coaching of sport at Southwest Minnesota State University.
