ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Director of Navy Track and Field and Cross Country Jamie Cook announced the hiring of Sheldon Hutchinson and Chris Johnson as assistant coaches of the Navy track and field program. Hutchinson will work with horizontal jumps and sprinters, while Johnson will coach the multi-events and the high jump.
 
"I am excited about the addition of Chris and Sheldon to our program," Cook said. "We continue to attract highly motivated people to our staff whose focus is on improving the total person. They each understood the unique opportunity that was presented to them in being a coach at the United States Naval Academy. The goal with any hire is to find the right fit for the program. We believe we have done that, and will support each of them as they help identify, develop and retain talented individuals who love to win."

 
An accomplished student-athlete at the University of Nebraska, Hutchinson joins the Midshipmen coaching staff after spending three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach (2018-21) at his alma mater.
 
"I want to thank head coach Jamie Cook for the opportunity to be a part of the Midshipman family," said Hutchinson. "I'm truly excited to continue building something special within the Naval Academy and I look forward to working with the athletes and staff."
 
While at Nebraska, Hutchinson worked directly with several student-athletes that claimed All-Big Ten accolades, including Lishanna Ilves, Angie Mercurio, Shylia Rylie and Ieva Turke on the women's side and Papay Glaywulu and Elijah Lucy on the men's team. Ilves and Mercurio also excelled at the national level, earning Second Team All-America distinction in the long jump and triple jump, respectively. During Hutchinson's tenure, the Husker men's track and field team was crowned the 2019 Big Ten Indoor Champion.
 
Hutchinson arrived in Lincoln from Maricopa, Ariz. where he served as a head coach for track and field at the middle school / high school level (2008-18).
 
A 2003 graduate of Nebraska, Hutchinson was a three-time All-American, earning the honor in 1999, 2000, and 2001 in the triple jump.
 

Prior to joining the Navy staff, Johnson worked at Tulane as an assistant coach for three seasons (2018-21) and was named the 2021 Tulane University Athletics Green Globe Assistant Coach of the Year.
 
"I want to thank Coach Cook and the NAAA for offering me the chance to be a part of the staff," Johnson said. "Having had family serve in the military, I did not think twice when the opportunity of coaching at the Naval Academy was presented to me. It is truly an honor to be able to work at such a fine institution with a tradition of excellence in the cross country / track and field program. I hope to continue the level of success that has been established here and to help build upon it further in the future."
 
During his time at Tulane, Johnson worked directly with eight student-athletes who scored points at the AAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in nine total events, including Migle Muraskaite who won the women's heptathlon. He also helped develop Hannah Patrick into a 2021 NCAA East Regional qualifier in the javelin. Johnson's athletes broke the Tulane school record in the women's indoor pentathlon (two times) and women's outdoor heptathlon (two times).
 
He arrived in New Orleans from Valley City State University in North Dakota where he served as the head coach of cross country and track and field (2015-18).
 
As a two-sport student-athlete at Dickinson College, Johnson played baseball and was a member of the track and field team. He was a track and field team captain as a senior and a three-time Centennial Conference champion as a javelin thrower and jumper.