Justin McQuality

I have been coaching at the college level for 13 years. All at the NCAA Division III level. I am currently the men's and women's jumps, sprints, and multi-events coach at the University of Chicago. My bachelors degree is in exercise science and psychology from North Central College, and I have a masters degree in exercise science with concentrations in performance enhancement and injury prevention from Pennsylvania Western University.

I have also been a visiting jumps instructor at the Stanford and Princeton summer camps in the past.

Over my 13 years, I have coached 3 NCAA National Champions, 4 NCAA Silver Medalists, 3 NCAA Bronze Medalists, 35 Total NCAA All-Americans, and 78 Total NCAA National Qualifiers across 12 events.

In 2019, I coached Isabel Maletich to the Indoor Women's Long Jump National Championship and Field Performer of the Meet Honors at the Division III National Championships, as well as to a runner-up finish in the Long Jump at the outdoor national championships. Where I also coached Laura Darcey to a runner-up finish in the high jump at the Division III Outdoor National Championships.

Upon completion of the 2020 indoor season, I was voted by my peers as the National Indoor Women's Assistant Coach of the Year. Prior to our championship meet being cancelled due to COVID-19, my athletes were leading the country in the women's long jump, women's triple jump (Isabel Maletich), and women's pentathlon (Laura Darcey). Laura Darcey was voted the 2020 Women's Indoor Field Athlete of the year after posting the 3rd best pentathlon performance in D3 history. Her 2020 personal bests were as follows: 60m - 7.75, 60m Hurdles - 8.99, Long Jump - 18'11.5", High Jump - 5'8.5", 800m - 2:28.24. Isabel Maletich posted the 5th best triple jump performance in Division III history with a jump of 41'3", and her leading jump in the long jump was 19'5.5".

In 2021, I helped 3 athletes to the NCAAD3 championships and All-American honors. Isabel Maletich became only the 4th athletes in history to sweep the national championships in both the long jump and triple jump. This performance earned her both the Field Performer of the Meet and the NCAAD3 Womens Field Athlete of the Year Awards. Rachel Terhaar finished runner-up in the women’s pole vault clearing a life-time best of 12’6”, while Laura Darcey placed 8th in the high jump.

In the 2022 indoor season, I coached 8 athletes over 7 events to the NCAAD3 Championships. Isabel Maletich earned Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year after jumping 19’6.75” in long jump and 41’8.5” in the triple jump, which tied the NCAAD3 record. Becca Stewart qualified in the triple jump as well and jumped a lifetime best of 38’8.25”, while also just narrowly missing qualification in the long jump with a jump of 18’2.25”. Gabri Meschino broke the school records in the 60 and 200 at 7.75 and 25.38. Ren Brown broke the school record and qualified in the 60m hurdles. She ran a time of 8.74 seconds. Meg Fitzpatrick qualified in the 400m by running a time of 57.76. She also helped lead our 4x4 and distance medley relays to 3:53.68 and 11:43.07 times. The success of these athletes earned me Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

As an athlete, I was a 3-year captain and an NCAA Division III All-American in the triple jump as a member of the Men's Varsity Track and Field team at North Central College in Naperville, IL.

I take a methodical and holistic approach to coaching. In our first session, I will get to know the athlete, talk to them about my expectations, their expectations, and will teach them our general warm-up. Through that warm-up I will be able to evaluate the athlete’s fundamental skill level, efficiency of movement, and teach them terminology that will be foundational in our communication moving forward. In the second session, I will discuss the results of my evaluation, goals, and a plan moving forward.

Overall, you can expect that I will care more about the person then the athlete. I see this sport as not just a vessel for achievement and success, but one of the finest tools to teach life lessons and values in American culture. I will meet each athlete where they are and will always first address fundamental inefficiency and building a base of knowledge, fundamental skills, and speed before moving on. This should help keep the athlete safe and healthy allowing for consistency and the ability to get more in depth and achieve higher level skills faster.

One of the roles I have played for many years is that of the recruiting coordinator for the different programs I have coached for, including in my current position at the University of Chicago. This experience allows me to understand much of the inner workings of the recruitment process at all levels including highly rigorous schools such as UChicago. I offer free recruitment counseling to all my private clients. I have personal connections with over 80 college coaches ranging across the academic spectrum from NCAA Division I to Division III and NAIA.