A three-time conference champion as a collegiate hurdler, D.J. Petty joined the Amherst College coaching staff in 2022. Petty works with the sprinters and hurdlers at Amherst.
Petty joined the Mammoths after spending two years coaching at his alma mater, Randolph College. He worked as a graduate assistant in 2020-21, aiding and coaching the sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers. Petty was promoted to assistant coach for the 2021-22 season and worked exclusively with the jump squad, designing their workout regimen and conducting practices.
During his coaching tenure at Randolph, Petty coached athletes to second, third and fifth place finishes at the ODAC Outdoor Championships and a second-place finish in the women's high jump at the ODAC Indoor Championships. Under Petty's guidance, Randolph school records fell in the women's triple jump, women's high jump and women's long jump.
As a student-athlete at Randolph, Petty won three ODAC championships, winning the 60m hurdles in 2018 and 2019 and the 110m hurdles in 2018. Petty became the first WildCat to compete at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, qualifying in both the 60m dash and 60m hurdles in 2019, and also qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the 110m hurdles before the national championships were canceled his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Petty holds the Randolph school records in the 60m, 60m hurdles, 100m and 200m. He was a six-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection in his career with the WildCats.
Petty graduated from Randolph in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in sport and exercise studies and completed his M.A. in coaching and sport leadership at Randolph in 2021. Petty is a USATFÂ Level 1 certified coach.
D.J. PETTY COACHING CAREER
2022–present: Assistant Coach, Amherst College
2021–22: Assistant Coach. Randolph College
2020–21: Graduate Assistant, Randolph College
