Joe Utzurrum rejoined the UC Irvine track & field program for his second stint as a volunteer assistant pole vault coach in 2022-23.
Utzurrum previously worked with the UCI pole vaulters from 2004-07, while he most recently served as a volunteer assistant at USC from 2018-20. In his time with the Trojans, Utzurrum worked with decathlete Ayden Owens-Delerme, who earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2019 and scored 8,130 points to break a 35-year old school record.
Utzurrum also coached former Anteater Borya Celentano during his post-collegiate career. He worked with Celentano, who has held the UCI record in the pole vault since 1995, for five years through his U.S. Trials bid in 2000.
Utzurrum also has experience at the high school level, serving as head coach at President William McKinley High School in 2014 and as the pole vault coach at both Punahou School (2015) and Kamehameha Schools (2013) in Hawai’i.
Utzurrum was a member of the Philippines National Team in 1991, but his athletic career was slowed down by injuries. He went on to graduate from UC Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1989 and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Western State University School of Law in 1993. Utzurrum is a licensed attorney in Los Angeles and Honolulu, while he is also a licensed solicitor in England and Wales.
