Having already served three years as the head of the women’s track and field program, Joel Hoffsmith was given the reins of the men’s program beginning in 2011-12 and is now heading into his eighth year in control of both teams.
For the 11th year in a row, the Elizabethtown men’s track and field program placed in the top three at the MAC Indoor Championships. The Blue Jays were third in 2013, behind Widener and Messiah with 82 points.
At the 2013 MAC Outdoor Championships, Hoffsmith’s men scored 113 points over the three-day meet to come in third behind Widener and Messiah. It is the seventh straight outdoor championship that the men’s program has finished within the top three.
Between the indoor and outdoor MAC meets, the men’s team came through with 35 All-MAC performances, including 14 total medals, five of which were gold.
Thrower Lucas Dayhoff ’14 had his most impressive season yet, breaking three school records, including the indoor shot put and weight throw and the outdoor hammer. Cameron Aregood ’13 capped off his career with a second-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships in the javelin. Aregood’s throw of 67.54m (221’7”) shattered his own previous record. He gave E-town its second All-American in as many years, and its 13th overall in the program history.
Since joining the Landmark Conference in 2014-15, Elizabethtown has continued to contend for indoor and outdoor titles, finishing no worse than third in the conference between the two seasonal championships. E-town was the 2017 Landmark Outdoor Championships runner-up.
The Blue Jay men have won 60 total medals in the six championship meets since entering the Landmark. Hoffsmith's team put up 15 medals to finish second outdoors in 2017.
Hoffsmith collegiate coaching experience dates back to 1978. It was that year that he became head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Lebanon Valley College. After coaching the Dutchmen from 1978-82, Hoffsmith became an assistant at East Stroudsburg University while pursuing his master's degree in physical education.
After a two-year stint as head men's cross country and assistant track and field coach at Shippensburg University (1984-85), Hoffsmith returned to his alma mater of Millersville University where he was head men's cross country and track and field coach from 1985-92.
Hoffsmith then went back to Lebanon Valley from 1994-2000 as assistant track and field coach, while also serving as head women's cross country coach from 1997-99.
No stranger to Elizabethtown, Hoffsmith spent eight seasons as an assistant coach, beginning in 2000. He served in that role until the start of the 2008-09 season, when he was elevated to head women’s track and field coach.
In addition to his college coaching, Hoffsmith has coached at the scholastic level. He’s spent time at Annville-Cleona, Hershey and Susquehanna Township High Schools.
During his career at the collegiate level, Hoffsmith has coached 29 All-Americans in 13 different events - 20 in Division III and seven in Division II, as well as one national champion.
Hoffsmith is a 1976 graduate of Millersville, where he was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion in the 800 meters in 1975 and was an All-American.
