Tyler Burdorff is entering his second year as Cal’s throws coach in the 2027 season, following nine combined years of success at Maryland, Towson, Ithaca College and Cornell.
In Burdorff’s first year with the Bears, Valentina Savva clinched First-Team All-America status after winning the ACC hammer title with a new meet record and earning her first ACC Women’s Field Athlete of the Week award earlier that season, while Nik Iwankiw won an ACC indoor bronze medal in the shot put and earned a pair of Second-Team All-ACC honors outdoors (shot put, discus). Adrianna Coleman likewise was twice named to the All-ACC Second Team (once in the indoor weight throw and once in the outdoor shot put) and rose to No. 6 and No. 8, respectively, in program history, while Lucija Leko rounded out the group with an indoor second-team nod in the shot put. Pietro Camilli became the first Cal rookie to throw the weight over 20 meters, picking up an ACC Men’s Freshman of the Week honor and posting the No. 2 mark in the Bears’ record book. Kai Barham and Miles Clark also recorded top-10 weight throw entries, with Barham coming in at No. 10 and Clark at No. 10.
Burdorff’s four years with the Terrapins (2022-25) saw him coach javelin throwers Kayla Thorpe (Barbados) and Mekhi Abbott (Virgin Islands) to national records, as well as a Barbados national title and championships meet record for Thorpe in 2024. In total, he produced two Second-Team All-Americans, an All-America Honorable Mention, 14 NCAA first round qualifiers, a Big 10 bronze medal, four USA Track & Field (USATF) Indoor Championships finalists, a European U20 Championships qualifier, two USATF U20 Championships qualifiers and seven school records at Maryland.
Burdorff launched his Division I coaching career at Towson, where he led his athletes to an outdoor shot put school record, three NCAA first round qualifiers, two individual conference titles and three Coastal Athletic Association silver medalists.
His first full-time coaching role came at his graduate alma mater of Ithaca College, where he led the throws program from 2019-20 and took on the role of assistant coordinator of facilities, events and equipment after spending the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant at Cornell, where he aided in the development of an NCAA first round qualifier, two Ivy League champions and a school record in the shot put. His first foray into the world of coaching came while he was pursuing his master’s degree (human performance with a concentration in exercise and sport sciences) at Ithaca, where he acted as a graduate assistant for the 2017 season. That year, he aided thrower Brandy Smith to an NCAA Division III discus title and an indoor shot put runner-up finish to help the team place second at the indoor and outdoor national championships. In his combined three years with the Bombers, Burdorff’s athletes produced four school records, four All-American honors, five regional titles and 18 conference titles.
Burdorff graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and pre-physical therapy from Baldwin Wallace in 2016, where he was a three-year starter at middle linebacker as well as a thrower for the Yellow Jackets. As a senior, he was the NCAA Division III runner-up in both the hammer and weight throw. Burdorff also holds certifications from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as a Throws Event Specialist and a Strength & Conditioning Specialist. Since September 2024, Burdorff has coached two-time Greek Olympian hammer thrower Stamatia Scarvelis.
Burdoff replaces longtime Cal throws coach Mohamad Saatara, who departed in June after 12 years in Berkeley.
