Black Hills State track and field has announced the hiring of Austin Billings as Head Track & Field Coach.

"I'm very excited to have Austin Billings join our staff," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, Brian Medigovich. "With his background as an athlete, and as a coach, I'm very excited about the future of Black Hills State Track and Field."

After serving as an assistant coach for four years, Billings enters his first head coaching role here at BHSU.

"I am tremendously thankful for the opportunity Padraic and Brian have given me here at BHSU," Billings said. "I'm eager to get to work with the athletes and cannot wait to see what we will accomplish."

Billings most recently served as an assistant track and field coach at Nicholls State from 2021-2022 where he worked closely with sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers, throwers and multis and led three student athletes to break 10 school records.

Prior to NSU, Billings coached at the University of Montevallo from 2018-2021, and was named NCAA DII South Region Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021.

While at Montevallo, he coached standout Da'Shaun Morgan to two NCAA DII South Region Athlete of the Year honors, three Gulf South Conference Athlete of the Year honors, and three All-American selections.

Billings ran as a decathlete at Samford University from 2014-17 before eventually staying on as an assistant coach there for the fall of 2018.

Billings received a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Samford University in May 2017 and currently resides in Deadwood, S.D.