Dirk Doehring is in his fourth season as the head track & field coach and his 12th overall with the Illinois College programs.

Under his direction, the men’s and women’s programs have reached unprecedented heights, and that was evident again during the 2025-26 season. Doehring guided the men’s team to the first Midwest Conference outdoor championship in program history. For his efforts, Doehring and his staff were named the league’s Coaching Staff of the Year at the outdoor meet.

Individually, IC boasted a pair of All-Americans. Riley Gardner was a first-team honoree in the high jump at both the NCAA Indoor (eighth-place finish) and Outdoor (tied for fourth-place) Championships, while Melvin Hodge was a second-team honoree (10th place finish) in the weight throw and a first-team (seventh-place finish) in the hammer throw at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively.  Hodge was also named the MWC Indoor Field Performer of the Year and teammate Deon Rodgers won the same award at the league’s outdoor meet. On the women’s side, Haley Garrett won the MWC Track Performer of the Year award at the indoor meet while Aleese Trimingham won the same award at the outdoor competition for the second consecutive season. In addition to the MWC honors, 16 athletes earned All-Midwest Region honors in their respective events. 

IC had a milestone season in 2024-25 as well. In just his second season as head coach, Doehring guided the women’s program to its first Midwest Conference team titles at both the Indoor and Outdoor Championships. For their efforts, Doehring and his staff were named the MWC Coaching Staff of the Year after both championships.

Individually, Trimingham was named the MWC Track Performer of the Year for the outdoor season and McKenzie Murray was the league’s Newcomer of the Year.  Brooke Oakley earned the MWC’s Elite 20 Award, which goes to the senior with the highest grade point average.

On the men’s side, Dylan Doss earned All-American honors at both the indoor (200 meters – fourth place finish) and outdoor (long jump – finishing eighth, 100 meters – finishing 13th) NCAA Championships. Doss was also the Midwest Conference Track Performer of the Year at the league’s indoor championships and earned All-Region accolades in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Freshman Sam Stimler earned the conference’s Newcomer of the Year at the indoor meet as well. 

Doehring’s initial season as the head coach was a success for both the IC men’s and women’s programs. 

The men’s team finished second at the Midwest Conference Outdoor Championships and boasted a second-team All-American in Doss with a 10th place finish in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Doss was also All-Midwest Region after both the indoor and outdoor seasons, and freshman Adam Hernandez earned the Newcomer of the Year honor after the outdoor Championships. That duo combined to win a total of three conference titles during the season (Hernandez in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and Doss in the indoor 200-meter dash). The Blueboys had a total of 16 All-Midwest Conference performances in 2024.

The IC women’s program enjoyed similar success during Doehring’s initial campaign as well. Freshman Deja Anderson was the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. The indoor 4 x 200-meter relay team of Mattie Brown, Garrett, Fynesse Jones, and Anderson won the league indoor title and set a school record. Outdoors, the highlight of the season came when the 4 x 100-meter relay team of Brown, Mady Salisbury, Garrett, and Anderson cruised to the conference title, smashing both IC and Midwest Conference Outdoor Championship records in the process. The Lady Blues had a total of 20 All-Midwest Conference honorees in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Doehring and athletes he has coached also achieved many successes during his time as an assistant on the Hilltop. In 2017, both Andrea Hyde and Chris Moore were named MWC Newcomers of the Year at one of the MWC Championships, and in 2018, Hyde and Brett Peifer were awarded the Outstanding Track Performers of the Meet at the MWC Outdoor Championships. Marshall Brown was named the Men's Newcomer of the Year at the Outdoor Championships in 2019. Hyde was an eight-time NCAA Championship qualifier in her career. The men's 4 x 100 Meter Relay also qualified in 2018 for NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hyde ended her 2018 season as an All-American after finishing sixth in the 100-meter dash. and was an All-American again in 2020, ending the year eighth nationally in the 60-meter dash and 17th in the 200-meter dash.

Throughout his tenure at IC, Doehring has guided 66 conference champions and 172 All-MWC performers. Blueboy and Lady Blue athletes have set 42 school records during his tenure on the staff.

Doehring came to IC from the University of Illinois, where he was a volunteer assistant for two seasons. During that time, the Illini had 41 Big Ten finalists in sprints, jumps, and hurdles. Illinois had 11 individual Big Ten champions, six first-team All-Americans, and five second-team All-Americans. The 2015 squad won the Big Ten Outdoor title and finished 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Before his stint in Champaign, Doehring was the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Millikin for two seasons. The Big Blue boasted 14 CCIW champions and a pair of All-Americans in that span. Prior to becoming the Director, Doehring made stops as a volunteer assistant coach at Delaware State and Defiance and began his coaching career as an assistant at Millikin.

Doehring graduated from Millikin in 2002 and received his master’s degree from Defiance in 2010. He has a USATF Level One Certification and a USTFCCCA Jumping Events Specialist Certification. He and his wife, Angie, live in Springfield with their children, Ayden and Madeline, and their dog, Max.