Art Hop - Blue Dragon Track & Field

Bio

Art Hop is in his sixth season with the Blue Dragon track and field coaching staff as the pole vault coach.

Over his first five seasons with the Blue Dragons, Hop has guided a national champion, nine NJCAA All-Americans and 14 national qualifiers.

The 2024 season was highly successful as Chris Johnson placed sixth at the indoor championships and became the first Blue Dragon to capture a national pole vault title since 1986, winning the 2024 national outdoor championship with a school record 16 feet, 8 1/2 inches. Johnson also owns the Blue Dragon indoor pole vault record of 15-8.

The 2020 Blue Dragons were able to complete in the indoor season, but had the outdoor season wiped out because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Over his first four indoor seasons and three outdoor seasons with the Blue Dragons, Hop has mentored seven NJCAA All-Americans.

Hop’s first full season with the Blue Dragons in 2021 proved quite successful as he coached his first two All-Americans at HutchCC. Kiana Brown was a second-team All-American in 2021 after finishing third in the NJCAA Outdoor Championships. Violet Martinez was a third-team NJCAA All-American after tying for sixth in the national pole vault.

Hop produced four national placers in the 2022 indoor and outdoor seasons. Brown earned second-team All-America honors after tying for third and Martinez was a third-team All-American after tying for sixth in the 2022 Indoor championships. Simon Steinert was a men’s honorable mention All-American and Martinez was a first-team All-American at the 2022 Outdoor championships at Gowans Stadium. Steinert finished eighth and Martinez tied for second at nationals.

With an extra season of outdoor eligibility, Martinez became a four-time All-American with a seventh-place performance in the 2023 NJCAA Outdoor Championships.

A native of Mira Loma, California, Hop won an NAIA national championship in the pole vault for McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas. Hop’s head coach at McPherson was current Blue Dragon head coach Robert Spies.

Hop won the 2016 NAIA national outdoor pole vault title by tying his school record of 16 feet, 8.75 inches. He first achieved that height earlier in 2016 at the KT Woodman Classic in Wichita.

Hop was a four-time KCAC pole vault champion – winning two indoor and two outdoor conference titles. He finished sixth in the 2016 NAIA Indoor championships going 15-5 and fourth in the 2017 indoor championships going 16-1.75. Hop also finished seventh in the 2015 outdoor national championships.

During his Bulldog career, Hop cleared 16 feet 10 different times.

Hop graduated from McPherson College in 2017.

Hop still has the distinction of having the third-highest pole vault in Gowans Stadium history when he cleared 16-4.75 at the 2016 Hutch Night Relays.