FIU Athletics

COACH ‘HEB’ BY THE NUMBERS

- 20 USTFCCCA All-American Selections
- 72 NCAA Regional Qualifiers
- 26 Conference USA/Sun Belt Event Champions
- 104 Conference USA/Sun Belt All-Conference honors
- 2 Sun Belt Conference Freshmen of the Year
- 2005-2009 - student-athlete at FIU 
- 2009-2014 - FIU assistant coach 
- 2014-present - FIU Head Coach

Ryan Heberling was named head coach of both the men's and women's track and field/cross country programs at FIU on July 9th, 2014 after spending the previous four years as an assistant and the 2014 season as the interim head coach at FIU. Heberling – a native of Vero Beach, FL., and a graduate of Vero Beach High School – oversaw throwers and recruiting for the programs prior to taking over head coaching duties. The track and field programs at FIU have become highly respected through out the country, as well as nationally ranked under Heberling’s leadership.
 
The 2024-25 season will mark Heberling’s eleventh year leading the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country programs at FIU. The program has seen an influx of elite talent in Heberling’s ten recruiting classes since being named head coach. The program has broadened its recruiting landscape and features many student athletes from Europe, Africa, Canada, South America and the Caribbean. The program has also become known for developing Florida’s ‘Diamonds in the rough’ throughout Coach Heberling’s tenure.
 
Over the last nine seasons, the Panther track and field programs have produced 20 All-American Honors. The 2023-2024 season was highlighted by a pair of Second-Team All-American honors from Michaelle Valentin, while Christiana Ellina advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the javelin. In 2022-2023, FIU had a record three athletes qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with Michaelle Valentin, Filippa Miller, and Queshun Watson-Riggins all advancing to Austin. The 2021-22 season was highlighted by a pair of All-Americans, led by Rhema Otabor in the javelin, who earned first-team honors with a fourth place mark at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, while Filippa Miller earned second-team All-American honors in the pole vault in her first appearance at NCAA's. The five points earned by Otabor helped FIU place 41st at the championships, besting more than a dozen power five programs. In 2020-2021, Otabor also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman, earning a 21st place mark for third-team All-American honors. The Panthers also saw great success at the Conference USA Championships, as Queshun Watson-Riggins took gold in both the long jump and triple jump, while Otabor took gold in the javelin. The 2018-19 season was highlighted by Clarissa Cutliff returning to the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships, along with Gabby Rains making her first trip to the NCAA outdoor champs. Clarissa finished 9th at the indoor NCAA champs. Terrisa Russell set the school record in the discus with a monster throw of 58.49m, good enough for a 5th place national ranking. The trio of Clarissa, Terrisa, and Gabby gave Coach Heberling three athletes ranked in the top 100 in the world for their events in 2019. The women’s cross country team finished in 6th place at the conference championships. That marks the best finish ever for the women since joining Conference USA. The team was led by Sherilene Gelderblom, Brittany Watson, and Anais Da Silva.
 
During the 2017-18 campaign the FIU cross-country team started off the year strong with a second-place finish in the Mountain Dew Gator Classic at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and then followed that up with a first-place finish in the prestigious Disney Cross-Country Invitational. FIU carried that over to the Conference USA championships where it took eighth and Sherilene Gelderblom earned First Team All-C-USA honors. 
 
At the C-USA indoor track and field championships, Clarissa Cutliff won her second-straight C-USA high jump title, with a height of 1.84 meters, her top jump of the year and the best in Conference USA. The Panthers’ women’s team finished with their highest point total in school history. Cutliff advanced to the NCAA Championships, earning First Team All-America honors. Terrisa Russell and Gelderblom also earned All-Conference USA honors as well, at the conference meet, in the weight throw and 5,000 meters, respectively.    
 
During the outdoor season, Cutliff continued her dominance in the high jump placing first in all five meets she participated in. She won the 2018 C-USA title with a mark of 1.84m, just shy of her own school record of 1.85m. Cutliff advanced to the NCAA East Region Prelims where she was one of 11 competitors to clear 1.80m, and that was good enough to be one of the top 12 finishers to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships where she earned Honorable Mention All-America honors.
 
In addition to Cutliff, two other FIU student-athletes won C-USA titles at the outdoor championships. Gabrielle Rains won her first C-USA Championship in the discus, and qualified for the NCAA East Region Prelims.
 
Terrisa Russell posted a school record and career-best throw of 62.48m in the hammer throw to win her first C-USA title. She, like Rains and Cutliff, advanced to the NCAA East Region Prelims, taking part in not only the hammer throw, but also the discus.
 
Also advancing the NCAA East Region Prelims was Kenflore Atilus and Asha James.
 
In 2016-17, the Panthers continued their improvement making strides in cross country and posting banner seasons during the indoor and outdoor track and field campaigns. The indoor season was highlighted by Cutliff winning the Conference USA indoor high jump title and capping the season earning Second-Team All-America honors at the NCAA indoor championships. During the year, Cutliff also set a new school indoor high jump record.
 
During the outdoor season, FIU put together its best campaign of Heberlings' tenure.The Panthers sent a school-record seven student-athletes to the NCAA East Regional Prelims: Cutliff (high jump), Rains (discus), Tiffanni Hernandez (Javelin), Jovana Ilic (triple jump), Russell (discus), Chris Sullivan (high jump) and Daniel Neptune (110m hurdles). Two, Cutliff and Sullivan, advanced to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Cutliff, who tied her school outdoor-record mark three times and won her second C-USA title of the season, earned Second-Team All-America honors. Additionally, newcomer Gabrielle Rains showed tremendous promise for the future in the discus. Rains, a native of Canada who finished second at the C-USA Championships, set a school-record during the season with a throw of 53.10m which also broke a 31-year-old Canadian record.
 
In all, FIU totaled nine All-C-USA selections between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
 
The 2016 track season was a success for the Panthers as both the men and women’s teams improved their standing and point totals at the C-USA Outdoor Championships from the previous year. 
 
2016 saw numerous program records fall. Marcus Ghent capped off his senior year by breaking the school record in the triple jump while also earning second team All-American honors at the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Oregon with a ninth-place finish.  The Panthers earned a school record 13 All C-USA honors during the indoor and outdoor champs.  The outdoor season was highlighted by the development of Cutliff breaking the 10-year old high jump record, in her first season, as well as claiming the C-USA title in the event. Miriam Pierre and Hernandez were also able to earn their first conference titles in the discus and javelin respectively at the C-USA outdoor team championships.  Alton Eliphar also picked up right where he left off from the 2015
season by accumulating second place finishes in the 60m, 100m, and 200m at the conference championships.
 
Heberling is the seventh head coach in FIU track and field and cross-country history.
 
Heberling is married to the former Carrie Foster. Carrie is a fellow alumna of FIU and competed for the swimming and diving team. The couple have a son, Logan Wallace Heberling, and a daughter, Leighton Jane Heberling. They are also joined by their loving rescue dog, Piper.