WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Carroll University athletic department is proud to announce the hiring of Rick Bellford as Head Men's and Women's Track & Field Coach. He will fill the void left by Shawn Thielitz, who will remain at Carroll as the Head men's and women's Cross Country coach, while also serving as an assistant Track & Field coach, specializing in long-distance running.

"We are ecstatic with Rick's arrival to the Carroll family," Carroll University Athletic Director Mike Schulist said. "Rick brings a wealth of experience of coaching at the highest level that will no doubt help elevate our track and field programs." 

Bellford joins Carroll after a one-year stint as the Assistant Track & Field coach at UW-Parkside. Prior to that, he served as an Assistant Track & Field Coach at Marquette University from 2013 to 2021. During his time with the Golden Eagles, Bellford helped lead the program to six Big East Track & Field Championships, with the men's program winning the outdoor championships in 2016 and 2018, and the women taking home the indoor and outdoor championships in 2016 and 2017. Bellford has coached 18 school record holders, 18 freshman record holders, 68 Big East individual champions and six NCAA All-Americans while coaching at Marquette.

Bellford graduated from the University of Wisconisn – Madison in 2006, where he was an NCAA All-American in the triple jump in 2005. He was a member of the Big Ten 4x100m relay championship in 2006 and he was the team captain for the Badgers in 2005 and 2006.