Brett Willmott, a 1995 alumnus of SUNY Plattsburgh who has more than 25 years of coaching experience, begins his fifth year as the associate head track and field coach and the director of strength and conditioning at Plattsburgh State in 2025-26.
Willmott returns to Cardinal Country after leading the cross country and track and field programs at SUNY Potsdam for the past four years. He arrived at Potsdam after two years as the head cross country and track and field coach at SUNY Oneonta, where he led the Red Dragons' men's (first team appearance) and women's cross country (second time appearance) at the NCAA Championships. In all, he led 26 NCAA qualifiers and had six All-America performers in two years across both cross country and track and field. The women’s program earned #8 in the NCAA 2016-7.
Before Oneonta, he worked for nine years as the associate head track and field coach at NCAA Division I University of Vermont. While in Burlington, he saw Catamount student-athletes break 50 school records, win 22 individual conference championships, and earn 123 All-America East honors. Willmott also coached the Swedish Junior National Hurdle Champion and had 10 athletes qualify for the NCAA Championships. Currently, he coaches UVM Sara Roderick as 2026 Olympic hopeful.
Willmott served as head cross country and track and field coach at Plattsburgh State from 2003-07, where he mentored 22 NCAA qualifiers and 41 All-Conference/All-Region student-athletes. Men earned ECAC Championship runner-up indoor team. From 1999-2003, he worked as the head cross country and track and field coach at SUNY New Paltz, where he coached nine SUNYAC champions. Willmott began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Plattsburgh State from 1996-99.
Since 2000-01 and every year since 2007, Willmott has been a strength and conditioning and push coach for the U.S. Olympic Skeleton Team. He had skeleton athletes with Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Willmott, who competed in cross country and track and field as an undergraduate student-athlete at Plattsburgh State, is a member of the Oakfield-Alabama High School Hall of Fame. He has served as a five-time National Strength and Conditioning Association Regional and National speaker, most recently in Lake Placid, NY.
