ONLINE EXLUSIVE: Another coach resigns from Portland State

After five seasons at the helm of both the track and field and the cross country teams at Portland State, head coach Kebba Tolbert has resigned to take a coaching position with the UTEP track team.

Tolbert announced his decision to the team in a meeting on Monday but his resignation will not be in effect until September 27. The athletic department is currently assessing the needs of the program and will conduct a coaching search shortly thereafter according to athletic director Torre Chisholm.

“I certainly can’t behoove Kebba for making this decision. We are definitely sad to see him go,” Chisholm said.

Chisholm said that Tolbert’s decision to leave Portland State was difficult to accept given the recent coaching departures of softball coach Amy Hayes and tennis coach Steven Ascher.

“Frankly, my reaction was, ‘Not another one'”, Chisholm said of what he thought when he heard the news. “We have had a big turnaround of coaches recently. I guess that it’s a trend at PSU.”

During his five seasons at Portland State Tolbert has guided the women’s track and field team to the school’s best results since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. During his tenure, the team has consistently finished among the upper echelon in both indoor and outdoor championships.

“He has dedicated a lot of effort into this program,” Chisholm said. “Whatever success the program has had has been a direct result of his recruiting and coaching.