CAREER AT A GLANCE
· Berkowitz begins her fourth season as Penn State’s pole vault and horizontal jumps coach. She returned to her home state of Pennsylvania to join the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff in 2021 following nine seasons as an assistant coach at East Carolina.
· In 2023, Berkowitz guided Luke Knipe to a Second Team All-American finish in the pole vault at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Nittany Lion vaulter became Penn State’s first-ever male pole vaulter to advance to the outdoor championship meet.
AT PENN STATE
· Berkowitz bolstered the Nittany Lion vault squad in 2024 with the addition of grad transfer Victoria Atkinson. She, along with teammates Hailey Zurich and Tristan McGarrah, set top-five program marks in the indoor and outdoor pole vault. The trio of vaulters all advanced to the NCAA East Region Preliminaries in the event following excellent outdoor seasons. Zurich’s 4.20-meter jump at the NCAA regional meet set a PR as she became just the second woman in school history to clear 4.20 meters outdoors.
· The 2023 seasons saw Berkowitz coach Penn State’s first-ever male pole vaulter to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Knipe advanced to the championship meet and became a Second Team All-American in his final competition as a Nittany Lion. Berkowitz also mentored three point-scorers at the Big Ten Championships, including Knipe in both the pole vault and the long jump, as well as Zurich in the pole vault and Tesia Thomas in the long jump.
· In her first season in Happy Valley, Berkowitz oversaw several student-athletes who went on to set school records, including Katie Jones (4.31m) and Knipe (5.33m) in the outdoor pole vault. Both also set program highs in the indoor season with Knipe’s personal-best 5.40m clearance and Jones’ 4.27m vault earning them second place finishes at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. A total of seven Nittany Lions went on to compete in at the NCAA Qualifiers in pole vault, long jump, and triple jump.
BEFORE PENN STATE
· Prior to Penn State, Berkowitz helped guide ECU pole vaulters to a strong 2021 outdoor campaign. Senior Sommer Knight earned First Team All-America honors after placing third at the NCAA Championships with a program record breaking clearance of 4.35m. Knight also won the American Athletic Conference championship with her clearance of 4.28m at the conference meet. Over the course of her time at ECU, she guided athletes to both indoor and outdoor school records in the event.
· In 2018, Berkowitz mentored, Knight, a freshman, who became the first female pole vaulter in program history to clear 13 feet. Knight also set the indoor (3.99m) and outdoor (4.20m) school records while qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary and capturing a pair of third-place finishes at the AAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Knight qualified for the USA Junior National Championships where she set a lifetime-best mark of 4.20m (13-9.25) for a fourth-place finish. In 2020, Knight earned all-league accolades at the AAC Indoor Championships following a third-place result.
· In 2017, Berkowitz helped coach Adell Remsberg to a sixth-place finish in the pole vault at the AACOutdoor Championships with a personal-record of 3.79 meters.
· From 2012-15, Berkowitz coached ECU’s mid-distance/distance athletes and then transitioned from the track to the field in her final six seasons, coaching the Pirates’ pole vaulters in addition to her operations role with the team.
· In 2013, Berkowitz coached Brooke Kott to All-Conference USA First Team honors after she finished in seventh place overall in the 5K at the league championship meet in Denton, Texas.
· Berkowitz earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at ECU and was a two-time captain of the track & field squad, competing in the 400-meter hurdles and the pole vault. During her time at ECU, she was awarded the NCAA Division I Sportsmanship Award for Conference USA and was a part of the school-record-setting shuttle hurdle relay team.
· While pursuing her Master’s Degree in Sport Management, Berkowitz worked as a graduate assistant in academics and as a volunteer coach with the track and field squad.
· Prior to her start in coaching, Berkowitz worked with the University of Miami, the Miami Heat, and the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee in various capacities.
· Her father, Marvin Berkowtiz, is a cross country/track and field coach at Red Lion Area Senior High School in Pennsylvania. The elder Berkowitz is a former Penn State weightlifter, while Berkowitz’s mother, Darla, ran cross country at York College (Pa.).
COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
· 2023 USTFCCCA Female Coaching Mentorship Program Mentor of the Year – Entering seventh season in the program.
o Was named to the inaugural group of mentors selected at the start of the program.
PROMINENT ATHLETES COACHED
· Luke Knipe (Penn State)
o 1x Second Team All-American (’23 outdoor pole vault)
o 2x Big Ten Silver Medalist (’22 indoor pole vault, ’21 indoor pole vault)
o Only male pole vaulter in school history to qualify for the NCAA outdoor Championships.
o 2x Penn State school record holder
§ Indoor pole vault (5.40m)
§ Outdoor pole vault (5.33m)
· Katie Jones (Penn State)
o 1x Big Ten Champion (’20 indoor pole vault)
o 2x NCAA East Prelims qualifier in the pole vault.
o 2x Penn State school record holder
§ Indoor pole vault (4.27m)
§ Outdoor pole vault (4.31m)
· Hailey Zurich (Penn State)
o No. 2 at Penn State in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault.
· Victoria Atkinson (Penn State)
o No. 3 at Penn State in the outdoor pole vault.
o No. 4 at Penn State in the indoor pole vault.
· Sommer Knight (2017-21 at ECU)
o 1x First Team All-America (’21 outdoor pole vault)
o 2x AAC Champion (’21 i/o pole vault)
o 3x AAC Bronze Medalist (’20 indoor pole vault, ’18 i/o pole vault)
o First ECU pole vaulter to clear 13 feet.
o 2x ECU school record setter under Berkowitz
§ Indoor pole vault
§ Outdoor pole vault
THE BERKOWITZ FILE
Personal
Year at Penn State: Fourth
Hometown: York, Pa.
Education: East Carolina, 2007 – B.A. in Kinesiology, 2009 – M.A. in Sport Management.
Coaching Career
2021-Present – Penn State (Assistant Coach – Pole Vault and Horizontal Jumps)
2012-2021 – East Carolina (Assistant Coach)
· 2015-21 – Pole Vault (in addition to operations)
· 2012-15 – Mid-distance/distance (in addition to operations)