After an outstanding first 11 seasons with Cal State LA’s track and field teams, Orentheus Hutcherson returns for his 12th year as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs in 2026-27. Hutcherson has been a key part of the coaching staff since he joined Cal State LA in 2016.

In addition to brilliant on-track coaching, Hutcherson is also instrumental in scheduling and home meet planning and management.

The 2025-26 season was highlighted by a national championship in the triple jump from Summer Stevenson and a 15th-place national finish by the women’s outdoor track and field team, the program’s best finish since 2005.

Cal State LA picked up six individual California Collegiate Athletic Association championships, including two more in the 400 hurdles, where Nicholas Aninze and Dalia Romo won titles to continue the excellent tradition in the hurdles since Hutcherson came on board.

Since Hutcherson joined the program in the 2015-16 academic year, the Golden Eagles have earned 86 All-CCAA awards, seven CCAA All-Star awards, 42 individual CCAA championships, 124 All-West Region awards, 37 All-America awards, three individual national championships and one first-team Academic All-American in cross country and track and field.

The 2024-25 season was highlighted by three more All-America performances from jumper Jonon Young and four California Collegiate Athletic Association individual titles in outdoor track and field and a total of 12 All-West Region awards in indoor and outdoor track.

The 2023-24 season was highlighted by improved performances from the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams and a national championship and two top-two finishes in indoor track and field by Young. With Young claiming the indoor national championship in the triple jump and finishing second in the long jump, the Golden Eagles finished 11th in the country as a team, the best finish since 2008.

Cal State LA also improved to a third-place conference finish in men’s outdoor track and field, while the women improved by five spots to finish sixth in the conference.

Hutcherson helped Cal State LA to some great successes in 2022-23, highlighted by the men’s track and field program. The Golden Eagles finished fourth in the CCAA and 25th in the nation after a strong performance at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships.

Hutcherson was instrumental in getting the Golden Eagles back into competition in 2021-22 after a lengthy delay due to COVID. The Golden Eagles earned three All-America awards in men’s track and field and both the men’s and women’s teams had outstanding performances at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, each finishing fourth and showing great improvement.

Hutcherson helped guide the Golden Eagles to some improved performances in 2019-20. Both cross country teams showed impressive gains in 2019 and the track and field teams were off to strong starts before the 2020 season was halted. The 2019 cross country campaign was highlighted by Rebecca Ruiz, who picked up Cal State LA’s first individual victory in a race since 2013 and also earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete honors.

Hutcherson did another masterful job for the track and field program in 2019 and coached another student-athlete, Janeth Moya, to the NCAA Division II Championships. He also coached some promising young hurdlers to some of the best marks in the CCAA.

Hutcherson also continued to coach Golden Eagle great Khallifah Rosser and Rosser advanced to the 400 hurdle finals at the USA Track and Field Championships for a second straight year in 2019.

Hutcherson coached three student-athletes to All-America awards in 2018, including Rosser in the 400 hurdles, Ingvar Moseley in the 110 hurdles and Ashlea Maddex in the indoor 60 hurdles and outdoor 100 hurdles.

Over the summer, he helped Rosser finish third in the U.S. Track and Field Championships after his graduation from Cal State LA. Rosser set new program marks in the 400 hurdles and 400 meters during his Cal State LA career.

Hutcherson helped Moseley to a CCAA Championship, an All-America award and a new Cal State LA record in the 110 hurdles to highlight the 2017 track and field season. Moseley also earned an indoor All-America award in the 60 hurdles.

Hutcherson did a sensational job with Cal State LA’s hurdlers in 2016, including helping Rosser win an NCAA Division II national championship and compete in the United States Olympic Trials.

Before coming to Cal State LA, Hutcherson worked with men’s and women’s hurdlers at Chaffey College for eight years and coached several CCCAA State Championship qualifiers, two CCCAA State Champions and one Pan Am World Junior champion.

He is a USA Track & Field Level 2 certified coach and received his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Florida A&M University in 1999. He also earned All-America honors as a hurdler at Florida A&M and competed from 1994-98.

Hutcherson earned his Master’s degree in Pan African Studies from Cal State LA in May of 2026.

Hutcherson moved to California in 2002 to continue running and started coaching in 2007.