D.J. Rodkey takes over as the Head Coach of the Thundering Herd for Boys and Girls Track & Field this season, succeeding Ed Boardman who remains on the coaching staff as a veteran assistant. Coach Rodkey, entering his third year on the Thundering Herd coaching staff and his fifth year as a track & field coach, is the Computer Systems Networking Teacher at Carlisle High School. Prior to joining Carlisle, Coach Rodkey was the Head Cross Country Coach at Blairsville High School and an Assistant Varsity Track & Field Coach at Saltsburg High School, both of which have now merged to become River Valley High School. Rodkey has worked with multiple state qualifiers and medalists at Saltsburg and Carlisle, including 2018 state medalist Jenna Beitel. His most recent state medalist was Rhyan Mitchell, the 2022 District 3 Champion in the triple jump who also placed 6th at the PIAA State Championships and the prestigious Penn Relays that year. He has also had the privilege to be around some of Indiana County's hall-of-fame athletes and coaches including Angel Piccirillo and Rick Foust. Coach Rodkey has also had the privilege to work with several successful head coaches who became mentors to him including Ed Boardman (Carlisle), Michael Gentile (Homer-Center), Melissa Milanak (River Valley), Chris Matava (United), and Matt Rodkey (Homer-Center), his father.
Coach Rodkey has served as a PIAA Official for basketball, cross country, and track & field since the 2015-16 school year. Rodkey is a 2015 graduate of United High School and a 2018 graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems. Coach Rodkey also earned a Graduate Certificate in Sports Management from Liberty University in August 2022 and his USATF Level 1 Track & Field Coach Certification in March 2022. Rodkey specializes in jumps at Carlisle but also has experience coaching sprints and distance. Rodkey is also the founding advisor of Carlisle Esports where he serves as the General Manager. Additionally, he serves Carlisle as an Assistant Varsity Cross Country Coach and Head 7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach. Coach Rodkey is also a volunteer Young Life Leader at Carlisle for South Central PA Young Life.
Coach Rodkey’s coaching philosophy and the RODKEY Rules are derived from his experience with his coaches while a student-athlete as well as from leadership studies during his courses at Liberty University which included leadership examples set by Vince Lombardi and John Wooden’s pyramid of greatness. Not every student-athlete may win, but everyone can improve. It is our goal as a coaching staff to help Carlisle student-athletes improve to go as far as they desire in athletics, academics, and life.
Ed Boardman is taking a step back this year after a leading the Herd through a hugely successful past 15 years. As the Head Coach from 2008-2022 Coach Boardman added many years to the banners that hang in the High School Gymnasium. The banner that looms the largest being the Indoor Distance Medley Relay that won the NATIONAL Championship on March 10th, 2017. That night, at the Armory in New York City, Sam Affolder, Jared Griffie, Isaac Kole, and Noah Affolder broke the US National record for the event, last set in 2001; sixteen years prior. He also takes great pride in his milers’ dominance. For a HS boy to break into his top-5 at 1600, he would need to run 412 or faster. A HS girl would need to go 5:01 or faster. Many school records from around the state of PA would not even make his top-5. Not to mention that Noah Affolder’s 8:42.94 en route time is the fastest 3200 ever run in PA indoor history.
In his last stint as an Assistant Coach he spent 2004-2007 as the long distance coach at Shippensburg University during Spring Track seasons under the tutelage of Olympian and World Championships’ Bronze Medalist Steve Spence. During his four seasons of coaching at the collegiate level, his athletes claimed 22 PSAC places, including 5 individual Conference championships. He coached one All-American, Kelly Stewart, who placed 4th at NCAAs in the 10K and later qualified for the US Olympic Trials in 2008. Boardman attended Shippensburg University himself, was a varsity athlete throughout his four years of undergraduate study, and served as a team captain for both the cross country and track teams for the 1999-2000 season.
He works full-time for the Department of Defense in Mechanicsburg, Pa., where he is employed as a Financial Management Analyst. He also holds a Master's of Business Administration from Shippensburg University and used to even teach night classes at the University on the topics of Organizational Behavior and Strategic Business Management. He resides with his family in Shippensburg where his children are predominantly engaged in soccer, field hockey, and wrestling.
Boardman (Track & Field only) by the numbers:
7 Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division Team titles (3 Boys/4 Girls)
5 District III Team Championships (4 Boys/1 Girls)
1 State Team Championship-2017
2 State Team Runner’s-up-2014 (Outdoor) and 2017 (Indoor)
1 State 3rd place-2015
12- Individual/Event State Championships:
Ashley Corum at Triple Jump-2008, 2009, and 2010
Zach Brehm-800m in 2013, 1600m in 2014, and 3200m in 2015
-(Also the State Meet Record pre-Covid/new event order)
Deshawn Millington at Triple Jump in 2014
Isa Paschall at Triple Jump in 2015 (Indoor)
Isaac Kole at 1600 in 2017
Boys 4x800 in 2017 (Indoor)
Boys Distance Medley Relay-2017(Indoor)-Also the State Meet Record
Noah Affolder-Mile-2017 (Indoor)
Many State Medalists, and Many on to continue at Division I schools such as Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, Duquesne, University of Delaware, Liberty, University of South Carolina, Alabama, Duke, Miami, UNC, UNC-Wilmington, UMBC, Mount St. Mary’s, Oregon, BYU, University of Washington, Syracuse, VMI, American, William & Mary, and West Point.
Rod Helfrick completed his 16th year of coaching at the high school level in May 2017. He has spent the last 10 years in the Carlisle Area School District with the Track and Field team. Previously, he coached at James Buchanan and was head coach of track and field for 2 years during his tenure. He earned his Level 1 USATF certification in October 2009. He has coached multiple conference champions, as well as conference, district and state medalists. He enjoys working with the staff at Carlisle. Coach Helfrick’s philosophy is to be prepared to take each athlete as far as they would like to go.
Tyler Baitinger is entering his third year of coaching for the Thundering Herd Track and Field Program. Coach Baitinger volunteered the past two seasons and helped out mostly with the sprinters. Originally from South Jersey, Baitinger was a part of Clearview Regional's High School Track and Field program for 4 years (graduated in 2016). He went to West Chester University where he studied Sociology and Youth Empowerment (graduated 2020). During his last two years of college, he coached Track & Field for West Chester East High School. He has lived and coached in Carlisle ever since.
Tyler works full time for a world-wide youth ministry called Young Life. He has been married to his wife, Jillian, for over 2 years. They have 2 dogs and became first-time parents in November 2022, when they welcomed their baby boy, Deacon. He is currently working towards a Master's Degree in Ministry Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. Coach Baitinger loves to be a role model for students on and off the track, helping them grow not just in athletics, but in life as well.
T.Y. Chandler enters his fifth season as a track and field coach after nearly two years off serving in the Air National Guard. Coach T.Y. attend Carlisle High School until his junior year when he moved to Virginia Beach, VA graduating from Tallwood High School. He was a mid distance runner and a sprinter, and he qualified for the New Balance Nationals in the sprint medley during his senior year. He also competed at the AAU junior Olympics in the 1500m. Coach T.Y. has two little girls named Ava and June, and he is currently working in the school district as a food unit lead at Mt. Holly Elementary School.
Christian Pavlovich returns for his fifth year on staff to assist with throws. A 2014 graduate of Carlisle himself, Christian was a javelin thrower and goalkeeper during his high school time. Christian still holds the new rules javelin record at Carlisle. He attended Messiah College where he would go on to be a 3-time Conference champion, 4-time competitor at the NCAA National Championship meet placing 9th as a senior. Christian still holds the javelin record at Messiah.
Christian works for West Shore Home, as a video specialist, creating commercials for television and social media platforms. Coach Pavlovich loves to read, thrift shop with his wife Molly, and see student athletes develop skills they can take beyond athletics and into the other areas of their lives.
Kaila Sawyer is entering her second year on the Thundering Herd coaching staff. Coach Kai is a 2012 Mechanicsburg alumni who participated in both track & field and basketball. She was a district and state qualifier who then attended Shippensburg for a year and was a member of their track & field team. Coach Kai coaches pole vault, assists with jumps, an also serves as the head 8th grade girls basketball coach at Carlisle, this season completed year 3.
Joe Wilson has been coaching in the Carlisle School District since 2003. He is a 2001 graduate of CHS and a 2009 graduate of Shippensburg University. He has over 10 years of coaching the throws at Carlisle and has coached multiple district place winners and state qualifiers. Joe has also coached Softball and Football at Carlisle, and just completed his 17th season as the head wrestling coach. Joe resides in Carlisle with his wife Nicole, his daughter Charlee and step kids Sophia and Mitchell.
Krystal Roth is a native of Massachusetts, where she competed in 8 varsity seasons of track and field between the indoor and outdoor seasons in high school. Her career included multiple district wins and she was named to several state-wide All Star teams and qualified for national level meets for her discus performance. Despite recruitment efforts and offers for full athletic scholarships, Krystal went to a smaller Division 3 school where she double majored in molecular neuroscience and behavioral psychology. Krystal threw in college before devoting more time into studies and recovering from an injury. She went on to graduate with a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Pennsylvania State University. This is Krystal’s 4th season coaching high school throwers. During her coaching career, she has coached athletes nationally ranked in their class, a school record holder, and multiple athletes competing at the state level. Also a coach for the Hershey Blaze track club, Krystal proudly coached more than a handful of female athletes to the national level of competition. Krystal enjoys throwing with her athletes and has trained (and won) the Keystone Games for both discus and shot put (2021). The best part of coaching for Krystal is teaching life skills to her athletes that will lead them toward bigger and greater achievements outside of the throwing circles. When she is not coaching, Krystal works as a behavior consultant and autism specialist for students with intellectual disabilities and/or emotional support needs. She loves to kayak, hike, and laugh with her kids.
Volunteers
Dani Carney from Greencastle, Pennsylvania is joining the
Thundering Herd Track and Field coaching staff as a volunteer for the 2022-23
season as well. She is currently a junior Human Development and Family Science
major with a Youth Ministry minor at Messiah University. She leads Young Life
at Carlisle High School and aspires to be on Young Life staff post graduation
from Messiah next year. She loves coffee, spending time with friends and
family, and is an enthusiast of all sporting endeavors.
Hannah Cotton has lived in Carlisle the past three years working with Club Beyond, a military youth ministry, at the Carlisle Barracks. She ran Cross Country for a year at Covenant College before transferring to Messiah College where she graduated from in 2020. She loves running and is currently training for an ultra and is excited to be volunteering with the Track and Field Team. Other than running, Hannah loves all things outdoors, reading, and walking alongside students through her work and volunteering with Young Life.
Haley Kelley from The Woodlands, TX joins the Thundering Herd coaching staff as a volunteer for the 2022-23 season. She graduated from Auburn University in 2018. She recently moved back to Carlisle with her husband, daughter and two golden retrievers. In her off time she likes to go on walks with her family and go out to eat!
Lauren
Sim from Enola, Pennsylvania and is joining the Thundering Herd Track and
Field staff as a volunteer this season. She is a Human Development and Family
Science major at Messiah University and a Young Life leader at Carlisle High
School. She loves running and is currently training for a half-marathon. She
also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and puppy.