Dusty Jonas

Former Husker high jump Olympian Dusty Jonas was named an assistant coach on the Nebraska track and field staff in 2018 and has been the Huskers' high jump coach since then. Jonas also coached the men's sprints, hurdles and relays from 2018-22 and took over as NU's multi events coach beginning with the 2023 season. Prior to his promotion to a full-time role in 2018, Jonas was a volunteer assistant for the Husker high jumpers for eight years. 

After dominating at the collegiate level as an athlete, Jonas has turned the high jump into a dominant event for the Huskers at the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Championship meets. Since rejoining the Husker program as a volunteer coach in 2010, Jonas has coached 19 Big Ten high jump champions and 33 All-America high jumpers. Twenty-three Huskers have cracked all-time top-10 high jump charts since 2010. Jonas' high jumpers have won 13 of the possible 26 Big Ten gold medals since he moved into a full-time role in 2018. 

In 2024, Jonas coached Tyus Wilson and Jenna Rogers to First-Team All-America honors in the high jump during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Wilson finished as the NCAA Outdoor high jump runner-up and Rogers tied for fifth in the high jump, marking the highest-career finishes for both athletes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Wilson claimed fourth and Rogers tied for sixth. Wilson won the Big Ten high jump title at the indoor and outdoor conference meet, highlighted by a big clearance of 7-6 (2.29m) at Big Ten Outdoors. That height tied him for third on the all-time list. Rogers jumped to second at both conference meets. Jonas also coached freshman Mason Kooi to bronze at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

Till Steinforth headlined the multis, earning two First-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He placed third in the heptathlon with 6,140 points and seventh in the long jump with a 25-10 (7.87m) at nationals. At the Big Ten Championships, Steinforth won the Big Ten title in the long jump on his final attempt. Matthias Algarin also provided top finishes in the multis, placing fourth in the decathlon and fifth in the heptathlon at the conference meets. Throughout the season, Rogers broke the outdoor high jump school record at the Olympic Trials, while adding the No. 2 indoor high jump mark in school history, Wilson moved to third on the all-time list in the outdoor high jump and Algarin climbed to 10th in the heptathlon.

In 2023, four Husker high jumpers earned All-America status, three won Big Ten titles and Jonas helped three athletes climb the all-time list. Mayson Conner and Rogers combined for three Big Ten high jump titles and three All-America honors. Rogers collected fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, first at Outdoor Big Tens and second at Indoor Big Tens in the high jump. Conner added high jump victories at the indoor at outdoor Big Ten Championships.  Wilson finished close behind with a runner-up placement at the outdoor conference meet and a third-place finish at indoor Big Tens. At the Indoor NCAA Championships, Conner placed seventh while Wilson (fourth) and Michael Hoffer (14th) posted All-America finishes at outdoor NCAAs. Additionally, Jonas coached Steinforth to success in the multis. Breaking the heptathlon and decathlon school records during the 2023 season, he won the decathlon title at Big Tens and placed fourth in the heptathlon and decathlon at NCAAs.

In 2022, Jonas coached both Conner and Rogers to sweeps of the Big Ten indoor and outdoor high jump titles. Rogers went on to earn two first-team All-America accolades after finishing seventh and sixth at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively. Conner went on to earn two second-team All-America honors. Nebraska became the first Big Ten school since 2013 to sweep all four men's and women's Big Ten high jump gold medals. 

In 2021, Jonas had three Husker men qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 110-meter hurdles. Joey Daniels, Darius Luff and Luke Siedhoff all posted top-10 times in school history in the same race. Additionally, Michael Hoffer qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump as a true freshman with the No. 9 jump in school history. 

During the 2019 season, Jonas coached Conner to Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Freshman of the Year honors after he won both Big Ten Championships in the high jump. Conner’s clearance of 7-3 3/4 (2.23m) indoors is currently tied for the No. 9 mark all-time at Nebraska. Candice Dominguez also captured the women’s high jump title at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

In 2018, Landon Bartel won his second Big Ten indoor title, adding to his 2016 title. Reka Czuth won the women’s Big Ten outdoor high jump title in 2016 as well, one year after winning the Big Ten long jump gold medal as a true freshman. They followed up on James White’s indoor and outdoor titles in 2015. The Husker men won three straight Big Ten indoor titles from 2014-16.

Jonas coached former Husker All-America high jumper Marusa Cernjul as she qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cernjul placed 21st representing Slovenia, clearing 6-3 1/2 (1.92m) in her first appearance at the Olympics. She qualified for the Olympics with a personal-best leap of 6-4 (1.93m) at the Slovenian Championships in 2016. She was a first-team All-American and Big Ten champion in the high jump for the Huskers, and with Jonas as her coach following her career, she improved on her collegiate PR (6-1 1/4), by nearly three inches in one year to reach the Olympics.

In 2018, Jonas made a strong first impression as the Huskers’ new men’s sprints, hurdles and relays coach. Antoine Lloyd had a breakout senior season, winning the Big Ten indoor 60m hurdles, the outdoor 110m hurdles, and finishing second and fifth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships. Lloyd broke the 60m hurdles school record (7.60) and was named the Big Ten Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Additionally, sophomore Luke Siedhoff was a first-team All-American in the 110m hurdles, placing seventh.

An eight-time All-America high jumper for the Huskers from 2005 to 2008, Jonas won the 2008 indoor national title and outdoor conference title in the high jump. He finished his career as the indoor and outdoor school-record holder, as well as the all-time Big 12 record holder with the second-highest jump ever by a collegian (7-8 3/4, 2.36m).

Following the collegiate season, Jonas signed a professional contract with Nike and competed for Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Jonas won the bronze medal in the high jump at the World Indoor Championships and also competed in the World Outdoor Championships in 2011. Jonas was the 2013 USA Indoor high jump champion and earned runner-up honors at the 2013 Outdoor and 2010 Indoor Championships. He also won gold at the 2005 USA Junior Championships.

Jonas competed for Team USA a total of eight times in his career, including six times for the senior team and twice for the junior team.

Jonas returned to Nebraska in 2009 to complete his degree in horticulture. He is married to Marusa (Cernjul) Jonas. 

Jonas' Coaching Accomplishments
- 19 Big Ten High Jump Champions
- 33 High Jump All-Americans
- 23 Nebraska Top-10 High Jump Marks
- 1 Olympian (Marusa Cernjul, 2016)

Jonas' Athletic Accomplishments
College - High Jump
Indoor School Record (7-7, 2.31m)
Outdoor School Record (7-8 3/4, 2.36m)
Big 12 Meet Outdoor Record (7-8 3/4, 2.36m)
Big 12 Conference Outdoor Record (7-8 3/4, 2.36m)
No. 2 high jump all-time by a collegian (7-8 3/4, 2.36m)
NCAA Champion (2008 Indoor)
USA Junior Champion (2005)
Pan American Junior Champion (2005)
NACAC U23 Team USA, 4th place (2006)
Collegiate Long Jump PR - 25-5 1/2 (7.76m)

Pro - High Jump
2008 U.S. Olympic Team
2010 USA Indoor Championships Silver Medal
2010 World Indoor Championships Bronze Medal
2010 Continental Cup Team USA member, 5th place
2010 - Ranked No. 9 in the world
2011 USA Outdoor Championships Silver Medal
2011 World Outdoor Championships Team
2013 USA Indoor Championships Gold Medal
2013 USA Outdoor Championships Silver Medal
2014 World Indoor Championships Team