Kaopua “KP” Sutton began her first year as the Assistant Track and Field Coach in August of 2017. Sutton joins the Prairie Fire from the University of Central Arkansas, where she spent two years as a graduate assistant track and field coach primarily working with the throwers. At Central Arkansas she helped to coach two combined-event athletes to 2nd and 5th place finishes at the Southland Conference (SLC) Championships, and coached the throwers to 13 Top-Ten All-Time School performances and an 8th place finish at the SLC Championships. Prior to Central Arkansas, she spent a semester competing and volunteer-coaching at the University of Minnesota Morris, where she won the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship in the shot put, was the conference runner-up in the weight throw, and then made her third trip to NCAA DIII Nationals to compete in the shot put (where she took 10th place). While at Morris, she also helped to coach 6 All-Conference athletes. Sutton competed at Carleton College for four years prior to Morris, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology. While at Carleton, she was an All-American in Shot put, a National Champion in Discus, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) champion in discus, and the MIAC runner-up in the indoor and outdoor shot put as well as the discus. She currently holds the discus, indoor shot put and outdoor shot put records for Carleton College, and the indoor shot put record for the University of Minnesota- Morris. Sutton has also competed as a powerlifter for APA and UPA, currently holding multiple APA records in Arkansas. Born in Kona and raised in Kea’au, HI, her father and mother still reside there today while her brother attends college and competes for the rodeo team in Walla Walla, WA.
