Tamara Diles
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Volunteer Assistant Coach
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Tamara Diles is a three-time All-American Cougar pole vaulter who joined the WSU track and field staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2007 season.
Diles came to WSU after an outstanding career as a prep gymnast, cheerleader and pole vaulter at Bellevue's Newport High School. The Newport Knights won four consecutive state gymnastics titles and Diles captured individual state titles three years on bars and in floor exercises, and placed third in all-around all three years. She was pictured in Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd section as the first gymnast in Washington to win two events three years in a row. As a prep pole vaulter, Diles won the state championship as a senior and set 3A record with a clearance of 12-0. She was named Eastside Journal Athlete of the Year.
At Washington State University, Diles broke the school freshman pole vault record by clearing a height of 4.02m/13-2 1/4 at the Winter Carnival Meet in Long Beach, Calif. She also set the school indoor record of 4.35m/14-3 1/4i at the 2002 Pole Vault Summit and went on to finish third at the NCAA Indoor Championships that year.
After redshirting and battling injuries, Diles struggled to regain her form but persevered to break her own school record by clearing a height of 4.15m/13-7 1/4. She had runner-up finishes at the 2005 and 2006 Pac-10 Championships. She also returned to the NCAA Championships in 2005, finishing 9th in the pole vault at the indoor meet and tied for seventh at the outdoor meet, both with clearances at 4.10m/13-5 1/4. Diles was the Cougar women's team captain as a senior and finished 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships and runner-up at the NCAA West Regional Meet.
Diles again broke her school record as a senior with a vault of 4.25m/13-11 1/4 on her home runway in Pullman.
At the 2006 WSU Athletics Senior Banquet, Diles took home the Student-Athlete Advisory Council's True Cougar Award, the PROWL- TeamCARE Award, the Beulah M. Blankenship Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, and the Pacific-10 Conference Postgraduate Scholarship. She was also a three -time Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention team honoree.
Diles received her Bachelors of Arts degree in sport management in May 2006. She is currently training for future national and international competition.
