CEDAR CITY, Utah — For Devon Montgomery, track and field wasn't a lifelong pursuit. In fact, the former Southern Utah University standout didn't even try hurdles until his junior year of high school. A suggestion from his mother changed everything. "My mom said she was a hurdler and that I should try it," Montgomery said. "The first time I tried it, I wasn't very good." It didn't take long for that to change. By the end of the season, Montgomery qualified for the state meet and won his division, discovering a talent that would eventually take him to the collegiate level. "I just took to it fast," he said.

Finding his path at SUU

Montgomery arrived at Southern Utah after a recruiting process that came together late in his senior year of high school. The opportunity gave him a chance to compete immediately, something he knew was possible when he joined the Thunderbirds. "I knew I was going to compete right away," Montgomery said.

During his time in Cedar City, Montgomery became one of the program's most accomplished hurdlers, leaving his mark in the Thunderbirds' record book and establishing himself as one of the top athletes in the program during his era. But the track wasn't the original plan. Before pursuing athletics in college, Montgomery considered an entirely different career path. "I actually wanted to go to Penn State to work at the Hershey factory," he said. "I was going to go into culinary before I started this track and field stuff." When he arrived at SUU, he quickly realized the university didn't offer a culinary program, forcing him to reconsider his academic direction. After exploring several options, he eventually found a natural fit in kinesiology and physical education. The shift ultimately helped shape his future. "I switched over to kinesiology and then finished with physical education teaching and coaching," Montgomery said.        

Turning knowledge into coaching

While competing for the Thunderbirds, Montgomery began gaining experience that would later shape his coaching career. He assisted with youth athletes through the university's Track Attack program and even coached at the high school level during his freshman year of college. "It was a little weird coaching kids the same age as me," he said with a laugh. "But I realized I liked it." That early experience, combined with what he learned in the classroom, sparked an interest in coaching at the collegiate level. Today, Montgomery serves as the Director of Sprints and Hurdles at Viterbo University. The path there required persistence. After graduating from SUU in 2019, Montgomery applied to more than 40 schools before finding the right opportunity. Eventually, he made a cross-country move to Wisconsin, a place he had never visited before, to help rebuild a program and develop athletes from the ground up. "I didn't want to just go somewhere and work with people that were already good," Montgomery said. "I wanted to make them good."

Still chasing faster times

Even as he built his coaching career, Montgomery never stepped away from competing. After graduating, he began racing as an unattached athlete, meaning he competes independently without representing a university or professional team. Finding meets can sometimes be a challenge, but the competitive drive that defined his collegiate career remains strong. "I'm a lot faster now than I was in college," Montgomery said. The difference, he believes, comes from experience. "I don't train as hard as I used to," he said. "Over time, you learn that less is more." That knowledge, developed over years of training and study, now guides the athletes he coaches.

Leading by example

Montgomery often trains alongside his athletes during practice, something that has become a unique part of his coaching style. But the lessons he hopes they take away go beyond technique. "I don't necessarily want them to copy my form," he said. "I want them to see the intentionality." Balancing coaching with another full-time role as a personal trainer means long days. Montgomery begins work at 4 a.m., coaching clients in the morning before heading to campus for afternoon practices. Even on the most exhausting days, he tries to model the same commitment he expects from his athletes. "They know I'm tired," he said. "But they also know I'm going to give my best effort." For Montgomery, the goal is to teach discipline that extends far beyond the track. Many of the athletes he coaches are pursuing careers in health care, including nursing professions that require resilience and dedication. "They're going to be taking care of people at work and then going home to take care of their families," Montgomery said. "They can't just say, 'I'm tired today.'"

Looking forward

Despite still holding records from his time at Southern Utah, Montgomery doesn't hold tightly to those marks. Instead, he hopes the next generation of Thunderbirds will eventually surpass them. "I don't want to hold them forever," he said. "Somebody's going to get faster than me at some point." For Montgomery, that's part of what makes track and field special. "That's why the records are there," he said. "It's fun." 

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