Marling “Newt” Engle, who is among the most respected rifle coaches in the nation, is in his 34th season as head coach of The University of Akron rifle team and has guided the Zips to several Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference (WIRC) championships in both smallbore rifle and air rifle.

Moreover, the longest-tenured coach in UA history pushed the Zips to their fourth-straight second-place finish with both guns at the highly competitive Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference
(MAC) championships in 2011.

In 2011, Engle also saw his squad claim prestigious slots on the All-WIRC teams, the All-MAC teams, the MAC All-Rookie team, the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association All-Academic team and a final NCAA national ranking of 17th.

But success is nothing new to Engle’s UA teams. In fact, it has become a part of its tradition as the program has consistently been ranked as one of the top 20 teams in the nation.

Over the past 30-plus years, no name has become more synonymous with Akron rifle than Engle’s. During that time, he has had the opportunity to work with hundreds of exceptional
student-athletes. Those athletes have helped the team gain national recognition, including a national ranking as high as No. 10, as well as several league championships as prior members of the Lake Erie Intercollegiate Rifle League, the Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Rifle
League, and the Summit County Rifle Conference. Currently, Akron maintains membership in the WIRC and the MAC, where the team continues to earn championship status.

Engle mentored Jenna Compton to the NCAA individual national title in air rifle in 2009.

After a short stint at Kent State, Newt Engle joined the UA varsity rifle team in the fall of 1974. He won the league championship in 1975 as a sophomore and again in 1976 as a junior. He also finished in second place in his final season in 1977. Engle was appointed team captain in 1976 and 1977.

During Engle’s last year on the team, head coach Nancy Worsencroft suffered a serious injury and was unable to continue coaching the Zips. As team captain, Engle was asked to help the team compete during the 1977 season. The following season, he was offered and accepted the
position as the new head coach. With the introduction of athletic scholarships, the team entered the national arena, attracting athletes from across the nation, while continuing to bring in local talent.

Toward the beginning of his coaching career, in the late 1970s, was a busy time for Engle. He not only became head coach in 1977, but also joined the UA Police Department in 1979. Over the last 30-plus years he worked his way up to the position of Assistant Chief of Police, retiring in the summer of 2011. Also in 1979, Newt married his wife of over 30 years, Sandy Barco Engle.

Engle’s daughters, Angie and April, both earned degrees from UA and competed for the Zips under their father’s watch.

In 1984, Engle finished his bachelor’s degree in political science at UA. Engle was born and raised on a farm in Perry Township near Canton, Ohio, and graduated from Perry High School in 1973.

Engle was appointed in 2007 as a member of the prestigious NCAA Rifle Committee charged with the responsibility of overseeing NCAA rifle competition nationwide. Serving a four-year term, Engle finished his tenure on the committee in 2011 with his last two years as chairperson.
Currently, Engle serves as the NCAA Rifle Committee Secretary/Rules Interpreter.

In March 2006, Engle was given the National Rifle Association’s Outstanding Service to Collegiate Shooting Sports award at the national collegiate banquet held in Colorado Spring, Colo., after leading the Zips to their second-straight WIRC championship, a top finish in the NCAA sectionals and a second-place finish in the MAC championships in 2005-06. The award is given to a collegiate coach or instructor who has worked toward the growth and development of a collegiate shooting sports program, whether it be for physical education classes, recreation/leisure, club or varsity, or a combination.

In February 2011, Engle was inducted into the 36th class of The University of Akron Sports Hall of Fame recognizing him for his championship teams and as the longest serving athletics coach in the University’s history.