COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M track & field head coach Leroy Burrell announced the hiring of Joe Riccio as an assistant coach. Riccio will oversee the throws group.
Riccio comes to Aggieland after spending the 2026 season at Auburn under Burrell. In his lone season on the Plains, Riccio developed nine NCAA qualifiers, four All-Americans and one SEC champion.
"I'm excited to welcome Joe to Aggieland," Burrell said. "Joe has built a reputation for developing championship-caliber throwers throughout his career. Having worked alongside him, I've seen firsthand the passion, technical expertise and attention to detail he brings every day. He has a proven ability to recruit exceptional talent, build meaningful relationships with student-athletes and create an environment where they can thrive both as competitors and in life. With the resources and recruiting advantages we have at Texas A&M, I know Joe will attract outstanding throwers and accelerate their development. Just as importantly, he shares the vision and culture we're building at Texas A&M. His passion, work ethic and commitment to excellence make him an outstanding addition to our staff."
Last season, Riccio made an instant impact in the development of Megan Hague, who won the SEC Indoor shot put title, placed fourth in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor Championships and earned first-team All-America honors in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In one season under Riccio's guidance, Hague set the Auburn outdoor shot put record and claimed eight of the school's all-time top-10 marks, improving her personal best by 3 feet.
At the SEC Outdoor Championships, his throwers produced 28 points, including the women's squad totaling 21 points, which accounted for 70.6% of the women's team's total.
"I'm honored and grateful to join Coach Burrell's staff and become part of the Texas A&M family," Riccio said. "The vision Coach Burrell has for this program, combined with Texas A&M's championship tradition and commitment to excellence, made this an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I'm excited to build relationships with our student-athletes, help accelerate their development as competitors and as individuals, and contribute to a culture that pursues championships. I can't wait to get to Aggieland and get to work."
Prior to his arrival at Auburn, Riccio led the throws program at Fresno State for six seasons. During his time with the Bulldogs, Riccio coached NCAA champion and three-time All-American Cierra Jackson in the shot put and discus while also developing multiple NCAA finalists, including Jordyn Bryant, Amelia DiPaola, Harriette Mortlock and Vanja Spaic. His athletes combined to qualify for the NCAA West Regional 24 times, with six advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Under his guidance, Bulldog throwers rewrote the program's record book, holding four of the six event records and 20 top-10 marks.
Before Fresno State, Riccio spent five seasons as the throws coach at Grand Canyon, where he coached Olympian and World Championships competitor Tarasue Barnett in the discus. His athletes collected 15 individual conference titles and numerous NCAA West Preliminary Round appearances while contributing significant points to the Lopes' first Division I WAC indoor and outdoor championships.
Riccio began his collegiate coaching career as the assistant throws coach at Mesa Community College (2013-14), where he guided multiple athletes to nationals, including two who earned All-America honors.
As a student-athlete, Riccio was an NJCAA national champion at Mesa CC in the hammer throw and a multiple-time All-American in the shot put and weight throw. He continued his career at Wyoming, where he scored in three events at the Mountain West Championships, and at Arizona State, where he was a Pac-12 scorer and NCAA regional qualifier in the hammer throw.
A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Riccio graduated from Arizona State University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.