Who We Are

Coach Ken Pendleton is a former collegiate track & field sprinter and standout athlete who ran at Illinois State University in Normal, IL from 1994 - 1998. He competed in the sprint and relay events and was a five-time national championship qualifier competing at the 1998 NCAA Championships in Buffalo, NY. His records at Illinois State still remain in the top 2 all-time in school history for four events.

Coach Ken attended Carmel Catholic HS in Mundelein, IL where he competed in track and football for all four years. He received all state honors and was elected to the CCHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

His coaching philosophy can be described as a rare combination of Mr. Miyagi (from The Karate Kid franchise) and Sargent Slaughter. Using just the right amount of questions and challenges, his athletes always go further than they originally thought they would under his guidance. 

Coach Kelly Pendleton is a former collegiate track & field athlete who competed in the triple jump and sprint relays at Illinois State University in Normal, IL from 1996 - 2000. Her accomplishments include: seven-time All-Conference performer in the triple jump and 4-time All-Conference performer in the 4x100m. Her personal best triple jump performance is still a top 10 record at ISU.

Kelly recently made a career change to pursue her passion of helping kids feel empowered and more confident in their daily lives. She believes that a positive yet challenging environment is imperative to building character and skills that are transferrable across all areas of a child’s/teen’s day (whether at home, school, or extracurricular). Coaching track & field provides the space to be impactful to the youth and Kelly is excited to have the NFRONT family to service.

Coach Marrial Shields is a former collegiate quarterback in football at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN. He competed from 1997-2001 and was a captain on the team’s first PFL conference championship in 2000. He was named the offensive player of the year in 1999.

Marrial attended Crete-Monee High School in Crete, IL where he competed in football, track, and basketball. He has been helping to coach his daughters in track and field for the past two years. Last year he helped one of them reach All American status at the Junior Olympics in Greensboro, NC for shot put. Marrial is a dedicated dad/coach who enjoys seeing kids succeed. He’s extremely excited to be a part of the NFRONT community.