Cross Country
Thomas, Ben
Ben Thomas
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- bethoma1@uoregon.edu
Ben Thomas is in his fourth season at Oregon, serving as an associate head coach and leading the men’s cross country and distance program. He joined the UO coaching staff prior to the 2018-19 season after 17 successful years at Virginia Tech.
Thomas is three-time USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, having most recently won back-to-back indoor honors for the Ducks’ incredible success during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He earned his first national award during his time at Virginia Tech following the 2017 season. Thomas is also a 10-time USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year including four selections at Oregon.
In three years in Eugene, Thomas has coached his group to six NCAA titles, four Pac-12 individual titles and collegiate records in the indoor 1500 meters, mile and distance-medley relay; the latter two times still stand through the end of the 2022 indoor season. Additionally, Thomas has coached seven UO men to their first sub-4:00 mile.
The first of those collegiate records came in January 2021 when the DMR quartet of Cole Hocker, Luis Peralta, Charlie Hunter and Cooper Teare ran 9:19.42 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville. The time doubled as a new all-time world best, erasing the old mark of 9:19.93 from 2015. The Ducks had first broken the collegiate record in the event—clocking 9:24.52—the year before.
Two weeks later, Teare smashed the collegiate record in the mile with a 3:50.39 performance at the Tyson Invitational. He was followed closely by Hocker in 3:50.55; both finished ahead of the previous record of 3:52.01 set by past UO great Edward Cheserek. The race also put Teare and Hocker at No. 7 and 8 on the all-time world list in the event.
At the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, Thomas’ athletes won three individual titles with Hunter at 800 meters and Hocker doubling in the mile and 3,000 meters, and began the meet with a win in the distance-medley relay. Hunter, Teare, Reed Brown and Xavier Nairne teamed up for a time of 9:19.98, breaking the NCAA meet record in the process.
Hocker broke an NCAA meet record, as well, with his 3:53.71 winning performance in the mile.
During the outdoor season, Hocker and Teare were back at it with national titles in the 1500 and 5,000 meters, respectively. It was a reverse of that year’s Pac-12 Championships where Teare won the 1500 and Hocker was the 5,000-meter champion. The men’s distance crew collected a third Pac-12 title with Jackson Mestler in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
In winning the NCAA title at 5,000 meters, Teare not only established a new meet record of 13:12.27 but also broke the Oregon school record of 13:14.80 set by Bill McChesney Jr. in 1982.
Hocker and Teare were both placed on the 10-man list of semifinalist for The Bowerman with Hocker later named one of three finalists for the prestigious award.
At the 2021 U.S. Team Olympic Trials, Hocker won the U.S. title in the 1500 meters and went advanced to the final in Tokyo where he ran a school-record 3:31.40 in a sixth-place showing. Teare was fourth at the Trials, missing a spot on Team USA in the 5,000 meters by one spot.
Thomas had two Olympians from the 2021 roster with Hunter representing Australia in the 800 meters. He advanced to the semifinals in his Olympic debut.
Thomas picked up his second National Assistant Coach of the Year—first at Oregon—for his work during the 2020 indoor season. Individually, his distance group earned six national qualifiers for the NCAA meet including three in the mile and additional entries in the 800 meters (Peralta), 3,000 meters (Teare) and 5,000 meters (Mestler).
At the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Teare finished sixth overall to earn All-America honors and lead the Ducks to a ninth-place team finish. He was the first UO man to collect All-America status in cross country since 2016.
Thomas coached Teare to his first Pac-12 title in 2019 when the UO standout out-kicked the field for the win at 5,000 meters. That fall, Teare ran to a runner-up showing at the Pac-12 Cross Country meet while leading the Men of Oregon to a second-place team finish. It was UO’s highest conference finish since the 2014 season.
The 2018 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for both indoors and outdoors, Thomas led the Virginia Tech distance medley team to the national indoor title while also coaching three men to the final of the mile. At the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Thomas guided Vincent Ciattei to a runner-up finish in the 1,500 meters and Rachel Pocratsky to a fifth-place showing in the women’s race.
Thomas coached Virginia Tech student-athletes to a total of 74 NCAA All-America accolades during his tenure in Blacksburg while leading the cross country and distance program to new heights.
Thomas was the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017, becoming the first ACC assistant to ever win the award. That season, he led seven Hokies to individual conference titles and paved the way for the Virginia Tech mean to sweep the ACC indoor and outdoor team titles. Thomas also coached the women’s team to its first ACC title since 2008.
In total, Thomas helped lead the Hokies to a combined 12 ACC Championship titles during his 17 years.
In cross country, Thomas guided the men’s team to the 2012 ACC title and three NCAA Championships appearance (2012, ’15, ’17), and was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2012 while helping Will Mulherin to the individual conference title. Mulherin was the first Virginia Tech athlete to win an ACC title under Thomas with Thomas Curtin securing the second in 2015.
The Virginia Tech women finished third at the 2016 ACC Cross Country Championships with Thomas at the helm, the best finish in program history.
Individually, Thomas was instrumental in the development of Hanna Green who won three ACC titles in 2017 to help the Hokies win the conference crown. That year, she was also the NCAA runner-up in the 800 meters at the both the national indoor and outdoor meets. Beginning her career as an unheralded recruit, Green finished her time at Virginia Tech as a six-time All-America performer.
Drew Piazza transferred to Virginia Tech from New Hampshire, and became a two-time, first-team All-American in 2017 under Thomas’ watch, and nearly won the school’s first NCAA title in a distance event with a second-place finish in the 800 at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships. Thomas also saw Curtin win conference titles at 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Curtin was also the 2016 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the 5,000 meters before placing fourth outdoors.
Prior to arriving at Virginia Tech, Thomas spent a season as an assistant at the University of Georgia after a two-year stint as head coach at Brevard College in North Carolina where he coached a three-time NAIA national champion and two-time Olympian.
Thomas’ first collegiate coaching job was at Appalachian State, where he was the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track and field coach from 1995-99. He coached a two-time NCAA champion and was the 1996 Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
The Lynchburg, Va., native got his start in coaching at E.C. Glass High School in Virginia, where he was an assistant track and field coach for two seasons (1992-94). Thomas then spent the 1994-95 season as the assistant cross country coach at Blacksburg High School before making the move to Appalachian State.
Thomas graduated from Virginia Tech (’92) with a bachelor’s degree in English. He and his wife, Ann, have three children: Reilly, Seamus and Roisin.
Thomas is three-time USTFCCCA National Assistant Coach of the Year, having most recently won back-to-back indoor honors for the Ducks’ incredible success during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He earned his first national award during his time at Virginia Tech following the 2017 season. Thomas is also a 10-time USTFCCCA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year including four selections at Oregon.
In three years in Eugene, Thomas has coached his group to six NCAA titles, four Pac-12 individual titles and collegiate records in the indoor 1500 meters, mile and distance-medley relay; the latter two times still stand through the end of the 2022 indoor season. Additionally, Thomas has coached seven UO men to their first sub-4:00 mile.
The first of those collegiate records came in January 2021 when the DMR quartet of Cole Hocker, Luis Peralta, Charlie Hunter and Cooper Teare ran 9:19.42 at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville. The time doubled as a new all-time world best, erasing the old mark of 9:19.93 from 2015. The Ducks had first broken the collegiate record in the event—clocking 9:24.52—the year before.
Two weeks later, Teare smashed the collegiate record in the mile with a 3:50.39 performance at the Tyson Invitational. He was followed closely by Hocker in 3:50.55; both finished ahead of the previous record of 3:52.01 set by past UO great Edward Cheserek. The race also put Teare and Hocker at No. 7 and 8 on the all-time world list in the event.
At the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships, Thomas’ athletes won three individual titles with Hunter at 800 meters and Hocker doubling in the mile and 3,000 meters, and began the meet with a win in the distance-medley relay. Hunter, Teare, Reed Brown and Xavier Nairne teamed up for a time of 9:19.98, breaking the NCAA meet record in the process.
Hocker broke an NCAA meet record, as well, with his 3:53.71 winning performance in the mile.
During the outdoor season, Hocker and Teare were back at it with national titles in the 1500 and 5,000 meters, respectively. It was a reverse of that year’s Pac-12 Championships where Teare won the 1500 and Hocker was the 5,000-meter champion. The men’s distance crew collected a third Pac-12 title with Jackson Mestler in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
In winning the NCAA title at 5,000 meters, Teare not only established a new meet record of 13:12.27 but also broke the Oregon school record of 13:14.80 set by Bill McChesney Jr. in 1982.
Hocker and Teare were both placed on the 10-man list of semifinalist for The Bowerman with Hocker later named one of three finalists for the prestigious award.
At the 2021 U.S. Team Olympic Trials, Hocker won the U.S. title in the 1500 meters and went advanced to the final in Tokyo where he ran a school-record 3:31.40 in a sixth-place showing. Teare was fourth at the Trials, missing a spot on Team USA in the 5,000 meters by one spot.
Thomas had two Olympians from the 2021 roster with Hunter representing Australia in the 800 meters. He advanced to the semifinals in his Olympic debut.
Thomas picked up his second National Assistant Coach of the Year—first at Oregon—for his work during the 2020 indoor season. Individually, his distance group earned six national qualifiers for the NCAA meet including three in the mile and additional entries in the 800 meters (Peralta), 3,000 meters (Teare) and 5,000 meters (Mestler).
At the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Teare finished sixth overall to earn All-America honors and lead the Ducks to a ninth-place team finish. He was the first UO man to collect All-America status in cross country since 2016.
Thomas coached Teare to his first Pac-12 title in 2019 when the UO standout out-kicked the field for the win at 5,000 meters. That fall, Teare ran to a runner-up showing at the Pac-12 Cross Country meet while leading the Men of Oregon to a second-place team finish. It was UO’s highest conference finish since the 2014 season.
The 2018 USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for both indoors and outdoors, Thomas led the Virginia Tech distance medley team to the national indoor title while also coaching three men to the final of the mile. At the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Thomas guided Vincent Ciattei to a runner-up finish in the 1,500 meters and Rachel Pocratsky to a fifth-place showing in the women’s race.
Thomas coached Virginia Tech student-athletes to a total of 74 NCAA All-America accolades during his tenure in Blacksburg while leading the cross country and distance program to new heights.
Thomas was the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017, becoming the first ACC assistant to ever win the award. That season, he led seven Hokies to individual conference titles and paved the way for the Virginia Tech mean to sweep the ACC indoor and outdoor team titles. Thomas also coached the women’s team to its first ACC title since 2008.
In total, Thomas helped lead the Hokies to a combined 12 ACC Championship titles during his 17 years.
In cross country, Thomas guided the men’s team to the 2012 ACC title and three NCAA Championships appearance (2012, ’15, ’17), and was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2012 while helping Will Mulherin to the individual conference title. Mulherin was the first Virginia Tech athlete to win an ACC title under Thomas with Thomas Curtin securing the second in 2015.
The Virginia Tech women finished third at the 2016 ACC Cross Country Championships with Thomas at the helm, the best finish in program history.
Individually, Thomas was instrumental in the development of Hanna Green who won three ACC titles in 2017 to help the Hokies win the conference crown. That year, she was also the NCAA runner-up in the 800 meters at the both the national indoor and outdoor meets. Beginning her career as an unheralded recruit, Green finished her time at Virginia Tech as a six-time All-America performer.
Drew Piazza transferred to Virginia Tech from New Hampshire, and became a two-time, first-team All-American in 2017 under Thomas’ watch, and nearly won the school’s first NCAA title in a distance event with a second-place finish in the 800 at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships. Thomas also saw Curtin win conference titles at 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Curtin was also the 2016 NCAA Indoor runner-up in the 5,000 meters before placing fourth outdoors.
Prior to arriving at Virginia Tech, Thomas spent a season as an assistant at the University of Georgia after a two-year stint as head coach at Brevard College in North Carolina where he coached a three-time NAIA national champion and two-time Olympian.
Thomas’ first collegiate coaching job was at Appalachian State, where he was the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track and field coach from 1995-99. He coached a two-time NCAA champion and was the 1996 Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
The Lynchburg, Va., native got his start in coaching at E.C. Glass High School in Virginia, where he was an assistant track and field coach for two seasons (1992-94). Thomas then spent the 1994-95 season as the assistant cross country coach at Blacksburg High School before making the move to Appalachian State.
Thomas graduated from Virginia Tech (’92) with a bachelor’s degree in English. He and his wife, Ann, have three children: Reilly, Seamus and Roisin.
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