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Distance Coach
Ben Thomas has been Virginia Tech’s head cross country coach and distance coach since 2001 and now has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience. During 10 seasons coaching at Tech, the Hokies have emerged as contenders in not only the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA Southeast Region, but the entire nation. Thomas is extremely familiar with the Hokie program, having competed in cross country and middle distance for Tech from 1987 to 1992.
E-Mail: bethoma1@vt.edu
Phone: (540) 231-9978
Virginia Tech (2001-Present)
Brevard College (1999-01)
Appalachian State (1995-99)
On the track, Thomas has coached a distance crew that has broken school track records in the outdoor 800m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, indoor mile, 3000m and 5,000m as well as the outdoor 4x800m, the 4x1,500m and the distance medley relays. Last season alone, Thomas’ distance unit broke six Tech records. Michael Hammond won his second straight ACC title and earned All-American honors in the indoor mile and also garnered All-America accolades in the outdoor 1,500-meter run. Hammond then went on to finish 13th in the 1,500-meter at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Sammy Dow and Jason Cusack each broke school-records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In 2010, Will Mulherin earned All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and set the school record in the 5,000-meter event at 13:50.76.
In cross country, Paige Kvartunas capped her 2010 season by earning NCAA All-Region honors for the first time in her career leading the women to a fifth place team finish. Kvartunas became the first Tech woman to earn All-Region honors since 2008 and the Hokie’s fifth place at Regionals was their highest since 2007. In addition, the 2010 women’s team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic accolades with a 3.19 team grade point average. Devin Cornwall achieved all-region status for the first time in his cross country career in 2009. In 2008, Tasmin Fanning placed ninth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 5000-meter event, setting a new school record of 15:37.73. Thomas also guided Fanning to two All-America performances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She placed third in 2008, the highest finish ever by a Virginia Tech athlete, and 12th out of 255 runners in 2007. Thomas led the women’s squad to the best season in program history in 2006 by posting an 18th-place finish in their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships. The Hokie women reached the national meet following a third-place effort at the NCAA Southeast Regional behind an unprecedented five all-region performers. The men captured their best-ever point total at the ACC Outdoor Championships and had their best performance in the NCAA Southeast Regional since 1995. Paul LaPenna became the first Hokie to earn all-region honors since 2003, while Cornwall was named the ACC Freshman of the Year.
Thomas served as the men’s and women’s distance coach at the University of Georgia for six months before arriving in Blacksburg, and prior to that he was the head track and field and cross country coach at Brevard College. At Brevard, Thomas was named 1999 NAIA Region XII Coach of the Year after leading the men’s cross country team to the NAIA Region XII title. Before Brevard, Thomas was the women’s cross country coach and assistant track coach at Appalachian State University from 1995-1999.
A native of Lynchburg, Va., Thomas earned a B.A. in English from Virginia Tech in 1992 before completing coursework for an M.A. in education from Lynchburg College in 1999. Thomas began his coaching career with the track & field team at E.C. Glass High School (1992-94) in Lynchburg and coaching cross country at Blacksburg High School (1994-95).
Thomas, his wife, Ann McGranahan, and their daughter, Reily Kathleen Thomas, reside in Blacksburg.
