Ben Thomas of Oregon was named the National Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
This is the second national award for Thomas, as he also earned National Men’s Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2017 while at Virginia Tech.
The Ducks flew to a bevy of all-time performances under Thomas’ guidance, but none stood out more than the collegiate record-setting solo effort in the Distance Medley Relay of 9:24.52 at the Razorback Invitational on January 31. Oregon’s athlete got out early and pushed themselves to a near 12-second win over the rest of the field.
Other exceptional marks by the Ducks in 2020 included an all-time collegiate indoor best in the 1500 of 3:36.93 by James West and three other athletes who clocked sub-4 minute miles (Charlie Hunter, 3:55.41; Cooper Teare, 3:55.50; Cole Hocker, 3:58.20).