NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Serving as the men’s assistant coach for cross country and specializing in distance and middle distance on the track since November 2011, Sean Carlson has been promoted to Head Men’s Cross Country Coach as announced by the University Friday.
“I am grateful to have the support of Coach Sparks, [sport administrator] Claire Leatherwood Slebonick and [University Vice President James E. Rohr Director of Athletics] Jack Swarbrick,” Head Men’s Cross Country Coach Carlson said. “The opportunity to lead the Notre Dame men’s cross country team is humbling and I am excited to continue to build on what we are creating. Notre Dame is truly a special place and I am honored to be here.”
During his tenure with the Irish, he has coached men to two national titles, 14 NCAA All-Americans and an ACC title. The 2018 season marked the men’s teams’ first-ever ACC Championship and saw them earn an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championships.
Under his tutelage, last fall the men cracked the USTFCCCA rankings for the first time since 2012 while breaking into the top-10 for the first time in over a decade following their performance at the ACC meet. After a strong cross country season, the men’s team continued to excel on the track behind Carlson as the distance medley relay squad of Dylan Jacobs, Edward Cheatham, Samuel Voelz and Yared Nuguse set a school, facility and conference record time of 9:26.10, just 0.12 seconds shy of the fastest NCAA time ever recorded. The quartet earned ACC and NCAA weekly honors following the race on their way to winning an indoor national title in the event.
The outdoor season saw even more success as eight men qualified for distance and middle distance events at the NCAA East Region Prelim, with Nuguse advancing out to the championship meet where he would eventually take home the 1,500m crown.