John Crooke is entering his eighth season as head
men’s and women’s cross country coach at Wesleyan University. Under his
guidance both men’s and women’s team have risen steadily in regional and
national rankings. The 2002 women’s team qualified for the NCAA
championships for the first time in school history and the 2004 squad
repeated the effort while placing 14th nationally. The men's team
qualified for its first national championship in 2005, also coming in
14th, then qualified a second time in 2006 with a 15th-place showing. John was named NESCAC men's co-Coach of the Year and New
England Division III men's Coach of the Year following the 2005
campaign.
John also serves as an assistant coach for both men's and
women's indoor and outdoor track, working with the distance runners.
John was acting head coach for both teams during the outdoor season in
2000-01 and guided the women’s team to a third-place finish in the
NESCAC championships which was the highest conference finish in school
history.
Prior to his appointment at Wesleyan, John served as head
men's and women's cross-country and track & field coach at Hiram College
in Hiram, Ohio, for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He was associate head
cross-country and track & field coach at Widener University in Chester, Pa.
(1996-98) where he directed the women's programs, and head boy's and
girl's cross country and track & field coach at Lower Merion High School
in Ardmore, Pa. (1988-95).
Graduating from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in
1983, John went on to earn his master's degree with a concentration in
sport and athletic administration from West Chester University in 1996.
While a student at St. Joseph's, John was a team captain in both cross
country and track, earning all-Atlantic 10 honors in each while also
receiving all-East accolades in cross country. He is a member of his
alma mater's track & field Hall of Fame.
Tom Walsh - Assistant Coach
Hired as an intern, serving as assistant
coach for both men's and women's cross country as well as for the
distance corps for both men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, Tom
Walsh joins the Wesleyan coaching staff for the first time in 2007-08.
A 2006 graduate of NESCAC and in-state rival Trinity College, Tom was a
four-year varsity performer for the Bantams cross country and indoor and
outdoor track squads. He served as a team captain for all three
squads during the 2005-06 season. Participating in the NCAA
Division III indoor track championships in both 2003 and 2005, Tom is a
two-time All-American, achieving the success as an 800m runner and as
part of Trinity's distance medley relay. Following graduation, Tom
began working for The Dennis Group, LLC in Springfield, Mass. as an
accountant, engineer aide and special projects assistant while also
initiating his coaching career with Cathedral High School. There
he volunteered as an assistant in boys cross country last fall before
taking over the boys indoor track squad in the winter, then handling the
girls distance troops during the spring.
John Crooke is entering his eighth season as head
men’s and women’s cross country coach at Wesleyan University. Under his
guidance both men’s and women’s team have risen steadily in regional and
national rankings. The 2002 women’s team qualified for the NCAA
championships for the first time in school history and the 2004 squad
repeated the effort while placing 14th nationally. The men's team
qualified for its first national championship in 2005, also coming in
14th, then qualified a second time in 2006 with a 15th-place showing. John was named NESCAC men's co-Coach of the Year and New
England Division III men's Coach of the Year following the 2005
campaign.
Hired as an intern, serving as assistant
coach for both men's and women's cross country as well as for the
distance corps for both men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, Tom
Walsh joins the Wesleyan coaching staff for the first time in 2007-08.
A 2006 graduate of NESCAC and in-state rival Trinity College, Tom was a
four-year varsity performer for the Bantams cross country and indoor and
outdoor track squads. He served as a team captain for all three
squads during the 2005-06 season. Participating in the NCAA
Division III indoor track championships in both 2003 and 2005, Tom is a
two-time All-American, achieving the success as an 800m runner and as
part of Trinity's distance medley relay. Following graduation, Tom
began working for The Dennis Group, LLC in Springfield, Mass. as an
accountant, engineer aide and special projects assistant while also
initiating his coaching career with Cathedral High School. There
he volunteered as an assistant in boys cross country last fall before
taking over the boys indoor track squad in the winter, then handling the
girls distance troops during the spring.