PHILADELPHIA (June 8, 2026) – Thomas Jefferson University cross-country and track & field coach Dave Thomas has announced his retirement from the full-time role of coaching both programs, effective this month. Thomas will continue to be involved with both programs for guidance and direction in the future.
 
"I want to thank Thomas Jefferson University for giving a 48-year-old guy with no college coaching experience the opportunity to create and lead a men's and women's cross-country program back in 2005, later adding track and field in 2013," says Thomas, who leaves a lasting impression at Jefferson, with nearly 20 years of coaching experience.
 
Thomas has coached the women's and men's team to 20 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) titles under his supervision. The 2025 women's team qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in program history with two individual runners making the Championship race on three occasions (Sarah Simonetti in 2009 and 2011; Dylan Boyle in 2025).
 
During his time at the helm, Thomas coached 154 All-CACC Runners including 7 Runners of the Year and 12 CACC Rookies of the Year, while accumulating 17 CACC Coach of the Year honors. 
 
On the academic side of the cross-country team, Thomas has seen 142 CACC All-Academic athletes, four CACC Sportsmanship Award teams, three College Sport Communicators All-America Team, and 90 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Individuals with 26 USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.
 
Additionally, Thomas built the track-and-field team into a contender in championship races, earning 45 individual conference champions (nine in the Collegiate Track Conference CTC and 36 from the CACC) with 83 being All-Conference honorees. Since 2009, 36 school records were set under Thomas' guidance being broken multiple times. He has coached six CACC yearly award winners with 10 USTFCCCA All-Region honorees in individual events and 84 CACC All-Academic athletes. 
 
Thomas has shaped the team not only on the course and in the classroom, but throughout the community as well. His teams have volunteered at multiple marathons, including the Philadelphia Marathon and Schuylkill River Loop Run. The team also works alongside the City Parks & Rec Department to clean up Belmont Plateau, where most of Jefferson's home races are held.
 
"Dave has had such a tremendous impact not only with the student-athletes he's coached since 2005, but on the Jefferson community as a whole," says Dr. Susan Aldridge, University President. "It's bigger than the championships his teams have won; he's done so much to help prepare them for life after Jefferson. We are so thankful for his time, and wish Dave well!"
 
On a personal level, Thomas has competed in more than 75 marathons, including the Boston Marathon 17 times. He posted a personal-best marathon time of 2:28:54 in the 1985 Chicago Marathon. He was the first American to compete in England's London to Brighton race in 1992 and South Africa's Comrades Marathon in 2000 (both races are 56 miles long).
 
For two decades, Thomas has coached the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, an organization in which runners train for sporting events, such as marathons, while raising money for cancer research.
 
A Level 1 USA Track and Field Coach, Thomas is the president of the Philadelphia Athletic Charities and Fast Cat Sports Productions, the race director of the Schuylkill River Loop Run, and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

In 2002, Thomas founded the Belmont Plateau Hall of Fame which honors distance runners, coaches, and administrators from cross country, road racing, and track who made considerable contributions to the sport and have a connection to the city of Philadelphia. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. Thomas is also a founding member of the Greater Philadelphia Track Club.
 
"Dave Thomas has defined what it means to build a program with purpose, integrity, and excellence. His unmatched dedication to distance running and passion for the sport have elevated our program while establishing a lasting standard across the conference," says Corey Goff, Jefferson's Assistant Vice President for Athletics. "Dave's outstanding reputation throughout the region reflects his success, professionalism, and relentless persistence. His impact on Thomas Jefferson University Athletics will be felt for generations, and we are grateful he will continue to share his guidance moving forward."
 
Thomas plans to stay involved with the athletic department and cross country/track & field program with his transition from being a full-time coach.
 
"The greatest memories I have over the past 20 years has not just been in winning 20 CACC Team Cross Country Championships, but from all the fun I had each day leading all of the successful and talented student-athletes associated with those teams on this journey," Thomas says. "I will continue to support the Jefferson Cross Country/Track & Field teams in any way I can to help the program remain one of the strongest in the CACC and East Region!" 
 
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About Jefferson  

Jefferson is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow's professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit healthcare systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 33 hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans, through Health Partners Plans Inc., is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than 370,000 members for more than 40 years.