Colorado has hired Tennessee’s Sean Carlson as the Buffs’ new track coach. That’s another jump up for Sean.
“We’re so happy to welcome Sean Carlson to Boulder and the University of Colorado,” said athletics director Rick George. “At CU, we’ve got an elite running program and with Sean’s history of success, I feel strongly that we’ve got an elite coach to lead our exceptional student-athletes.”
Sean Carlson
Tennessee has not yet announced that it has lost the coach of cross-country and other distance running.
The departure does not fit the master plan for Volunteers to compete for championships in all sports. The track program has fallen a bit short of expectations in the two seasons under the direction of Duane Ross.
Carlson’s Vol men’s cross-country team finished 26th in the 2023 NCAA meet. Tennessee women ran sixth.
Carlson came to Tennessee in June 2022 after 10 years at Notre Dame. At the time, Dr. Danny White, vice chancellor and athletics director, said: “I made a commitment to our cross country and distance student-athletes to deliver a world-class distance coach and a leader who will bring out the very best in them.
“I believe we have checked every box with Sean Carlson. Our intent is to provide him and our student-athletes with every resource needed to restore Tennessee’s distance program to championship form.”
Duane Ross
Dr. White felt he had made another home-run hire in Coach Ross. On June 23, 2023, Ross received a raise and contract extension through the 2027-28 season.
“In just one season, Duane has started building the foundation to restore our track and field program as one of the nation’s truly elite programs,” White said.
“It was an encouraging sign of progress to see both programs finish in the top five at both SEC championship events for the first time since 2008, and watching our women’s program place in the top-10 nationally at indoors and outdoors for the first time since 2009 was eye-opening.”
That was then.
This year, Tennessee men finished sixth in Southeastern Conference track. Vol women were seventh.
Tennessee women placed 30th in the NCAA championship event. The men were 37th. The teams scored nine points each.
Six SEC teams were in the top 10 in both divisions.