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Head Coach, Men's and Women's Cross Country
Dept: Men's Cross Country
Location: Hermann Court
Mail Location: 1246
ph: 937-382-6661 ext: 256
Alma Mater: Wilmington ('93)
Head cross country and track coach Ron Combs has a long history with both the Wilmington College track and cross country programs.
As a graduate of and former athlete at WC, Combs knows the program and people well. He currently is in his 10th season as the head coach of WC men's and women's cross country teams and will enter his ninth season as head coach of the men's track team.
During his collegiate career he was a four-year letterman in both track and cross country and was named team captain of the school's only cross country team to win a conference title.
Combs began his coaching career immediately after graduating from WC in 1993. He went back to his hometown of Tiffin to be an assistant track and cross country coach at Heidelberg College, but when the opportunity presented itself to return to Wilmington as an assistant coach, Combs didn't hesitate.
"As a graduate of Wilmington, I knew the college well and I enjoyed my four years there as a student-athlete," Combs said. "I enjoyed Wilmington so much that I was eager to return."
Combs put in a couple of seasons as the assistant cross country and track coach before being promoted. In 1997, his dedication and coaching talents paid off in the form of the head coaching position of the Quakers' cross country teams.
From his start, there were just six men and three women on the Quakers' roster. With such low numbers, the team didn't have any hope of competing with the top teams in the state.
Combs, however, made sure those days remained long gone. He has since built the WC roster up to as many as 17 women and 13 men, and his teams are not only competing with the best in the state, but have gained national recognition as well.
Combs has coached school record holders in cross country and has coached runners who have 18 of the top 25 all-time bests and 24 of the top 25 women's runners, with the lone exception being 1992 graduate Kelley (Hutchison) Combs, his wife.
In addition to the teams' athletic accomplishments, both 1999 WC cross country teams were awarded Academic All-American Team awards with combined GPA's of over 3.0.
Combs' success with the cross country teams spilled over onto the track after he was named the Quakers' head track & field coach in 1998. Again, he started with small numbers, but has since built a strong roster that contains over 50 athletes.
Combs was a two-time recipient of the HCAC's Coach of the Year award and also has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
In addition to his success at the conference level, Combs' teams have also cracked into the Top 30 nationally. His 2002 Men's Indoor Track and Field team placed sixth at the NCAA Championships and his 2004 women's team placed seventh overall in Division III.
Combs also has coached more than 70 athletes to national qualifying marks, including coaching high jumper Emily Herring, the 2004 NCAA champion and triple jumper Doreen Nagawa, the 2005 NCAA champion.
Combs' track and field individuals and teams have almost completely re-written the record books in both indoor and outdoor competition, as just a handful of records still stand from the pre-Combs era.
Combs, who has attained his level one coaching certification from USA Track and Field, is also an assistant professor of health and physical education at WC.
He resides in Wilmington with his wife Kelley and their sons, Dylan and Cameron.
Assistant Coach, Men's Cross Country
Dept: Men's Cross Country
Location: 251 Ludovic Street, Wilmington, OH 45177
ph: 937-382-6661 ext: 461
Alma Mater: Wilmington ('03)
In 2005, Kyle Wolf, a six-time All-American at Wilmington College, returned to his alma mater as the head coach of the women's outdoor and indoor track and field teams.
"Kyle has been an exciting addition to our program," said WC head men's coach Ron Combs. "He brings a lot of knowledge and a real passion for the sport to work every day."
During his career at WC, Wolf won 10 conference championships and never lost a conference championship in the pole vault. In addition to his seven pole vault championships, he also won OAC championships in the 110-meter hurdles, 4 x 200 relay and 4 x 400 relay.
A seven-time National Qualifier (six in pole vault and one in 4 x 400), Wolf was the National Runner-Up in the pole vault in 2002. He is the College's record holder in the pole vault at 16-7 1/2, and was WC's Clyde Lamb representative before graduating in 2003 as one of Wilmington's all-time great athletes.
After graduating from WC, Wolf continued his athletic career while living in California and training with some of the best pole vaulters and decathletes in the United States. During that time, he raised his pole vault personal best to 17-4.