Miami University Women's Track

Peterson had an immediate impact in moving several returning competitors up on the schools top-10 list. Under his tutelage, Kenny Glenn broke the school record in the long jump at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships en route to his second-straight appearance at the NCAA East Region Preliminary meet. Glenns mark also got the sophomore into the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Additionally, three more of Petersons student-athletes qualified for the NCAA East Region Preliminary as senior Peter Stefanski (high jump) returned after a one-year absence while senior Kathie Wollney (400m hurdles) and junior Alexus Jimson-Miller (100m hurdles) earned their first postseason trips. Wollney clocked the second-fastest 400m hurdle time in school history at the postseason meet while Jimson-Miller also improved on her third-place personal best. Peterson came to Miami from Western Illinois, where he served as assistant track and field coach and head cross country coach. WIU finished its track season with strong performances in the 4x100m, 100m and 200m. Nine Leathernecks finished the season as All-Summit League performers. Before heading to WIU, Peterson spent two years as a volunteer assistant coach with his alma mater, Iowa. While with the Hawkeyes, Peterson coached the sprinters and hurdlers. While working under Joey Woody, Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at Iowa, 10 Hawkeye sprinters earned All-American honors while picking up five Big Ten Championships. During his two years at Iowa, every sprint and hurdle event, including the relays, saw new athletes break into the school top 10 list. Prior to joining Iowa, Peterson was the assistant coach for sprints, hurdles and field events at Colgate University for four seasons. In his time in Hamilton, he pushed the Raiders to their best ever finish in the Patriot League. During his tenure at Colgate, Petersons athletes broke more than 40 school records and marked over 60 top 10 finishes. Under Petersons instruction, Curry Knox broke six Colgate records and set a new Patriot League record in the 100m (11.70). In his time with the Raiders, Peterson saw 12 league titles and more than 20 conference honors. Peterson kicked off his coaching career at Augustana College in Sioux Falls while working on his Masters in Education with an emphasis on athletic administration. In his time with the Vikings, they rose to become a power in the CCIW Conference, culminated by an outdoor track and field title in 2008. As a student-athlete, Peterson competed in track and field at the University of Iowa, where he finished his career on the top 10 list of six different events. Peterson also was recognized for six All-Big Ten performances, including a Big Ten championship in the 4x100m relay. While competing for the Hawkeyes, Peterson qualified for the NCAA Championships in all eight seasons of indoor and outdoor track. Post collegiately; Peterson competed at the USA Track and Field National Championships three times, including one trip to the Olympic Trials in 2004. He competed for Competitive Edge Athletics following college with appearances in the Special Invitational 400m hurdles in 2004 and 2005. Peterson is a native of Manteno, Illinois and a graduate of Manteno High School where he was selected to the All-State squad in soccer and track. He finished his high school career as the state champion in the 300m hurdles. Off the track, Peterson lives in Oxford, with his wife Brittany, son Stetson, and loyal companion Diesel.

Chorny, who was an assistant coach for the mens distance runners in his first year in Oxford, will lead the RedHawks as they move forward under the combined model adopted prior to the 2015-16 season. We are pleased to have Tom leading the track and field and cross country programs, Sayler said. His expert knowledge as an elite student-athlete brought him to Miami to begin with, but his immediate impact working with the team in his first year gave us the utmost confidence in his ability to achieve our goal of Graduating Champions. We look forward to the combined program continuing to make strides forward in the coming years. In his first year at Miami, Chorny guided the mens cross country team to a four-spot improvement at the Mid-American Conference Championship in the fall when the RedHawks finished third at the conference meet. Miamis effort was led by the continued excellence of Joe Stewart, who qualified for his second-straight NCAA Cross Country Championship while later appearing in the NCAA East Region Preliminary on the track, along with the breakout performance of Zack McBride. Stewart was a First-Team All-MAC performer while McBride earned Second-Team All-MAC honors in the fall. On the track, strong efforts from Stewart, McBride and Andrew Dusing headlined an improved effort from the Red and White at the Outdoor MAC Championships, where they finished fifth for their highest placing in three years. Stewart returned to the NCAA East Region Preliminary in both the 5000m and 10,000m, joining fellow Second-Team All-MAC pick Dusing at the postseason meet. "I'm very honored to be given the opportunity to lead this program, Chorny said. I share a vision with the administration that we can do something very special here at Miami and I'm excited to build upon the outstanding recruiting class we have coming in this fall." In an effort to bolster the Miami distance group, Tom Chorny joined the newly combined Miami track & field/cross country program as an assistant coach in 2015. Chorny, a 1999 graduate of Indiana University, helped the Hoosiers in a volunteer coaching capacity from 2007-13. He helped mold three Big Ten champions, 23 NCAA Regional qualifiers and 11 All-Americans in the steeplechase during his coaching stint in Bloomington while also managing the Indiana Running Company. A standout distance runner, Chorny enjoyed a competitive career filled with accolades at all levels of the sport. He was a four-time Michigan High School Athletic Association state champion and a 1994 Footlocker National Finalist at Fruitport High School. Collegiately, Chorny was a three-time All-American and continued his career professionally after graduation. In the pro ranks, Chorny won the steeplechase at USA Track and Field Championships in 2001, earning a spot on Team USA at the World Championships and Goodwill Games that year. He achieved a world ranking as high as No. 35 in the steeplechase in 2002 and remained in the top 40 to 2004. He was also a member of the Nike Farm Team and Oregon Track Club from 2004-06. Chorny earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Indiana in 1999.