Tarleton State University Men's Cross Country

Ponder led the TexAnn Cross Country team to its first Lone Star Conference championship and Aly Coughlin won the individual title. Ponder was named the LSC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. Under Ponder's guidance, Tarleton had both LSC Academic Runners of the Year in Tye Doty and Aly Coughlin. Coughlin also won the LSC Female Runner of the Year award. Tarleton had seven runners on the All-LSC team for Cross Country. During Indoor Track & Field, Ponder had two athletes reach the NCAA Championships with Chase Rathke winning a bronze medal in the mile run. Ponder's athletes swept the LSC academic awards once again, with Jordan Jones and Coughlin claiming LSC Academic Athletes of the Year. For the Outdoor T&F season, Ponder had 11 athletes earn All-America status at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Seven athletes were named All-LSC performers for the Outdoor T&F season. Last year, Ponder and the women's cross country team had arguably the most remarkable season in school history - qualifying for the national championship meet for the first time - before sending a school-record nine athletes to the NCAA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships with a national champion in the 1500m run. In the spring of 2014, Ponder led his runners to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships where Chase Rathke won the 1500m run to become Ponder's first national champion at Tarleton State. In all, Tarleton had six All-Americans named at the event. The women's cross country team began the season unranked in the south central polls and picked in the middle of the pack in the LSC preseason polls but with the efforts of LSC Cross Country Runner of the Year, Lindsey Hinton, the LSC Newcomer of the Year, Aly Coughlin, and LSC Freshman of the Year, Audrey Shelton, Ponder's team advanced to Spokane, Washington and finished 24th in the nation. Ponder's TexAnns qualified for the berth after an impressive run through the postseason that began at the LSC Championship Tournament where the TexAnns finished in second place behind Hinton's individual championship and Coughlin's second-place finish. Tarleton then advanced to the South Central Regional meet where Hinton once again led the team and lifted the TexAnns to a sixth-place finish to qualify them for the final meet. Ponder was named the Lone Star Conference Women's Coach of the Year while his athletes racked up numerous awards including individual superlatives, all-conference and all-region. He followed the fall season by leading Tarleton in its inaugural season of NCAA Indoor Track and Field, highlighted by a third-place national finish in the 800m run by Chase Rathke, before heading into the 2014 outdoor season. In the 2012-13 school year, his team's found success in both the fall and spring semesters. 

Hobbs will begin his sixth season with Tarleton State University as the Assistant Track and Field Coach and his ninth year as a collegiate assistant. He works primarily with sprints, hurdles, jumps, and multi events. In 2016, Hobbs coached 13 athletes that reached the NCAA National Championships, with six athletes combining to earn 10 All-American honors. In the spring of 2015, Hobbs coached his first NCAA Division II national champion when Euphemia Edem claimed the title in the women's long jump with a leap of 6.56m (21' 6.25''). Two days later, Hobbs' 4x400m relay team of Terrance Gross, Cameron Krc, Clarencio Guerrero, and Gilson Ummunakwe delivered his second national champion of the weekend with a school record time of 3:08.25. In his first season with the Tarleton track and field team, Hobbs helped guide two student-athletes to the NCAA National Championships. Under his instruction, Tarleton had two automatic qualifiers, three provisional qualifiers, three all-conference selections and an All-American. In his second year with Tarleton , he helped guide four student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with one earning a second straight All-American honor. In his five seasons at Tarleton, Hobbs has coached two national champions, 13 athletes to 22 All-American honors, nine outdoor school record holders and 26 indoor school record holders. Hobbs, a graduate of Lorena High School, received his undergraduate degree from Tarleton before advancing his education at Texas Tech University, where he received his Masters Degree in Sports Sciences & Excercise Physiology. Prior to his return to Tarleton, Hobbs was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech where he worked primarily with the sprint runners and hurdle runners. During his time at Texas Tech, Hobbs had the opportunity to work with several All-Americans in the sprints, hurdles and relays. Justin Hobbs Assistant Track & Field Coach                    When the 2016 track and field season begins, Justin Hobbs will begin his sixth season with Tarleton State University as the Assistant Track and Field Coach and his ninth year as a collegiate assistant. He works primarily with sprints, hurdles, jumps, and multi events. In 2016, Hobbs coached 13 athletes that reached the NCAA National Championships, with six athletes combining to earn 10 All-American honors. In the spring of 2015, Hobbs coached his first NCAA Division II national champion when Euphemia Edem claimed the title in the women's long jump with a leap of 6.56m (21' 6.25''). Two days later, Hobbs' 4x400m relay team of Terrance Gross, Cameron Krc, Clarencio Guerrero, and Gilson Ummunakwe delivered his second national champion of the weekend with a school record time of 3:08.25. In his first season with the Tarleton track and field team, Hobbs helped guide two student-athletes to the NCAA National Championships. Under his instruction, Tarleton had two automatic qualifiers, three provisional qualifiers, three all-conference selections and an All-American. In his second year with Tarleton , he helped guide four student-athletes to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with one earning a second straight All-American honor. In his five seasons at Tarleton, Hobbs has coached two national champions, 13 athletes to 22 All-American honors, nine outdoor school record holders and 26 indoor school record holders. Hobbs, a graduate of Lorena High School, received his undergraduate degree from Tarleton before advancing his education at Texas Tech University, where he received his Masters Degree in Sports Sciences & Excercise Physiology. Prior to his return to Tarleton, Hobbs was a graduate assistant at Texas Tech where he worked primarily with the sprint runners and hurdle runners. During his time at Texas Tech, Hobbs had the opportunity to work with several All-Americans in the sprints, hurdles and relays.