Tim Thompson enters his second season as CIU's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country after joining the Rams' staff in September 2022.
Thompson made an early impact during the 2022 cross-country season as Lydia Wilhite became just the second women's cross-country runner to qualify for the NAIA National Championships. Wilhite qualified at the 2022 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Cross-Country Championships.
The Rams took massive strides on the track in Thompson's first year as freshman men's sprinter Dario Laing exploded onto the scene for CIU. Laing was crowned the AAC 60-meter hurdle champion at both the conference's indoor and outdoor championship meet. Laing also became the first male sprinter at CIU to qualify for an NAIA National Championship.
Under Thompson's leadership, the Rams swept the men's award at the NCCAA Outdoor National Championships as Laing was named the Male Track Athlete of the Meet, and teammate Deandre Leith was chosen as Male Field Athlete of the Meet. Leith would go to end the season as the first NAIA All-American under Thompson's tenure as he secured the status in the shot put at the NAIA Outdoor Championships in Marion, Ind.
Thompson came to CIU by way of fellow National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member Southwestern College (Kas.), where he spent the two seasons overseeing the Moundbuilders Track & Field and Cross Country programs.
While at Southwestern, Thompson's teams produced ten NAIA All-Americans, 35 NAIA National Qualifiers, and 38 All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) performers. On top of these accolades, the Moundbuilders set 16 new school records and a KCAC conference record.
Prior to his stint at Southwestern, Thompson spent time in the NCAA Division I ranks as an assistant track & field coach at Arkansas State University. While with the Red Wolves, Thompson helped produce two NCAA All-Americans, seven Sun Belt Conference (SBC) champions, nine NCAA West Prelims qualifiers, 30 All-SBC performers, three school record holders, one SBC all-time and championship meet record, and 13 inclusions into the school's top-ten all-time performance lists.
Thompson also holds collegiate coaching experience from Kansas Wesleyan and the University of Nebraska.
The Dallas, Texas native brings with him a wealth of knowledge from his own experience as a collegiate athlete. Thompson competed for the Univerity of Texas-Arlington from 2006-2009, where he was a five-time All-Southland Conference performer and was a regional qualifier in 2007 and 2008 in the 110m hurdles and the 4x100m relay. During his time with the Mavericks, Thompson was a staple in the 110m hurdles, 100m, 200m, and the 4x100 relay.
Thompson is a 2014 graduate of the University of North Texas and holds a Level I USA Track & Field Coaching Certification for sprints, hurdles, and relays and a USTFCCCA Program Management Certification.
Thompson resides in Columbia with his wife BreeAnn.
