Boise State Hires Ihmels as Track and Field Coach

Ihmels had spent his previous 11 years at Iowa State, his alma mater, including the last six as head coach.

June 14, 2013




BOISE, Idaho - Boise State University has hired Corey Ihmels as head coach of the Broncos' men's and women's track and field and cross country programs, Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announced Friday.

Ihmels had spent his previous 11 years at Iowa State, his alma mater, including the last six as head coach.

"We are excited to be able to bring Corey and his family to Boise State," Coyle said. "He has high-level experience as a head coach in the Big 12 Conference, and he has a proven record of developing student-athletes to compete at elite levels on the track and in the classroom."

With Ihmels at the helm, the Cyclones' programs have risen to national prominence, finishing in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships six times. Of the 21 student-athletes to finish in the top five individually at the NCAA Championships under his guidance, six won titles and seven finished runner-up.

Additionally, during his tenure, Iowa State has produced 51 NCAA All-Americans.

Ihmels was named Big 12 Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year in both 2011 and 2012, after the Cyclones won the conference championship each year, the first such titles in school history. Ihmels is also a three-time Midwest Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year (2010-12), and was named Midwest Regional Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year in 2010.

In all, 29 Iowa State student-athletes earned Big 12 Conference Championships under his guidance, and 280 earned all-conference recognition.

His student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom, garnering 40 Academic All-America awards and 244 Academic All-Big 12 accolades.

"After having lived and trained in Boise as a distance runner, I strongly believe that the programs at Boise State can become a national powerhouse," Ihmels said. "With everything that the University and the city have to offer, there is an incredible amount of untapped potential for these programs. I am excited to bring my passion for developing national-class track and field and cross country student-athletes to Boise State."

Prior to becoming head coach at Iowa State, he served as the head men's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach for the Cyclones for five years. He joined the Cyclones from Arizona State, where he worked as a graduate assistant coach from 2000-01.

Ihmels, a six-time All-American long-distance runner for Iowa State and the 1997 Big 12 Conference Indoor Athlete of the Year, was a member of the Cyclones' 1994 NCAA championship cross country team.

He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Iowa State in 1997, and a master's of education in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State in 2001.

He and his wife Michelle have two children, son Wil and daughter Ruby.

Courtesy Boise State