Peter Tegen (Stanford)

Peter Tegen

Position:
Head Coach








Peter Tegen, regarded as one of the most highly respected middle distance coaches in the United States, begins his third season as the men's and women's middle distance and distance head coach. In only two years on The Farm, Tegen has coached Stanford distance runners to over 25 All-American performances, two national cross country titles, and an indoor DMR national title.

During his second season at Stanford, Tegen led the Cardinal women to their second consecutive NCAA Championship, the fourth NCAA women's title in school history. The 2006 women's team also took first place finishes at the Pac 10 and NCAA West Regional races. The men's squad took home two runner-up finishes at the Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional and went on to claim a fourth-place trophy at the NCAA Championships. Tegen was named the `Peter Tegen Women's Coach of the Year', a national award that is now named in his honor.

In 2005, during his first season at Stanford, Tegen led the Cardinal women to a national title and an undefeated season. He led the men to their sixth-straight Pac-10 title and a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championships. For his efforts both at Stanford and formerly at Wisconsin, Tegen was named the 2005 Outstanding NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Coach of the Past 25 Years by the USTFCCCA.

Tegen enjoyed great success in 30 years of coaching at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Within the Big Conference, Tegen coached more league champions, national champions and All-Americans then any other coach. Tegen also coached more All-Americans than any coach in Wisconsin athletics history.

Tegen coached more than 43 national champions in track and cross country, and his athletes earned more than 250 All-American honors. Tegen coached the Badgers to two NCAA cross country titles (1984, 1985), 24 Top-10 national finishes in cross country; 21 Top-10 national finishes in track, including four NCAA runner-up titles, and 39 Big Ten Conference championships in track and cross country. Tegen coached more than 224 Big Ten event champions.

His list of great runners include Olympians Kathy Butler (1996, 2004), Suzy Favor Hamilton (1992, 1996, 2000) and Cindy Bremser (1984). He has also coached numerous runners who competed in several World Championships in track and field and cross country.

Academics were just as important to Tegen with nearly 300 Academic All-Big Ten selections since 1984. Numerous other Badger athletes also gained Academic All-American status.

A native of the Dresden area in Germany, Tegen came to West Germany after WW II, received his undergraduate degree from the Deutsche Sporthochschule and University of Koln in 1965, and has graduate degrees in English and Sports Sciences from the University of Freiburg in 1973. Tegen has taught English and coached gymnastics and track in Germany, Africa and Latin America before coming to the University of Wisconsin in 1973. Tegen was the head coach of the Peruvian National team in 1971 and 1972. He also served as the head coach of the U.S women's cross country team that finished sixth at the 1997 World Championships, the highest US team finish since 1985.

Tegen has twice been selected by USA Track & Field to lead squads of middle distance runners on European Tours.

Tegen has also received several notable honors in his career including National Cross Country Coach of the Year (four times), Big Ten Coach of the Year in track (six times) and in cross country (nine times), PAC-10 Coach of the Year in cross country (three times).

The cross country program at Stanford has enjoyed tremendous success in recent years. Stanford has won the NCAA men's cross country title four times (1996, 1997, 2002, 2003) while the Cardinal women have captured four national titles (1996, 2003, 2005, 2006) since 1996. The Cardinal men have won the NCAA West Regional 10 of the last 12 years, while the Stanford women have won the regional crown for eight straight years in a row. At the Pac-10 Championships, Stanford's men's team has won six league titles, while the women have captured the league title the past 11 years.



Stanford Cross Country