Ron Combs
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- Title:
- Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach
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- Phone:
- 937-481-2256
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- Email:
- ron_combs@wilmington.edu
Head men's and women's cross country coach Ron Combs has a long history with both the Wilmington College cross country and track & field programs.
As a graduate of and former athlete at WC, Combs knows the program and people well. He currently is in his 27th season as the head coach of Wilmington College's men's and women's cross country teams in 2023-24, and after a quarter-century run as head men's & women's track & field coach, Combs has transitioned to an assistant track & field coach.
During his collegiate career, he was a four-year letterman in both track and cross country and was named team captain of the school's only cross country team to win a conference title. Combs began his coaching career immediately after graduating from WC in 1993. He went back to his hometown of Tiffin to be an assistant track and cross country coach at Heidelberg College, but when the opportunity presented itself to return to Wilmington as an assistant coach, Combs didn't hesitate.
"As a graduate of Wilmington, I knew the college well and I enjoyed my four years there as a student-athlete," Combs said. "I enjoyed Wilmington so much that I was eager to return." Combs put in a couple of seasons as the assistant cross country and track coach before being promoted.
In 1997, his dedication and coaching talents paid off in the form of the head coaching position of the Quakers' cross country teams. From his start, there were just six men and three women on the Quakers' roster. With such low numbers, the team didn't have any hope of competing with the top teams in the state. Combs, however, made sure those days remained long gone. He has since built the WC roster up, and his teams are not only competing with the best in the state but have gained national recognition as well.
In addition to the teams' athletic accomplishments, the Quakers also have garnered several All-Academic Team honors from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Combs' success with the cross country teams spilled over onto the track after he was named the Quakers' head track & field coach in 1998. Again, he started with small numbers, but has since built a program that has caught the eye of the nation.
Combs was a two-time recipient of the HCAC's Coach of the Year award and also has been named the Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. In addition to his success at the conference level, Combs' teams have also cracked into the Top 30 nationally. His 2002 Men's Indoor Track and Field team placed sixth at the NCAA Championships and his 2004 women's team placed seventh overall in Division III. More recently, he mentored Simon Heys to back-to-back All-American honors in cross country, marking the first time at WC student-athlete has earned such honors in the NCAA era (1991-present). In the spring of 2023, he guided the Quaker men to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the highest such finish in program history.
Combs also has coached 186 athletes to national qualifying marks, 68 All-Americans, and five national champions.
He resides in Wilmington with his wife Kelley and their sons, Dylan and Cameron.
Ron Combs Season-By-Season OAC and Great Lakes Regional Finishes
Season | Women - OAC | Women - Regional |
2023 | 9th of 10 - 249 points | 36th of 40 - 988 points |
2022 | 9th of 10 - 256 points | Individuals only |
2021 | 7th of 10 - 194 points | Individuals only |
2020 | No Meet due to COVID-19 | No Meet due to COVID-19 |
2019 | 6th of 10 - 175 points | 20th of 34 - 579 points |
2018 | 8th of 10 - 249 points | Individuals only |
2017 | 9th of 10 - 272 points | Individuals only |
2016 | 10th of 10 - 315 points | Individuals only |
2015 | 10th of 10 - 292 points | Individuals only |
2014 | 7th of 10 - 187 points | Individuals only |
2013 | 10th of 10 - 252 points | Individuals only |
2012 | 4th of 10 - 136 points | 22nd of 33 - 558 points |
2011 | 3rd of 10 - 102 points | 13th of 36 - 402 points |
2010 | 4th of 10 - 107 points | 13th of 34 - 376 points |
2009 | 5th of 10 - 133 points | 18th of 34 - 482 points |
2008 | 6th of 10 - 156 points | 18th of 34 - 517 points |
2007 | 7th of 10 - 197 points | 22nd of 31 - 650 points |
2006 | 7th of 10 - 177 points | 23rd of 31 - 619 points |
2005 | 7th of 10 - 184 points | 21st of 31 - 575 points |
2004 | 8th of 10 - 214 points | Individuals only |
2003 | 9th of 10 - 251 points | 26th of 34 - 729 points |
2002 | 8th of 10 - 211 points | 29th of 33 - 716 points |
2001 | 7th of 9 - 159 points | 22nd of 27 - 525 points |
2000 | 3rd of 8 - 93 points | 8th of 28 - 285 points |
Ron Combs Season-By-Season HCAC and Great Lakes Regional Finishes
Season | Women - HCAC | Women - Regional |
1999 | 3rd of 7 - 62 points | 15th of 29 - 400 points |
1998 | 3rd of 6 - 66 points | 23rd of 29 - 600 points |
1997 | Competed as an Independent | 20th of 26 - 531 points |
*Last updated - December 5, 2023*