David Thompson has been hired as New York University's Men's and Women's Track & Field Head Coach. He will also serve as an assistant coach of the cross country teams.

Bringing nearly 20 years of coaching experience to his new position, Thompson joins NYU after serving as the Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, from 2015-21, where he helped produce nine NCAA Division III All-Americans and 28 national qualifiers. Thompson's teams posted a 20^th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor National Championships and had a third-place showing at the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) Indoor Championships in 2019.   

In addition, both the Vikings' cross country and track & field teams earned USTFCCCA (United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-Academic Team honors from 2016-21. 

"I want to thank everyone at New York University who served on the search committee," Thompson said. "I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to lead the NYU track program. NYU is one of the top institutions in the world, and located in one of the greatest cities in the world. I'm excited to meet the team and begin working with the student-athletes to help them achieve their goals." 

Prior to his position at Augustana, Thompson served as the Men's Track & Field Head Coach at Williams College from 2013-15. In those two seasons, his student-athletes earned five NCAA All-America honors and established six school records. The Ephs finished 12^th at the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships and were runner-up at the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Outdoor Championships.

From 2011-13, Thompson was Men's and Women's Head Coach for the SUNY Oswego track & field teams. His student-athletes set 12 indoor and outdoor school records and won individual SUNYAC titles in the 60m hurdles (men) and pole vault (women).

Thompson spent three seasons (2008-11) as the Men's and Women's Track & Field Head Coach at the University of Dubuque, where he produced the 2011 NCAA Division III Indoor Men's National 55m Champion and the school's first ever women's Triple Jump All-American. Overall, his teams featured numerous national qualifiers and broke more than 20 school records.

"David becomes the latest new coach to join a stable of new coaches who brings an enthusiasm and an impressive resume of accomplishment to NYU," said Stuart Robinson, NYU's Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics. "David's commitment to working with students to build their confidence and to develop their success on and off of the sport are what distinguished him from a deep and talented pool. I look forward to working and supporting David as we look for NYU Track & Field to regain its place as a talented and successful program."

A 1999 graduate of North Central College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts, Thompson was an 11-time All-American and a three-time NCAA National Champion in track & field for the Cardinals. He won the indoor national title in the long jump in 1997, and in 1998 he helped lead North Central to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship by winning the 200m and running as a member of North Central's national champion 4x100-meter relay.

A member of North Central's Athletic Hall of Fame, Thompson is a native of Chicago, IL, and resides in New York City.