Boise State Athletics
Photo by: Boise State Sports Information Dept.
Benji Wetli Joins Cross Country and Track and Field Staff
8/21/2018 2:10:00 PM | Cross Country, Track & Field
BOISE, Idaho – Boise State cross country and track and field has announced the addition of Benji Wetli to the coaching staff, head coach Corey Ihmels announced on Tuesday.
On the addition of Wetli to the coaching staff, Ihmels said, "I'm really excited to have Benji on board. Obviously we have some history going back to my time at Iowa State, but since then I feel Benji has separated himself as one of the best recruiters in the country. I think he's going to help us continue to take Boise State to the next level."
Wetli will assist Ihmels and associate head coach Travis Hartke with the program's distance runners as an assistant coach. A former assistant with Ihmels and Hartke at Iowa State, Wetli joins Boise State after a four-year stretch at San Francisco, most recently as the interim head coach. His four years working with the Dons helped lead to the best stretch in program history, as San Francisco became a nationally-recognized program.
"I am honored to join the cross country and track & field program at Boise State, and would like to thank Coach Ihmels for the opportunity to work with him and Coach Hartke again," Wetli said. "I am excited to contribute in any way I can towards the goals of this program and to help both the men and women compete for Mountain West and NCAA championships!"
Prior to his arrival to the Bay Area in 2014, the San Francisco's women had never finished higher than 18th at the NCAA Cross CountryChampionships – by 2016, Wetli helped lead San Francisco's women to a sixth-place finish at the cross country championships. The Dons eclipsed that mark with a runner-up team finish in 2017, led by three women receiving All-America honors.Â
San Francisco's men's squad also had their best stretch in program history under Wetli's tutelage. Prior to his arrival, the Dons had never placed higher than 12th at the NCAA West Region Championships. By 2015, the men's team improved on that showing with an 11th-place finish, followed by back-to-back eighth-place finishes.
In all, five of the six All-Americans in cross country in San Francisco history occurred during Wetli's tenure with the program. On the track, the Dons were just as successful under his guidance, with six school records from 800m to 10,000m being broken during his tenure on the men's side.
The women's program achieved even greater success, with every record from 800m to 10,000m being broken between 2014-18. The 2017 season was capped by Charlotte Taylor winning the national title in the 10,000m.
Beyond the athletic success achieved by the Dons during his tenure, the women's track and field program posted the highest GPA in the NCAA each of the past three seasons.
A Decorah, Iowa native, Wetli spent the 2013-14 season at UNC-Greensboro, coaching 10 student-athletes to All-Southern Conference honors, while also qualifying two women to the NCAA East Preliminary round on the track.
Wetli spent three seasons on the staff at Iowa State under Ihmels. Cyclone athletes won three individual national championship titles and earned 25 All-America honors during his tenure.
A graduate of St. Norbert College (Wisc.), Wetli is a certified USA Track and Field Level 1 coach.
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On the addition of Wetli to the coaching staff, Ihmels said, "I'm really excited to have Benji on board. Obviously we have some history going back to my time at Iowa State, but since then I feel Benji has separated himself as one of the best recruiters in the country. I think he's going to help us continue to take Boise State to the next level."
Wetli will assist Ihmels and associate head coach Travis Hartke with the program's distance runners as an assistant coach. A former assistant with Ihmels and Hartke at Iowa State, Wetli joins Boise State after a four-year stretch at San Francisco, most recently as the interim head coach. His four years working with the Dons helped lead to the best stretch in program history, as San Francisco became a nationally-recognized program.
"I am honored to join the cross country and track & field program at Boise State, and would like to thank Coach Ihmels for the opportunity to work with him and Coach Hartke again," Wetli said. "I am excited to contribute in any way I can towards the goals of this program and to help both the men and women compete for Mountain West and NCAA championships!"
Prior to his arrival to the Bay Area in 2014, the San Francisco's women had never finished higher than 18th at the NCAA Cross CountryChampionships – by 2016, Wetli helped lead San Francisco's women to a sixth-place finish at the cross country championships. The Dons eclipsed that mark with a runner-up team finish in 2017, led by three women receiving All-America honors.Â
San Francisco's men's squad also had their best stretch in program history under Wetli's tutelage. Prior to his arrival, the Dons had never placed higher than 12th at the NCAA West Region Championships. By 2015, the men's team improved on that showing with an 11th-place finish, followed by back-to-back eighth-place finishes.
In all, five of the six All-Americans in cross country in San Francisco history occurred during Wetli's tenure with the program. On the track, the Dons were just as successful under his guidance, with six school records from 800m to 10,000m being broken during his tenure on the men's side.
The women's program achieved even greater success, with every record from 800m to 10,000m being broken between 2014-18. The 2017 season was capped by Charlotte Taylor winning the national title in the 10,000m.
Beyond the athletic success achieved by the Dons during his tenure, the women's track and field program posted the highest GPA in the NCAA each of the past three seasons.
A Decorah, Iowa native, Wetli spent the 2013-14 season at UNC-Greensboro, coaching 10 student-athletes to All-Southern Conference honors, while also qualifying two women to the NCAA East Preliminary round on the track.
Wetli spent three seasons on the staff at Iowa State under Ihmels. Cyclone athletes won three individual national championship titles and earned 25 All-America honors during his tenure.
A graduate of St. Norbert College (Wisc.), Wetli is a certified USA Track and Field Level 1 coach.
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