Tom Walsh - Track and Field Coach - Long Beach State University Athletics

Tom Walsh

Title:
Assistant Coach - Distance

Long Beach State track & field head coach Andy Sythe has announced the addition of a new member to his staff with the hiring of Tom Walsh as the cross country and distance coach.

"I am excited to introduce Tom Walsh as our Cross Country and Distance coach at Long Beach State," Sythe said. "He will be a great leader for our distance runners and a great fit for our coaching staff. Tom has had proven success as the head cross country and middle and long distance coach at USC, leading some of the nation's top runners in both cross country and track."

Walsh spent 19 years as the head cross country and assistant track & field coach at USC. During his time with the Trojans, he coached 23 individual All-Americans in a number of events, including the 800m, 1500m and steeplechase, as well as in cross country. He also mentored one NCAA champion in the 800m (Brigita Langerholc, 2001) and two Olympic finalists. In addition, Walsh saw his student-athletes set school records in every women's distance event, from the 800m through the 10000m. He also developed many of the nation's top NCAA male middle distance runners despite not having a men's cross country squad.

"Tom's achievements and experience make him the best fit for this position," Sythe said. "We did an extensive search and what stood out with Tom is the incredible success he has achieved and the stability he brings to a program. He also knows the state of California, its coaches and recruiting base very well, and is an accomplished international recruiter. We will benefit from Tom's expertise, and by combining the momentum our program is building with his proven abilities, we can further position ourselves for more national-level individual and team performances."

Walsh is a coach known for showing great care and respect for his student-athletes. One aspect has been his efforts to promote a successful academic environment. In his 19 years at USC, Walsh's cross country team held the top grade-point average of all the school's athletic programs a total of seven times. His athletes were also frequently recognized by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for individual academic achievement. Walsh was directly involved in the operations of all home meets at USC and has additional experience in public relations, sports media and sponsorship acquisitions for nationally televised events. These attributes will directly benefit the continued growth of the annual Beach Invitational and promotion of the new track facility scheduled for completion in the spring of 2015.

Walsh graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1987.