Big Green athletic teams have seen coaching changes over the summer offseason. Track and field, women's tennis and men's basketball teams all made coaching additions in anticipation of the upcoming season.
William Thomas is one of two assistant coach additions to Dartmouth's track and field team. Thomas was previously an assistant coach at Harvard University, specializing in training students for the pole vault and multi-event competitions, he said.
During his time at Harvard, Thomas mentored 14 All-Ivy performers, eight Heptagonal champions, three NCAA qualifiers, two NCAA All-Americans and six school record holders, according to the Dartmouth Athletics web site.
"There are some talented kids to work with, and I'm excited to coach the horizontal jumps that's something I've looked forward to for awhile," Thomas said. "Dartmouth is a great school, and I've really enjoyed coaching in the Ivy League."
Before working at Harvard, Thomas himself a three-time All-American was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of California, Berkeley. Thomas told The Dartmouth that he has a great deal of respect for retiring coach Carl Wallin, and added that he hopes to help Dartmouth continue its strong level of competition in field events.
"It's a great program that is strong in field events, so I'm just going to see if I can pick up where [Wallin] left off," Thomas said.
Michelle Clayton will join Thomas as an assistant coach for the track and field team, coming off a season as an assistant coach specializing in throws at Duke University.
Before coaching at Duke, she was a strength and conditioning coach at East Carolina University and Virginia Tech, she said.
Clayton said she is excited to build on Wallin's tradition in the throws, adding that she hopes to be able to recruit new talent for the event.
"Both [Head Coach Barry Harwick] and [Head Coach Sandy Ford-Centonze] are looking forward to having both Will and I to recruit in the throws and the jumps and make sure they are both emphasized next year," she said.
The addition of both Thomas and Clayton to the track and field coaching staff was made last week, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
Jon McLaughlin, who started three weeks ago as assistant coach for women's tennis, comes from a tennis family his father is a longtime coach.
Before coming to Dartmouth, McLaughlin was an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas between 2003 and 2007, he said.
Prior to that, McLaughlin played tennis for the Tigers of Ouachita Baptist University, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
McLaughlin said he was attracted to Big Green tennis because of the caliber of student-athlete at Dartmouth giving him an opportunity to work with "more well-rounded" players.
McLaughlin also cited the program's stability as another advantage, as well as the chance to work under longtime coach Bob Dallis, who has coached for over 21 years.
"The opportunity to work for someone as respected as him with that knowledge was important," McLaughlin said.
Dallis announced June 19 that McLaughlin would be joining the coaching staff.
The men's basketball team also announced at the end of June that Mark Graupe and Michael Brown would be joining the coaching staff for the upcoming season, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
Brown most recently served as an assistant coach for two years at Idaho State, according to the website.
Prior to his stint with the Bengals, Brown began his collegiate coaching career at Bowdoin College as an assistant during the 2006-07 season.
Graupe was most recently on the staff at Colorado State University for one season and has over 20 years of prior coaching experience, according to the Dartmouth Athletics website.
Before coaching the Rams, Graupe spent seven seasons as the head coach at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, North Dakota.
Brown and Graupe could not be reached for comment by press time.
