SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco State Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of David Thompson as the program's next head women's track & field coach.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome David Thompson to Gator Athletics and the San Francisco State University community," stated Director of Athletics Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins. "He is a proven leader of athletic competitiveness, academic success, and sound student-athlete support and team culture on and off the track. I would also like to thank the search committee led by our Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Nicole Bolter, and the staff, coaches and student-athletes for their participation in the process. We are fortunate to have him joining us very soon!"
 
Thompson brings close to twenty years of experience to SF State and comes to the Gators after a stint as head coach of the New York University men's and women's track & field programs. He oversaw recruiting, staff and practice supervision, budget management and was part of the department's Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging and Equity committee. 
 
"We are so excited to have David join our coaching faculty and lead our women's track and field program," stated Dr. Bolter. "David has an exceptional coaching résumé and an undeniable passion and IQ for track & field. He has a clear focus on connecting with student-athletes and a plan to compete at both the conference and national levels."
 
"I'd like to thank Stephanie, Dr. Nicole Bolter, and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to lead this program," stated Thompson. "I'm beyond excited to be the next head track & field coach at San Francisco State. I look forward to continuing the progress that has already been established and pursue new heights for the program. I'm eager to get to know the student-athletes and to work with the staff as we collectively work towards our goals!"
 
Prior to NYU, Thompson was the head women's cross country & track Coach for Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois from 2015-21. There 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 Division III Indoor National Championships and had a third-place showing at the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) Indoor Championships in 2019. 
 
From 2013-15, Thompson served as the head men's track & field coach at Williams College. 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 National Championships and were runner-up at the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) Outdoor Championships.

From 2011-13, Thompson was the head men's and women's track & field coach at SUNY Oswego. His student-athletes set twelve 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.
 
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. He was inducted into the North Central College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.
 
Thompson is currently working on his Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Eastern Washington University.