Josh Wolfe begins his eighth season as the head cross country coach and 11th season as distance coach for the track and field teams at Indiana Tech heading into the 2020-21 academic year. While at Tech, he has taken the cross county program to new levels nationally while building the distance runners for the nationally-renowned track and field teams into a dynasty. The men's program has combined with the track and field teams to win three straight U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year Awards (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18).
During his tenure, he has coached 48 WHAC All-Academic Team members, 36 All-WHAC selections, 30 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, five NAIA All-Americans, 14 WHAC Runner of the Week winners, two WHAC Newcomers of the Year, one WHAC Runner of the Year/Individual Medalist (Tiffany Rauch), and one CoSIDA Academic All-American (Kerigan Riley).
Last year the Warriors finished third at the WHAC Championships on the men's side and fourth on the women's side, while sophomores Jake Willison and Kara Kline qualified as individuals for the NAIA National Championships with second and 13th, respectively. Willison capped an amazing season with a 21st-place finish to garner All-American accolades.
During the 2018 season the Tech women qualified for the NAIA National Championships for the first time since 2014 and finished 32nd as a team while senior Cayce Griffin became the fourth All-American in program history on the men's side with a 12th-place finish at the national meet. The Warrior men finished fifth at the WHAC Championships while the women took fourth to garner an at-large bid to the national championships.
In 2017, Wolfe led the men's cross country program to its second straight Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) crown, gaining him his second successive Coach of the Year award. Four men were recognized on the All-Conference teams while freshman Kudzanai Karawira was named Newcomer of the Year. The men qualified for the NAIA National Championships for the fifth consecutive season, finishing with 36 team points in a 12th place effort. On the women's side, the Warriors would place fourth at the WHAC Championships. Indiana Tech's efforts were led by freshman Megan Theismann who was named All-Conference Second-Team.
During the 2016 campaign, he guided the Warrior men to their first-ever WHAC title as he garnered Coach of the Year honors. Five runners would be named to the WHAC All-Conference Teams. The team would finish 25th at the NAIA National Championships, their fourth straight year of qualifying for the national meet. Tiffany Rauch would rewrite history on the women's side as she became just the second runner in school history to be named the conference's Runner of the Year and capture individual medalist honors. Rauch would go on to finish fifth, the second-best finish ever by a Tech runner, at the NAIA National Championships as the Orange and Black's lone representative at the national meet.
In 2015, he led the men's cross country team to a 14th place finish, their best ever under Wolfe, at the NAIA National Championships as senior Marcus Hobbs became the second All-American in program history with a 20th-place finish while junior Kerigan Riley was also a National Qualifier on the women's side. The men would also finish as runner-ups at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) meet for the third straight year. Hobbs would become the first four-time winner of the WHAC Runner of the Week award while he and fellow senior Brenden Zoltek would garner First-Team All-Conference honors.
In 2014, Wolfe would guide both programs to the National Championships for the second consecutive year, with the men finishing 16th and the women taking 26th. Senior Laura Condron would finish 27th to become just the second All-American in program history.
In his first season as head coach in 2013, Wolfe led both the men’s and women’s cross country teams to the NAIA National Championship meet for the first time since 2007. Both teams finished inside the top-19 for the first time in school history. He had 10 athletes qualify for nationals, four NAIA Scholar-Athletes, seven All-Conference performers, four conference Runners of the Week, and Laura Condron was named WHAC Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to being named head coach of the cross country program, Wolfe served three seasons as an assistant coach on the cross country and track and field squads.
During his three seasons as an assistant with the cross country teams, Wolfe saw nine athletes qualify for the NAIA National Championships. He helped guide the women’s team back into the national rankings for the first time since 2008 in his first year at Tech as the team finished conference runner-up. The men’s team also started to gain national recognition during the season receiving votes in the coaches’ poll after Wolfe had brought in a very talented and deep roster.
Prior to his arrival at Tech, Wolfe interned a full season with the Anderson University cross country teams. He has coached previously at Muncie Southside High School for four seasons, working with sprints, mid-distance, and cross country, and spent two years coaching distance runners at Manchester High School.
Wolfe is USATF level 2 certified and completed his master’s in Sport Administration from Ball State University. While a graduate assistant at BSU, he became a published author in the Indiana Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance peer-reviewed journal for his research on youth physical recreation. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business from Manchester College (now University) in 2007.
As an athlete, Wolfe was an All-Conference runner at NCAA Division III Manchester and a three-time All-State cross country runner in the one-class Indiana system at DeKalb High School. He was a team captain at both schools.
Wolfe currently resides in Fort Wayne with his wife, Elaina, and their dog, Ellie.
