HILLSBORO, Kan. – Aaron Yoder, the current longest-tenured coach at Bethany College and one of the premium Cross Country and Track & Field coaches in the KCAC, will move on from Lindsborg and will lead Tabor College as the new Director of Cross Country and Track & Field as well as the Assistant Athletic Director.
Yoder was the head coach of the Bethany Cross Country team since 2013 and the head coach of the Track & Field team since 2015. According to Bethany College, Yoder coached two national qualifiers, four All-KCAC top-20 medalists, and coached the school record-holder in the 6K. He saw lots of his coaching success in Track & Field however, coaching 31 national qualifiers, 26 school records, 15 KCAC champions, three KCAC Athletes of the Year, and five All-Americans. He also oversaw the school receive 18 KCAC Team of Character awards in both programs.
According to Tabor College, Yoder’s hire can be seen as a homecoming story. Even though Yoder is a native of Peabody, Kan., he attended Hillsboro Schools and was a Class of 2004 graduate of Hillsboro High School. While with the Trojans, Yoder won the KSHSAA 3A State Title in the 1600M Run and competed in two State Championships. Yoder went on to compete in Cross Country and Track & Field at Fort Hays State University, earning an MIAA All-Conference nod in Cross Country, another All-Conference honor in Indoor Track & Field, and four All-Conference selections in Outdoor Track & Field.
Yoder will arrive to the Tabor College campus in June. Bethany’s Daylon Smith will be promoted as the Interim Head Coach of the Swedes’ programs. It will be Smith’s first head coaching gig, but was an assistant coach at Bethany for one year. Prior to arriving at Bethany, Smith was a graduate assistant coach at Southwestern College and ran track at Sterling College.
