Ben Yocum
Assistant Cross Country Coach - Sewanee: The University of the South
Ben Yocum begins his first year as an assistant coach with the Sewanee track and field programs during the 2023-24 academic year.
Yocum enters his 19th year in coaching, almost all of that time spent in the state of South Carolina at both the high school and collegiate level. He served last season at the University of Northern Colorado, working primarily with multi-events and jumps, tutoring all-conference performers in the long jump both indoors and outdoors, including conference long jump champion Kiana Van Haaren. Steven Cross also placed sixth in the decathlon and he coached the men’s 4x100-meter relay to a fourth-place showing at the conference championships.
Yocum worked five years at Coastal Carolina University, mostly with multi-events and pole vault, including individuals who finished in the Top 10 in the men’s indoor heptathlon, men’s pole vault (twice), men’s high jump (twice), men’s outdoor decathlon (four times), women’s pentathlon and heptathlon (twice each) and women’s pole vault (three times).
He also helped with distance and middle distance events – women’s indoor 300-meters, 400-meter hurdles, women’s mile and 3,000-meters as well as cross country events in women’s 6K and men’s 8K and 10K. Connor Langdon qualified for the East Regional in the high jump and Hesmari Coetze made it in the 400-meter hurdles for the Chanticleers.
He spent seven seasons at College of Charleston, primarily with multi-events, throws and hurdles, tutoring athletes to 122 Top 10 performances during his time with the Cougars, including numerous all-conference performances and one athlete who qualified for the NCAA East Regional, Tiffany Sisk.
The Huntersville, N.C., native attended the University of South Carolina as an undergraduate, earning his bachelor’s in Experimental Psychology with a minor in Statistics in 2003. He later received a master’s in Exercise Science specializing in Motor Control and Rehabilitation in 2010.
Yocum started his coaching career at Hammond School in Columbia, S.C., working with numerous state championship qualifiers in middle distance and throws, before spending two years at Benedict College, also in Columbia, primarily coaching the pole vault and throws. He coached a pair of conference champions and three all-conference athletes and the Tigers broke six school records during his tenure. He served as a graduate assistant at South Carolina for two years in 2009-10.
Yocum has earned a Level II Jumps Certification from USA Track & Field (USATF) and a Throws Certification from US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).