Scott Dahlberg begins his eighth year at the University of Wyoming in 2024-25, coaching men’s and women’s cross country, mid-distance and distance runners.
The 2024 cross country season saw one of the best in program history. Ranked multiple weeks in the USTFCCCA National Coaches’ Poll on the men’s side and the women receiving their highest regional ranking since 2016 ,these teams were noticed from the national level. Kylie Simshauser and Jacob White earned Mountain West Athlete of the Week twice each and these two and newcomer Dylan van der Hock earned All-Mountain West honors at the conference championship. The Cowboys made the National Championship meet for the first time since 2018 and finished No. 30 in the country to end the season.
In the 2023 cross country season, the men’s team finished eighth in the USTFCCCA mountain region poll while the women ended the year ranked 9th. Three Cowboys, Jacob White, Mason Norman and Ryker Holtzen earned their way on the top times list in the 8k while two Cowgirls, Abigail Whitman and Kylie Simshauser ran their way to 6k top times list. At the NCAA Mountain Regional, Whitman finished 28th overall in the 6k, the top Cowgirl finisher, with a time of 20:20. On the men’s side, White grabbed the top Cowboy finish, crossing the line at 30:13 in the 10k.
The 2023 indoor and outdoor seasons saw a total of eight school records fall as well as 27 UW All-Time Top 10 marks in the middle-distance and distance events. Katelyn Mitchem broke the school record in the indoor 800m, indoor Mile, outdoor 1500, 3000m Steeplechase, and Outdoor 5000m. On the men’s side Mason Norman broke the indoor 3000m record, Jacob White the indoor 5000m, and Ryker Holtzen the 3000m Steeplechase. Katelyn qualified for the NCAA Championships where she placed 13th in the nation and was 2nd Team All-American. Ryker Holtzen and Seth Bruxvoort qualified for the NCAA Preliminary Round in the 3000m steeplechase as well as Jacob White in the 5000m.
During the 2022 cross country season, the women’s team received national votes for the first time in school history and were ranked as high as 34th in the country. Katelyn Mitchem qualified for the NCAA National Championships as an individual and also received the Elite 90 Award, given to the top student at the championships. Both Jacob White and Katelyn Mitchem placed 5th at the MWC Championships earning First Team All-Conference. The men’s and women’s teams finished top 10 in the competitive Mountain Region.
Dahlberg guided the Wyoming cross country teams to a successful season in 2019-20, as the Cowboys placed third, and the Cowgirls placed sixth at the Mountain West Championships. Harry Ewing, Christopher Henry and Paul Roberts each earned all-Mountain West honors at the meet. At the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, the Cowboys placed sixth and the Cowgirls finished 12th, as Henry earned all-region honors. Henry then represented the Cowboys at the NCAA National Championships, where he placed 136th and earned his second-consecutive NCAA Elite 90 award.
During the indoor cross track & field season, Roberts was named the Mountain West Championships Performer of the Meet, as he won the 3,000m race and finished runner-up in the 5,000m race. Henry was third in the 3,000m race, as well. During the season, Ewing ran the second-fastest 3,000m time in school history in 8:07.00, while Michael Downey ran the fourth-fastest 3,000m time in program history in 8:19.13. Kacey Doner ran the fourth-fastest 3,000m time in Cowgirl history and the sixth-fastest 5,000m time in Cowgirl history with times of 9:45.00 and 17:10.91, respectively.
In the classroom, both the men's and women's cross country teams earned all-academic honors by the USTFCCCA, while Henry earned the honor individually. During the cross country season, Roberts was named all-academic by the USTFCCCA.
The 2018-19 season saw almost unparalleled success for the men's cross country team, as it returned to the NCAA National Championships for the first time since 1986, was ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll for the first time in program history, and defeated numerous nationally ranked teams. The Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 13 in the nation before finishing 12th at the National Championships.
During the 2018 cross country season, Dahlberg guided Paul Roberts to a pair of race wins, including the Mountain West individual championship that earned Roberts the MW Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year distinction. Roberts then earned All-America, all-region and first-team all-MW honors. Christopher Henry and Harry Ewing each earned all-region and second-team All-MW honors during the competition season. At the NCAA National Championships, Henry earned the NCAA Elite 90 award as the top academic participant of a championship level meet.
As the men's distance crew transitioned to track & field season, Dahlberg's athletes recorded 10 marks on various Wyoming all-time top-10 lists, including the indoor 3,000m school record set by Henry and the outdoor steeplechase school record set by Ewing. Both Henry and Ewing competed at the NCAA West Preliminary for the second-consecutive season. During the indoor season, Henry earned a pair of all-MW honors in the 3,000m and 5,000m distances, before earning an all-MW accolade in the outdoor 10,000m race. At the conclusion of the academic year, Henry was named a Google Cloud first-team Academic All-American.
In his first season at Wyoming, Dahlberg guided five runners to the NCAA West Preliminaries, as Ricky Faure, Daniel Hintz, Michael Downey, Christopher Henry and Harry Ewing all competed in middle-distance or distance races at the penultimate meet of the season. Hintz's career-best 1,500m time of 3:43.20 is second all-time at UW, while Downey's time in the same race of 3:43.95 is third on the Wyoming all-time list. Additionally, Ewing earned all-Mountain West honors when he placed third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the MW Outdoor Championships. In the classroom, Henry earned First Team Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA and was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country team. Henry paired a perfect 4.0 grade point average in molecular biology and physiology with an NCAA West Preliminary appearance in the 10,000 meters.
Dahlberg comes to UW after five years at Colorado State, where he helped coach athletes to nine All-American honors in track & field and two All-American honors in cross country while helping elevate the Rams’ distance and cross country units to a status of national recognition. He also coordinated recruiting efforts for Colorado State track & field.
Before his five years in Fort Collins, Colo., Dahlberg spent four seasons in Gunnison, Colo., as a coach at his alma mater Western State Colorado University. During his time at Western State, Dahlberg assisted in coaching a Division II national championship team in cross country as well as four national runner-up squads. He also assisted in coaching athletes to 76 Division II All-American honors.
As an athlete, Dahlberg earned two All-American honors in cross country and three All-American honors in track & field before he graduated from Western State in 2008 with honors in mathematics, secondary education and exercise sports science. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from Emporia State University. As a post-collegiate runner, Dahlberg won the Bolder Boulder 10k in 2014 and placed 14th at the USATF Outdoor Championships in the 5,000m that same year. Dahlberg is also a Pikes Peak High-Altitude Mile Winner.
Dahlberg and his wife, Kristen, have two daughters, Brecklyn and Sawyer.