NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November 5, 2025) – Thomas Jefferson University head coach Dave Thomas has been selected as the 2025 Athletic Solutions Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year for both men’s cross-country and women’s cross-country, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced today. The voting was conducted by the league’s 11 head coaches.
Mara also released that the Jefferson teams have been named the 2025 winners of the Rob Roman Memorial CACC Men’s Cross-Country Team Sportsmanship Award and the Anne Jackson Memorial CACC Women’s Cross-Country Team Sportsmanship Award.
On the men’s side, Thomas is the CACC Coach of the Year for the fifth time and the first since 2021. He led the Rams to the CACC title by a two-point margin, unseating two-time defending champion Wilmington University. Jefferson placed four runners on the 2025 all-conference team.
Thomas extends his own conference record by winning the CACC Women’s Coach of the Year Award for the 12th occasion. His 2025 Rams set a conference record by having their seven runners finish in the top seven spots of the CACC Championship meet on their way to the team title. It was Jefferson’s third consecutive women’s crown, 10th in the last 11 years, and 15th all-time.
The annual Men’s and Women’s Team Sportsmanship Awards are named for Roman and Jackson, respectively, to memorialize their courage, strength and sportsmanship. Roman, a former Post University men’s cross-country standout, passed away suddenly and prematurely on October 5, 2012. Jackson, a former Nyack College women’s cross-country standout, passed away suddenly and prematurely on November 17, 2010.
The voting illustrated the coaches’ belief that Thomas’s Jefferson teams demonstrated outstanding class, character and sportsmanship throughout the 2025 season. The Ram men win the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award for the third time and the women for the first.
Both Jefferson cross-country teams are scheduled to take part in the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship Race on November 8 in Hopkinton, N.H.
2025 ATHLETIC SOLUTIONS CACC MEN'S CROSS-COUNTRY COACH OF THE YEAR
Dave Thomas (Thomas Jefferson University)
2025 CACC MEN'S CROSS-COUNTRY ROB ROMAN MEMORIAL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Thomas Jefferson University
2025 ATHLETIC SOLUTIONS CACC WOMEN'S CROSS-COUNTRY COACH OF THE YEAR
Dave Thomas (Thomas Jefferson University)
2025 CACC MEN'S CROSS-COUNTRY ANNE JACKSON MEMORIAL TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Thomas Jefferson University
Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 20 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 17 sports – seven for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.