Ben Carlson is in his 10th year as head coach of the Ohio Wesleyan University men's and women’s cross country teams.
In 2024, the Ohio Wesleyan women placed third in the North Coast Athletic Conference cross country championship meet and seventh at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional championship meet. The former equaled the Bishops' best conference finish since 2014, while the latter was Ohio Wesleyan's best regional finish since 2013. The Battling Bishop men finished seventh at the conference meet and 27th at the regional meet.
In 2016, both Ohio Wesleyan men's and women's cross country teams sent individuals to the NCAA Division III championship meet. The Battling Bishop men finished fourth in the North Coast Athletic Conference race and went on to place 12th at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet. The Ohio Wesleyan women's team was fifth in the NCAC championship meet and 16th in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional meet.
Carlson also serves as an assistant coach of the Ohio Wesleyan men's and women's track & field teams. Last year, the Bishop women's team finished third in both NCAC indoor and outdoor championship meets, while the men finished sixth indoors and fifth outdoors.
Carlson came to Ohio Wesleyan after one season at Adrian College, during which he guided the Bulldog men's and women's cross country teams to respective fifth- and eighth-place finishes in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In track & field, he coached 3 conference Most Outstanding Athletes as the Bulldog women finished third both indoors and outdoors, and the men improved on their fifth-place indoor finish with a fourth-place showing outdoors. One Adrian student-athlete went on to compete in the NCAA Division III outdoor championship meet.
Prior to Adrian, Carlson coached for one year as an assistant cross country and track & field coach at Hamilton (N.Y.) College. In cross country at Hamilton, he helped the Continental men finish eighth in the 2014 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional and helped the Hamilton women send a runner to the NCAA Division III championship meet. Before going to Hamilton, he was an assistant coach for 7 years at his alma mater, Wartburg (Iowa) College, where he helped the Knights win 6 NCAA Division III team titles in track & field and record 6 national top-16 finishes in women's cross country. He worked with 4 national champions and 51 All-Americans while at Wartburg.
Carlson is a 2006 graduate of Wartburg. During his undergraduate career, he was a 2-time all-region honoree in cross country and helped the Knights to 3 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division III championship meet. He graduated with a degree in communication arts with a concentration in public relations. He continued his education with a master's degree in health education from the University of Northern Iowa in 2011.
Carlson is a native of Stanhope, Iowa. He resides in Delaware with his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Sophie and Lucy.
Carlson's Career Cross Country Coaching Record
| Year |
School |
Men's Conf. Finish |
NCAA Reg. |
NCAA Ch. |
Women's Conf. Finish |
NCAA Reg. |
NCAA Ch. |
| 2015 |
Adrian |
5th/8 |
27th/36 |
- |
T8th/9 |
32nd/33 |
- |
| 2016 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
4th/9 |
12th/36 |
ind |
5th/8 |
16th/31 |
ind |
| 2017 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
5th/9 |
15th/36 |
- |
4th/8 |
14th/35 |
- |
| 2018 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
7th/9 |
25th/38 |
- |
6th/8 |
19th/33 |
- |
| 2019 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
7th/9 |
20th/37 |
- |
6th/8 |
19th/34 |
- |
| 2020 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
season |
canceled |
- |
season |
canceled |
- |
| 2021 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
9th/9 |
24th/42 |
- |
8th/8 |
27th/42 |
- |
| 2022 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
5th/8 |
25th/42 |
- |
6th/7 |
20th/42 |
- |
| 2023 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
8th/9 |
23rd/40 |
- |
3rd/8 |
11th/40 |
- |
| 2024 |
Ohio Wesleyan |
7th/9 |
27th/43 |
- |
3rd/8 |
7th/43 |
ind |
