Ohio University

Updated: Feb. 6, 2024

After becoming head coach of Ohio's cross country and track & field programs in 2021, Sarah Pease has helped numerous student-athletes achieve career bests and podium finishes at the MAC Championships. Prior to coming to Athens, Pease served as an assistant coach for Ball State and her alma mater, Indiana. 

During the 2023 Outdoor MAC Championship, Pease coached Stephanie Pierce to two-top five finishes (1500- and 800-meter) as well as coaching Theresa Hagey to a fifth place finish in the 5,000-meter race and third in the 10k. Kassidy Betting finished eighth in the javelin and Autumn Mohan finished seventh in shot put and sixth in discus. Under her leadership, five student athletes were named to the Academic All-District track/cross country team and 13 were named to the Academic All-MAC Team. Alyssa Christian received the MAC Medal of Excellence.  

Before coming to Ohio, Pease spent time at Ball State as the assistant cross country and track & field coach, focusing primarily on the distance events. While in Muncie, she helped the Cardinals' cross country program log its best finish at the MAC Championships in 13 years. She also coached freshman Elka Machan to a fourth-place finish at the MAC Championships, helping earn her First Team All-MAC honors.  
 
"I want to thank Julie Cromer and the rest of the administration for this opportunity," Pease said. "I'm really excited to lead the program at Ohio. I can't wait to work with the administration, student athletes and coaching staff to build something special. My husband and I look forward to getting to Athens."
 
Prior to her time at Ball State, Pease spent five-years as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Indiana University. Over that stretch Pease coached the distance groups and assisted with meet management and on-campus recruiting. Both the men's and women's programs have finished in the top four in each of the last five Big Ten Track & Field Championships, with the men's squad winning the 2020 indoor title. The men's squad also captured the 2017 indoor title, while both teams combined for five runner-up finishes during Pease's time on staff.
 
"Sarah knows what a good program looks like and how to build a culture," Indiana Cross Country and Track & Field head coach Ron Helmer said. "She will be persistent in her pursuit of success. She will work tirelessly, doing everything necessary to accomplish her goals and the goals Ohio University has for the program."
 
As a student-athlete at Indiana, Pease was a three-time NCAA Outdoor Track & Field All-American, earning first team honors in the 3000m steeplechase in 2009 and 2010, while garnering second team accolades in 2011. She set the program record in the event at the 2010 NCAA Championships with a fourth-place time of 9:56.91 and won the Big Ten title in the event in 2011.
 
Pease also holds the Indiana Championship Cross Country Course record at the 6K distance (21:01.06 in 2009), ranks fourth in program history in the outdoor 10,000m (33:51.86 in 2010) and is sixth all-time in the indoor 5,000m (16:19.44 in 2010). She also helped guide the Hoosiers' cross country program to a team appearance at the 2009 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
 
In addition to her collegiate accolades, Pease is a four-time Olympic Trials Qualifier and an 11-time USA Outdoor Championship Qualifier.
 
Pease graduated from Indiana in May of 2011 with a bachelor's degree in human biology and earned her master's degree in kinesiology from Indiana in December of 2018.