University of North Carolina Athletics
Dylan Sorensen, pictured with the women's team at a meet in the fall of 2020, is heading into his third season at UNC.
Photo by: Tom Connelly
Sorensen Promoted to Head Coach of Women's Cross Country
July 16, 2021 | Cross Country
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – As he enters his third year as part of the North Carolina track and field staff, Dylan Sorensen has been promoted to head coach of the Tar Heel women's cross country team. Chris Miltenberg, UNC's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, made the announcement on Friday.
"Dylan has clearly established himself as one of the very best young coaches in the country and this promotion in title is a recognition of the role he already plays in our program," Miltenberg said. "Our women's cross country team had an incredible year and is on an extremely exciting trajectory headed into the future under Dylan's leadership. Dylan continues to do an outstanding job of recruiting the right student-athletes, on both the men's and women's side, that are the future of our team. His impact is felt throughout our entire program and he is a key part of our future."
In 2020, Sorensen led the Tar Heel women to their most successful cross country season in more than a decade. Carolina finished 14th at the NCAA Championship meet in the program's first team appearance since 2014. In UNC's highest finish since 2010, senior Paige Hofstad placed 29th and became the first Tar Heel since 2013 to earn All-America honors. Two UNC first-years also had outstanding performances in their first NCAA Championships, with Sasha Neglia (46th) and Kelsey Harrington (61st) both among the top four true freshmen in the field.
Neglia was the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, UNC's first since 2014 and third in school history, in recognition of her sixth-place finish at the conference championship meet. She led the Tar Heels to a fifth-place finish, the team's best since 2015 and just seven points out of third place.
In the spring, eight women's distance competitors qualified to run at the NCAA Outdoor Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla.
In addition to his coaching success, Sorensen has proven himself to be an outstanding recruiter, helping to bring to Chapel Hill a class that includes seven athletes who earned Gatorade Cross Country honors in their home states. One of those, Parker Wolfe of Colorado, was named the Gatorade Boys' Cross Country Athlete of the Year. UNC's incoming recruiting class has been ranked No. 1 for the men and No. 2 for the women, according to Milesplit.
"I am thankful to be a part of this community, honored to be named head women's cross country coach, and excited to continue striving for excellence here in Chapel Hill with our coaching staff and team," Sorensen said. "Thank you to Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham and Chris Miltenberg for the opportunity."
"Dylan has clearly established himself as one of the very best young coaches in the country and this promotion in title is a recognition of the role he already plays in our program," Miltenberg said. "Our women's cross country team had an incredible year and is on an extremely exciting trajectory headed into the future under Dylan's leadership. Dylan continues to do an outstanding job of recruiting the right student-athletes, on both the men's and women's side, that are the future of our team. His impact is felt throughout our entire program and he is a key part of our future."
In 2020, Sorensen led the Tar Heel women to their most successful cross country season in more than a decade. Carolina finished 14th at the NCAA Championship meet in the program's first team appearance since 2014. In UNC's highest finish since 2010, senior Paige Hofstad placed 29th and became the first Tar Heel since 2013 to earn All-America honors. Two UNC first-years also had outstanding performances in their first NCAA Championships, with Sasha Neglia (46th) and Kelsey Harrington (61st) both among the top four true freshmen in the field.
Neglia was the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year, UNC's first since 2014 and third in school history, in recognition of her sixth-place finish at the conference championship meet. She led the Tar Heels to a fifth-place finish, the team's best since 2015 and just seven points out of third place.
In the spring, eight women's distance competitors qualified to run at the NCAA Outdoor Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Fla.
In addition to his coaching success, Sorensen has proven himself to be an outstanding recruiter, helping to bring to Chapel Hill a class that includes seven athletes who earned Gatorade Cross Country honors in their home states. One of those, Parker Wolfe of Colorado, was named the Gatorade Boys' Cross Country Athlete of the Year. UNC's incoming recruiting class has been ranked No. 1 for the men and No. 2 for the women, according to Milesplit.
"I am thankful to be a part of this community, honored to be named head women's cross country coach, and excited to continue striving for excellence here in Chapel Hill with our coaching staff and team," Sorensen said. "Thank you to Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham and Chris Miltenberg for the opportunity."
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