The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Track & Field / Cross Country
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Men's Cross Country/Distance)
Texas Track and Field men’s distance coach Pete Watson has quickly reshaped the Longhorns’ men’s distance runners during his two-year tenure in Austin.
In his first season, Watson helped develop Alex Rogers, Sam Worley and John Rice into All-Big 12 performers in the cross country scene. All three also earned All-America honors on the track, doing so in the Steeplechase and 1,500m.
That growth continued into 2020 for Worley and his teammates under Watson’s guidance. Worley led the Men’s Cross Country side throughout their season, picking up five top-11 finishes and two individual wins during a successful season. Worley’s wins came at the season-opening Bear Twilight in Waco, Texas, where he paced the field with a personal-best time in the Men’s 6K (18:00.1). He also won the NCAA South Central Regional in Fayetteville, Ark., behind another personal best, this time in a 10K race (29:49.8). The victory made Worley UT’s first individual regional medalist since Paul Morrison in 2003. He later became Texas’ first Cross Country All-American since 2013 after a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Watson’s guidance was instrumental in Worley’s growth, but the UT assistant coach also helped a youthful squad find their collegiate footing. With three true freshmen in the lineup, the Longhorns finished 25th at the NCAA XC Championships – the program’s best national finish since 2013.
As the season moved to the indoor track, the Longhorns continued to find success. Most notably, true freshman Crayton Carrozza became the fifth-fastest indoor miler in school history after clocking 3:59.82 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in January 2020. Carrozza’s time made him only the sixth Longhorn ever to break the four-minute mark indoors.
Prior to coming to Texas, Watson served in a similar role at the University of Virginia for seven seasons.
At Virginia, Watson led the Cavaliers' men to great heights. Since being hired in January of 2012, Watson coached an NCAA champion, six ACC champions, 24 All-Americans and 39 All-ACC honorees. In cross country, Watson's men never finished lower than third in the southeast region, winning the regional meet in both 2012 and 2014. They finished in the top four each season at the ACC meet and finished top 22 at NCAAs every season.
In 2018, six men qualified for NCAA Outdoor Championships under Watson. Mike Marcella qualified in the 1,500, Matthew Novak in the 3,000 Steeplechase, Ari Klau in the 5,000 and three student-athletes - Alex Corbett, Lachlan Cook and Chase Weaverling - qualified in the 10,000.
Under his watch, the Cavalier men's distance crew steadily improved as UVA won five ACC event titles in the last three years. During the 2017 cross country season, Watson guided the Cavaliers to a fourth-place finish at the ACC Championships, a third-place finish at the Southeast Regional meet and a 16th-place finish at NCAA Championships.
During the 2016 cross country season, Watson led UVA to second-place finishes at both the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship. The men then went on to finish 18th at the NCAA Championships. Lachlan Cook was named ACC Freshman of the Year, while four student-athletes earned All-Southeast Region honors.
Watson guided Zach Herriott to an All-America second-team honor at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a 12th-place finish in the 5000m. At the ACC Championships, Herriott captured the ACC title in the 5000m. Brent Demarest and Chase Weaverling earned All-ACC second-team honors, helping the Cavaliers to a program-best second-place finish.
In 2015-16, the Cavalier distance runners had strong performances throughout the year. The men's cross country team finished third at the ACC meet, second at the NCAA Southeast Regional and 22nd at the national meet in 2015. Henry Wynne and Chase Weaverling each earned All-ACC honors, while the duo plus Zach Herriott and Thomas Madden took home All-Southeast Region accolades.
Wynne followed up his best cross country season to date with a stellar 2016 track season, as he captured the NCAA title in the mile during the indoor season and finished third in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, Wynne captured ACC individual titles in the mile and 1,500m, anchored the distance medley relay to a conference title, placed second in the 3,000 meters and broke four-minutes in the mile at the John Thomas Terrier Invitational in Boston. For his efforts, Wynne was named the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Men's Track Performer of the Year.
Outside of Wynne, the distance medley relay earned second-team All-America honors with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships and Adam Visokay earned All-ACC honors in the 3,000m. In the outdoor season, William Gray earned honorable mention All-America and second-team All-ACC honors in the 3,000m steeplechase.
In 2014-15, Watson was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to the NCAA Southeast Region title. During the indoor season, Watson coached the Cavaliers' ACC Champion DMR, which also finished sixth at the NCAA Championships. The year concluded with seven Cavalier distance runners qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminaries, including Kyle King, who advanced in the steeplechase, and Wynne in the 1,500m.
In 2013-14, Watson mentored King to a 18th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the highest-ever finish for a UVA runner at the meet. King went on to win the 3,000m steeplechase at the ACC Championships and was one of three Virginia distance runners to qualify for NCAAs.
In 2012-13, Watson led the Cavaliers to their first NCAA Southeast Regional Championship, with all five members of the scoring team earning All-Southeast Region honors. Before the season, Watson guided King to a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the USATF Junior National Championships and an appearance on the U.S. team for the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships.
Before coming to Charlottesville, Watson was the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at North Carolina (2009-12) and Auburn (2005-08). At UNC, he coached Jake Hurysz to gold in the 5,000m and Issac Presson to silver in the 1,500m for Team USA at the 2011 Pan American Junior Championships.
Watson graduated from West Virginia in 2001 and served as a volunteer coach there. The London, Ontario, native was a member of the 2000 and 2001 Canadian National Track and Field Team, winning bronze in the 5,000m at the 2001 Canadian Track and Field Championships. Watson and his wife, Kristin, were married in 2004.
