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Lou Tomlinson

Lou Tomlinson enters his 20th season as an assistant coach with the Rutgers men's track & field program and begins his 10th year as an assistant coach for the women’s program in 2020-21, working primarily with the long and short sprints and relays. His energetic and enthusiastic coaching style has made an immediate impact on all of the runners.

Men's Track
Under the guidance of Tomlinson in 2018, Izaiah Brown collected his third straight Big Ten Indoor Championship title in the 400m, along with First Team All-Big Ten recognition. During the outdoor season, the 4x400 relay team of Jermaine Griffth, Izaiah Brown, Taj Burgess, and Boaz Madeus set a new school record of 3:04.67 at the historic Penn Relays. The 4x400 relay quartet went on to claim Second Team All-America status at the NCAA Championships. Burgess collected a silver medal and Second Team All-Big Ten status in the 400m at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, going on to earn Second Team All-America recognition at the NCAA Championships. Madeus collected Second Team All-America accolades in the 400m hurdles at nationals as well. 

Tomlinson's sprinters continued to collect accolades in 2017. At the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Izaiah Brown defended his conference title in the 400m with a Rutgers and Big Ten Championships record of 45.32. One of the fastest athletes in the country, Brown owns both indoor and outdoor 400m school records.

Jermaine Griffith also enjoyed an impressive 2017 indoor campaign with the help of Tomlinson. Griffith finished seventh at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in College Station, Texas, as he collected First Team All-America accolades. 

Tomlinson was recognized for his accomplishments in 2016 by earning U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year honors. During the 2016 campaign, Tomlinson’s sprinters produced five school and two Busch Bubble facility records.

2016 was a banner year for the Scarlet Knight sprinters under the close watch of Tomlinson. Brown, Griffith, Rajee Dunbar and Calvin Knox all qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where Griffith earned second team All-America designation in the 400m. All four combined for the school record in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:06.01 at the NCAA East Regional.

Tomlinson helped Brown burst onto the collegiate scene during his rookie season. Brown captured both Big Ten indoor and outdoor 400m titles, where he also produced school-record times in both indoor (45.62) and outdoor (45.27) events. At the indoor conference championships, Brown was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Track Athlete of the Championships.

In his first year, the 4x400 team won the Penn Relays Metropolitan Championship and that same foursome earned All-BIG EAST honors. Under Tomlinson, the relay groups have enjoyed great success, capturing a number of BIG EAST and IC4A Championships. He has also mentored several All-BIG EAST, All-East and All-America selections.

In 2007, Tomlinson saw his 4x200 relay team set the all-time indoor National Collegiate record at 1:25.05. His 4x400 relay squad also set a BIG EAST meet record of 3:10.33.

He saw his group win the outdoor 4x100 and both the indoor and outdoor 4x400 races at the BIG EAST Championships in 2005. The 4x200 relay team also set a school record at the Penn Relays. His sprint group produced 15 All-BIG EAST and 14 All-East (IC4A) performers in 2005. He has also coached 33 BIG EAST Champions during his tenure. He produced his first All-American in 2010 with Bruce Owens in the 200m.

During his tenure, his group has set eight school records which still stand.

Women's Track
During his tenure, the sprinters have experienced tremendous success and have rewritten the Rutgers’ records books in multiple events including:

- 7 Second Team All Americans
- 4 Honorable Mention All Americans
- 25 NCAA Regional Qualifying Performances
- 3 Big Ten Championship Performances (Gabrille Farquharson 100m, 200m)
- 3 ECAC Indoor Champion (60m – Tylia Gillon – 2012)
- 16 All-American Athletic Conference Performers
- 22 Metropolitan Conference Champions
- 8 Millrose Games 4 x 400 Relay Champions (2012 & 2014)
- Penn Relays ECAC 4 x 100 Relay Champions (2013)
- Penn Relays ECAC 4 x 400 Relay Champions (2014)
- 2 American Conference Runner of the Week Awards 
- 5 David “Sonny” Werblin Recipients
- 35 All East Performances (ECAC top 8 finishers)
- 14 All Big East Performances (Top 6 finishers)
- 21 School Records in 10 different events

In addition to coaching RU's relay teams to new school records, Tomlinson has most recently enjoyed success in helping the Scarlet Knights secure its first ever Big Ten Champion with Gabrielle Farquharson becoming a back-to-back indoor champion in the 200m (2014 & 2015) and a gold medalist in the outdoor 100m.

Under Tomlinson's tuteledge, the Scarlet Knights have earned several All-America honors. Farquharson captured national honors in the indoor 200m and outdoor, as well as the 100m and 200m during the outdoor season in 2016. One of the most decorated Scarlet Knights in history, Farquharson finished 10th in the 200m and 13th in the 100m during the NCAA Outdoor Championships at historic Hayward Field and secured a 14th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. 

Rutgers also captured All-American status for the 4x100 and 4x400 relays during the 2013 outdoor season. It was the first time in school history that either relays qualified and competed at the NCAA Championships. Tomlinson helped Gabrielle Farquharson, Asha Ruth, Corryn Hurrington and Tylia Gillon to achieve Second Team All-America honors as they finished 14th in the 4x100 relay at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Additionally, he guided Farquharson, Gillon, Ruth and Ekene Ugboaja to Honorable Mention accolades, as well as the ECAC Championship, in the 4x400 with the quartet finishing 18th at the NCAA Outdoor championships.

A 1985 Rutgers graduate, Tomlinson had a distinguished career as a Scarlet Knight, winning a Metropolitan Championship in the 100m dash and being named to the All-East team on the 4 x 100 relay. He was also the recipient of the Colin McManus award, which is awarded annually to the team’s most improved athlete.

Year by Year Summary:
2012
1 ECAC Individual Champion (60m – Tylia Gillon)
6 All-East Performances (ECAC top 8 performers)
8 All-Big East Performances (Big East top 6 performers)
6 NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
5 School Records
5 Metropolitan Conference Champions Millrose Games 4x400 Relay Champions

2013
4 2nd Team All American Honorees (4x100 relay)
4 Honorable Mention All American Honorees (4x400 relay)
7 NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
1 Penn Relays Championship of America 4 x 200m Relay Runner-Up performance
5 David “Sonny” Werblin award winners
13 All-East performances (ECAC top 8 finishers)
6 All-Big East performances (Big East top 6 finishers)
5 Metropolitan Conference Champions

2014
7 NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers
7 School Records Penn Relays 4x400 relay ECAC Champions
10 All-East performances (ECAC top 8 finishers)
16 All-American Athletic Conference performances (American top 6 finishers)
3 Metropolitan Conference Champions Millrose Games 4x400 Relay Champions
1 Headley-Singer Award Honoree
2-Time American Athletic Conference Runner of the Week Recipient

2015
1 Big Ten Champion (200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
1 Big Ten Bronze Medalist (60m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
1 NCAA Qualifier (200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
1 School Record (200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
2 All-East performances (ECAC top 8 finishers)
2 Metropolitan Champions

2016
2 Big Ten Champion (100m, 200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
1 Big Ten Bronze Medalist (60m, 200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
2 NCAA Qualifier (100m, 200m - Gabrielle Farquharson)
5 School Record (60m, 100m, 200m - Gabrielle Farquharson; 4x100m Relay)
1 All-East performances (ECAC top 8 finishers)
6 Metropolitan Champions

2017
1 NCAA Qualifier (200m - Bria Saunders)
1 School Record (300m - Bria Saunders)
3 All-East performances (60m, 200m - Bria Saunders; 400m - Phyllis Gordon)
3 Metropolitan Champions

Tomlinson, a class of `85 Rutgers graduate, had a distinguished career as a Scarlet Knight, winning a Metropolitan Championship in the 100 dash and being named to the All-East team on the 4x100 relay. He was also the recipient of the Colin McManus award, which is awarded annually to the team's most improved athlete.

Tomlinson currently resides in Willingboro, N.J.

 

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