Geoff Hanson is the Mavericks’ first head triathlon coach and has built the program since CMU announced the addition of the sport in April of 2017.
He is also in his third year as CMU’s head swimming and diving coach for both the men and women.
In the Mavericks’ 2017 debut triathlon season, CMU’s women finished ninth at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships as Hannah Brockie earned Collegiate Triathlon Coaches Association All-America honors with a 39th place overall finish, the third best of all Division II athletes. Brockie and Abi Young also earned all-region honors for their efforts at the West Region Qualifier.
An avid endurance sport athlete himself, Hanson has been coaching triathletes since 1999 and was an Expert Coach with Carmichael Training Systems from 2014-17, focusing on triathlon, running and cycling coaching.
His background in the sport stemmed from his post-collegiate swimming career that branched into marathon and ultra-marathon competitions.
His career highlights include a second place overall finish at the both the 2007 and 2008 Glacial Trail 50-Mile runs in Plymouth, Wisconsin and a similar overall finish at the 2008 HURT 100 Mile run in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
In swimming and diving, Hanson has led the Mavericks to their best ever finishes at the NCAA Championships along with a 2017 RMAC men’s title and has earned a RMAC Coach of the Year Honor twice.
He had also been named as the RMAC Women’s Coach of the Year in 2016 while serving in a similar role at Western State Colorado University.
Prior to his time at Western State, Hanson served as the associate head swimming and diving coach at the University of Arizona for two years and was an assistant head coach at the University of Wisconsin for 10 years after serving as assistant coach for two years.
Hanson served as the personal coach of Carly Piper who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and set a world record in the 4x200 freestyle relay. He also coached Alyssa Anderson who won a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the 2012 London Olympics.
In his 18 years of collegiate coaching experience, Hanson has coached five Olympic finalists, three NCAA Individual National Champions and 55 NCAA All-Americans.
