Jim Walters enters his second year as the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country head coach. Prior to being named head coach in 2008, Walters served as the assistant coach for six years.

In six seasons as assistant with the Knights cross country teams, Walters helped guide the St. Andrews men’s team to it’s first-ever conference title in 2005 and first-ever Southeast Region crown in 2006, as well as helping coach the ‘05 and ‘06 men’s team to NCAA National Championship appearances.

As head coach in 2008, Walters led the men’s team to a conference championship and a sixth place Regional finish. Walters was also selected as the 2008 Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. The women’s cross country program finished a strong fifth at the conference championship and twelfth at the NCAA Southeast Regionals.

Since 2002, when Walters began his tenure at St. Andrews, the men’s team has produced 18 All-Conference runners, ten All-Region runners and eight Runners of the Week.

On the women’s side, Walters has coached 18 conference Runners of the Week, ten All-Conference runners, and four All-Region runners.

Walters has proudly coached All-Academic individuals and teams on either the women’s or men’s side in each of his seven seasons with SAPC. He has assisted in directing 18 Individual Academic All-Americans and five Academic All-American Teams, including the 2004 women’s team being ranked fourth in the nation with a 3.71 team GPA. In addition, during the 2008/2009 academic year, 20 of the team’s athletes have earned the distinction of being named to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll.

Coach Walters also helped Mitch Cooper and Alyson Trovato qualify for the 2007 and 2008 National Championships as individuals. Cooper also was crowned the 2006 and 2008 Conference Carolinas Runner of the Year and Trovato became the first Lady Knight to ever qualify for the National Championship.

In 2005 Walters also started serving as an assistant with the newly established Track & Field program at St. Andrews. The 2009 Knights track & field teams produced 6 individual conference champions with the men’s team placing third and the women’s team placing sixth at the Inaugural Track and Field Conference Championships.

Walters, a Scotland County native, is a lifelong runner. His running and racing experience extends to various open levels, including half-marathons, marathons, and adventure races. Walters is a certified Level I United States Track & Field coach in all event areas and is a certified Level II USATF coach specializing in all throwing events. In January, Walters attended the prestigious 2009 National Distance Summit.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Walters has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and a Master of Arts degree in Exercise Science. Aside from his coaching duties, Walters is a visiting faculty member in the sports studies department.

Aaron Thompson joined the St. Andrews Presbyterian College athletics department as the assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams in August of 2008.

Thompson finished his graduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke before joining the Knights cross country and track & field teams.

Thompson spent the 2007 season as the assistant coach at Neosho County Community College (NCCC) in Chanute, Kan., before returning to UNCP to finish up his graduate degree. Thompson worked with the middle to long distance runners at NCCC. He helped coach 14 NJCAA All-Americans, two NJCAA National Champions, and two national runner-ups. The Neosho men’s indoor and outdoor teams posted top-10 finishes in the National Championships while the women’s indoor and outdoor programs each posted top-25 finishes in the National Championships.

Prior to joining the NCCC program, Thompson was an assistant coach for both the Okaloosa Express and Angel Elite Youth Track Team. In his three years of coaching at the A.A.U. level, Thompson qualified a total of 38 National Junior Olympic athletes. 

Thompson had a successful collegiate career originally signing a track scholarship with Conference Carolinas rival Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., before transferring to UNCP. As a sophomore, Thompson posted the second fastest 300-meter hurdles time in the Bobcats school history.

In his final two collegiate seasons with the Braves, Thompson was a 7-time finalist at the Carolinas Championships. Coach Thompson capped off his career as a 6-time medalist at the North Carolina State Games.

Thompson has a high school state finalist in both the 300-meter hurdles and 4x400m relay. As a junior in high school he competed at the A.A.U. National Junior Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles.

Thompson is a USATF Level 1 Certified Track and Field Coach that has also completed four marathons.

A graduate of UNC Pembroke, Thompson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise & Sports Science and Recreation Management/Administration. He completed his Master of Arts degree in Physical Education (Sports Administration) at his alma mater in 2008.

Thompson, a native of Pensacola, Fla., currently resides in Laurinburg.