Aaron Yoder begins his first season as Tabor College’s Director of Track and Field and Cross Country and Assistant Athletic Director, but is no stranger to the coaching landscape and is certainly no stranger to the KCAC. Hired in June of 2025, Yoder made his return to Hillsboro after spending 16 years at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He was named Head Cross Country Coach for the Swedes in 2013, and added Head Track and Field Coach to his duties in 2015.
Yoder brings a wealth of experience to Tabor, having coached two national qualifiers and four All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) top 20 medalists on the Cross Country side, as well as mentoring one school-recordholder in the 6k. Academically, his Women’s Cross Country team at Bethany earned the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Scholar Team Award for their efforts in the classroom during the 2018-19 season.
On the Track and Field side of things, the Swedes saw unprecedented success under his leadership, boasting 31 NAIA National Qualifiers and 15 individual KCAC champions. Five student-athletes were named NAIA All-Americans under Yoder, while three were named KCAC Athletes of the Year. 26 school records were broken and set during his tenure, one conference record was broken, and two student-athletes finished as NAIA National finalists.
A native of Peabody, Kan., Yoder returns to the area after graduating from Hillsboro High School in 2004. Following his high school career, he took his talents to Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan. and ran Cross Country and Track and Field there for five seasons. He graduated from FHSU in 2009 with his bachelor’s degree in health and human performance with an emphasis in Health Promotions and Wellness and a minor in Business Administration. He completed his master’s degree in Sport and Movement Studies in December of 2010.
In addition to his accomplishments as a coach, Yoder has held Guiness World Records in the backwards 200m, 1000m, and mile, and won World Championships in several backwards events including the 4x400m relay, 800m, 1500m, and the marathon.
