Minneapolis, MN -- North Central University Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach, Paul Theorin, has announced his resignation from NCU. Theorin will remain the head coach for the remainder of the outdoor track and field season before moving on to serve as an Activities Director at a high school in southern Minnesota. His final day at North Central will be Friday, May 30th.

Since taking the reigns of the Track & Field program in 2021, Coach Theorin has taken the program to new heights. Over 5 seasons, he has had 36 total program records broken and 31 student-athletes qualify for the NCCAA National Championships. He has also coached 11 UMAC All-Conference honorees and had a total of 102 UMAC Academic All-Conference awards received. In his three seasons at the helm of the Cross Country program, he has had 3 runners enter the All-Time Top 25 list and a pair of runners earn UMAC All-Conference honors. His team has also accumulated 18 total UMAC Academic All-Conference awards. 

Theorin first came to NCU in 2019, when he joined the Men's Basketball coaching staff as an Assistant Coach under Dan DeWitt. He served in this role for three seasons from 2019-2022. In 2020, Theorin joined the Men's and Women's Cross Country coaching staff as an Associate Head Coach. That spring, he took over as Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Track and Field programs as well. After a two-year hiatus, Coach Theorin became the Cross Country Head Coach once more in the fall of 2023. 

"I've appreciated my time at North Central for the past six years. The community and friendships are what make NCU a special place and something I will miss. I'm just grateful that I had the opportunity to be in each of these athletes' lives and got to see them grow throughout the years," said Coach Theorin. "When I took over the track & field program five years ago, I told myself I wanted to make sure I gave these student-athletes the best experience I could on and off the course/track. Thank you to all the athletes who helped us grow the program to where it is now!"

Director of Athletics, George Arroyo Jr., had this to say about Coach Theorin, "We're grateful for Paul's commitment and the growth he's brought to the program over the past several years. His leadership has been marked by genuine care for his athletes and a drive to compete that has taken the program to new heights, including multiple NCCAA National qualifiers. Paul's investment in his athletes was evident through the strong relationships he built within the team. As he steps into this next chapter, we're excited for what's ahead and confident he'll continue to make a meaningful impact wherever he serves." 

North Central University Athletics will begin a search for its next cross country/track and field head coach immediately.