Cory Leslie joined the Sun Devil coaching staff in 2017 as an assistant coach and was promoted to head cross country and lead distance coach in July of 2019.
In his short time in Tempe, Leslie has helped revitilize the Sun Devil men's distance program by bringing in young and veteran talent and coaching athletes to some of the fastest times in program history.
So far in his tenure with the Devils, 2019 was the program's best year with Leslie at the helm as he coached one athlete to multiple conference titles, school records and All-America honors, and led a handful of Sun Devils to lifetime performances and school records.
Prior to his one season at Arizona State, William Paulson had never earned a first-team All-America honor, but in one year with Leslie, Paulson earned a fifth-place finish in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a fifth-place finish at the Outdoor Championships in the 1,500.
Along with his All-America honors, Paulson broke the school record in both the 1,500 and mile, and won the MPSF indoor title in the mile and Pac-12 title in the 1,500.
Paulson was joined on top-10 lists by Fearghal Curtin, who ran one of the fastest indoor 5,000-meter times and 1,500-meter times in ASU history, and cross country team captain John Reniewicki, who broke the school record in the 10,000-meter run.
Before ASU, Leslie was an assistant coach at George Mason. Although he only spent one year in Virginia, Leslie left a mark on the Patriots' program and helped the men's squad win the indoor Atlantic-10 title, and the women capture the outdoor conference title. The Patriots had individual champions in the men's and women's 800-meter runs, men's 5,000, men's steeplechase, and both 4x800-meter relays during the 2017 season.
Prior to his time at George Mason, Leslie had a successful four-year stretch as an assistant coach at Furman University in South Carolina, where he helped build the Paladins into one of the top cross country programs in the NCAA.
At Furman, he assisted head coach Robert Gary in guiding the men's and women's cross country teams to six Southern Conference titles and two NCAA Championships appearances. In 2015, the men cracked the USTFCCCA top-15 and finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.
Leslie served as a mentor to Troy Reeder and Allie Buchalski during the 2016 season. Both went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with Reeder finishing seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Buchalski taking 14th in the 5,000.
He also helped the Furman men secure recruiting classes that ranked in the top-10 in the nation twice, and also put the Paladin women's recruiting class into the top-10 on one occasion.
The Ohio State alum's collegiate career on the track was just as impressive as his time in the coaching world.
Leslie's successful tenure at Ohio State included several All-America honors and a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the London Games in 2012. He set four school records as a Buckeye in the 800-and 1,000-meter runs, mile and distance medley relay. In the classroom, Leslie earned a number of accolades, including an Academic All-Big Ten selection and four Ohio State Scholar Athlete honors.
Leslie continues to compete at an elite level, having most-recently represented the United States at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships back in March.
He has qualified two times for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing ninth in 2012 and placing eighth in the 2016 trials. Leslie took home a bronze medal for team USA at the 2014 Pan American Championships in the steeplechase.
Leslie is a native of Huron, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in leadership and humanities.
In his short time in Tempe, Leslie has helped revitilize the Sun Devil men's distance program by bringing in young and veteran talent and coaching athletes to some of the fastest times in program history.
So far in his tenure with the Devils, 2019 was the program's best year with Leslie at the helm as he coached one athlete to multiple conference titles, school records and All-America honors, and led a handful of Sun Devils to lifetime performances and school records.
Prior to his one season at Arizona State, William Paulson had never earned a first-team All-America honor, but in one year with Leslie, Paulson earned a fifth-place finish in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a fifth-place finish at the Outdoor Championships in the 1,500.
Along with his All-America honors, Paulson broke the school record in both the 1,500 and mile, and won the MPSF indoor title in the mile and Pac-12 title in the 1,500.
Paulson was joined on top-10 lists by Fearghal Curtin, who ran one of the fastest indoor 5,000-meter times and 1,500-meter times in ASU history, and cross country team captain John Reniewicki, who broke the school record in the 10,000-meter run.
Before ASU, Leslie was an assistant coach at George Mason. Although he only spent one year in Virginia, Leslie left a mark on the Patriots' program and helped the men's squad win the indoor Atlantic-10 title, and the women capture the outdoor conference title. The Patriots had individual champions in the men's and women's 800-meter runs, men's 5,000, men's steeplechase, and both 4x800-meter relays during the 2017 season.
Prior to his time at George Mason, Leslie had a successful four-year stretch as an assistant coach at Furman University in South Carolina, where he helped build the Paladins into one of the top cross country programs in the NCAA.
At Furman, he assisted head coach Robert Gary in guiding the men's and women's cross country teams to six Southern Conference titles and two NCAA Championships appearances. In 2015, the men cracked the USTFCCCA top-15 and finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.
Leslie served as a mentor to Troy Reeder and Allie Buchalski during the 2016 season. Both went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with Reeder finishing seventh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Buchalski taking 14th in the 5,000.
He also helped the Furman men secure recruiting classes that ranked in the top-10 in the nation twice, and also put the Paladin women's recruiting class into the top-10 on one occasion.
The Ohio State alum's collegiate career on the track was just as impressive as his time in the coaching world.
Leslie's successful tenure at Ohio State included several All-America honors and a spot at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the London Games in 2012. He set four school records as a Buckeye in the 800-and 1,000-meter runs, mile and distance medley relay. In the classroom, Leslie earned a number of accolades, including an Academic All-Big Ten selection and four Ohio State Scholar Athlete honors.
Leslie continues to compete at an elite level, having most-recently represented the United States at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships back in March.
He has qualified two times for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing ninth in 2012 and placing eighth in the 2016 trials. Leslie took home a bronze medal for team USA at the 2014 Pan American Championships in the steeplechase.
Leslie is a native of Huron, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in leadership and humanities.