David Walford enters his 12th year as the head coach of the Wheaton men's and women's cross country teams in 2026. 2026-27 will also mark Walford's fourth season as the head coach of both Wheaton track & field programs following former head coach Scott Bradley's departure in June of 2023. Walford was an assistant men's and women's track & field coach between 2002 and 2023, serving in a full-time role beginning in 2010.
Walford is a seven-time CCIW Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year honoree, and his Thunder women's squad won its record-extending 17th conference title last fall with a first-place finish at the 2025 CCIW Championships. This marked the program's seventh conference trophy under Walford's guidance and third in the last four seasons.
Walford's 2019 team placed 15th at the NCAA Championships, led by All-Americans Hannah Roeske and Aryn Embretson. The duo was Wheaton's first to earn All-American honors in the same year since the NCAA format changed to include 32 teams. Walford joined the Wheaton cross country coaching staff in 2002 and has helped to mentor eight All-Americans during his time with the Thunder.
During his 21 years as an assistant coach for the Thunder track & field programs, Walford worked with 25 student-athletes who collected a total of 39 All-America recognitions, and he has coached two men's All-Americans in his first two seasons as head coach. He has been a member of the CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year four times and helped lead Wheaton to a sweep of the CCIW Indoor and Outdoor Women's Track & Field Championships in 2017 and 2018.
A 2002 graduate of Wheaton College, Walford earned his Master's degree from Wheaton in 2006. He lives in Wheaton with his wife, Aimee, and their three children.
