Ian Thomas ’14 enters his fifth season as Head Coach of the Norwich University women’s lacrosse team in 2026, following a record-setting campaign that earned him Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year honors.
Thomas guided the Cadets to a 15-3 overall record in 2025, including a return to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2014 and a 12-game winning streak—the second-longest in program history. Norwich placed nine student-athletes on the GNAC All-Conference teams and continued its rise under Thomas’ leadership. His 2024 squad also turned heads with a 10-6 overall record, highlighted by the Cadets’ first GNAC Tournament win in a decade in a 10-8 road victory over Simmons.
In his first season at the helm in 2022, Thomas led Norwich to a 12-5 record and a 10-3 mark in conference play—the program’s best finish since 2012. That year, the Cadets went undefeated at home and earned a top-four playoff seed.
A former standout attackman at Norwich, Thomas was instrumental in the Cadets’ first-ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2013. He finished his playing career ranked fifth in career goals (75), sixth in assists (45), and sixth in total points (120), despite missing half his senior season to injury. His 47-point junior campaign remains one of the most productive in program history.
After graduating in 2014, Thomas quickly returned to the sidelines, beginning with a strong 13-3 season as an assistant at South Burlington High School in 2015. He joined the Norwich men's lacrosse coaching staff later that year and served in a variety of roles over four seasons, including offensive coordinator. During his tenure, Norwich advanced to the GNAC title game in both 2018 and 2019, claiming the championship in the latter season.
Thomas was named Vermont’s US Lacrosse and Division II Coach of the Year in 2019 after leading Spaulding High School to a 13-1 regular season and the program’s first-ever No. 1 seed in the state tournament. His team also received the Division II Sportsmanship Award.
A proud alumnus of the Corps of Cadets, Thomas resides in Vermont with his wife, Gretchen, and continues to shape a culture of hard work, joy, and perseverance within the Norwich women’s lacrosse program.
