Fort Wayne native Thomas Knudson took over the helm of Trine’s women’s track and field program beginning in the fall of 2012, after successfully coaching runners at the high-school level for 27 years. He served as the head coach at both North Side High School and Northrop High School, both in Fort Wayne.

Knudson's tenure at Trine has been marked by rapid improvement in both team performance and depth. Trine has produced six All-American performances and one Academic All-American thus far. Trine individuals have notched two MIAA Most Valuable Track Athlete honors and racked up nine all-conference selections. The Thunder have earned 10 conference championships in events at MIAA Field Day. Most recently, the men's track and field team earned its best-ever finish as a member of the MIAA in 2015.

During his 12 seasons at Northrop, he led the Bruins to Indiana Team State Championships seven times and two state runner-up titles. He also helped multiple athletes attain individual state titles and state records. Many of the Northrop athletes went on to compete in NCAA Division I, II and III track and field programs.

Knudson earned his bachelor’s degree from Ball State University, where he ran on the men’s cross country team. He earned his master’s degree from Indiana University. In 1977, he was a participant in the U.S. Marathon National Championships in St. Louis, Mo.

He was named the National Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2002 and the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coach’s Coach of the Year from 2000-2005 and in 2011. He was named the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association’s Coach of the Year from 2000-2005 and in 2012. He was inducted into the Indiana Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2010.