Tom Chorny
Tom Chorny

Induction Year

2017

Inductee Type

Traditional

Sport

Track and field

A four-time Michigan High School Athletic Association champion, twice in the two-mile in the Class B Lower Peninsula Cross-Country championships and twice in the 3200 at the MHSAA Class B Track & Field Championships, the 1995 Fruitport High School graduate moved to Indiana University to continue his track career. A three-time All-American at IU, once in cross-country and twice in the steeple, he won the steeplechase at the 1999 Penn Relays as a senior.

Following college graduation, Chorny finished 10th at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2000, then posted a personal best time of 8:22.16 to win the 3000-meter steeplechase in 2001 at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. With that victory, he earned a spot on Team USA, competing at the World Championships and the Goodwill Games that year. Between 2002 and 2004 Chorny ranked among the top 40 in the steeple in the world.

In 2007, he returned to IU, serving as a volunteer coach until 2013 while continuing to run professionally. There he helped the Hoosiers win three Big Ten championships and mentored 11 All-Americans. In 2015, he joined the staff at Miami of Ohio as an assistant coach and was named Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at the university in 2016.

High School

Fruitport High School 1995

College

Indiana University 1999