Coaching Staff
Boys Track & Field Coaching Staff
Mike Davidson – Head Coach
Coach Davidson was a three-sport standout at Greenwood High School. He continued his football and track careers at Butler University with outstanding results. A four-year letter winner in both sports, Coach Davidson was Captain of the HCC conference championship track team and earned All-Conference and Academic All-Conference honors in track and football. In Football, his Bulldogs went undefeated and were ranked in the top 8 in the nation in 1983. In track, Coach Davidson was nominated as team captain his sophomore through senior year. In his senior season, Coach Davidson led his team to an outstanding season capped off with a Heartland Collegiate Conference Championship. He began his coaching career at Carmel High School where in 1986 he assisted in a football state championship effort. His track duties contributed to conference and sectional titles, coaching many athletes to All-State honors. Coach Davidson handled all the field events and the hurdlers while at Carmel.
At Ben Davis, Coach Davidson continued to dedicate himself to the football and track athletes. As an assistant football coach for 24 years, Davidson was part of five state championships and one national championship. The Mr. Football award for defensive backs was synonymous with Ben Davis as Coach Davidson coached 3 different defensive backs to earn this prestigious award.
Volunteering his first year in track at Ben Davis, Coach Davidson took over the head coaching duties in the spring of 1991. Through the efforts of outstanding assistant coaches and dedicated athletes, Coach Davidson’s teams have the following championships: 25 sectional titles, 10 regional titles, 7 county titles, and 5 state runner-up finishes including 2000, 2002, 2007, 2015 and 2016. The Giants finished 3rd in the state in 2003 and 2006. In 2008 the Giants won their first state team title, and the 2009 and 2010 Giants defended their state title, making it three in a row! His teams have earned national recognition, including a top 10 ranking by American Track and field in 2006, and in 2010 and 2011, a top 10 ranking in the Nike Track Nationals. This was capped off by a fourth-place finish in the 2011 Nike Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. The Giants have finished in the top 20 in the state twenty times since 1991. School records have been set in 13 of the 16 tournament events during Coach Davidson’s tenure and also the Giants have won 28 state event titles during this time. Ray Scotten and Keenan Hall claimed National Champion status in 2002 and 2006 respectively and the 2009 4×100 relay ran 41.09 to the Giants first relay national title.
Coach Davidson completed his Master’s Degree in Education from Butler University in 1989. His teaching responsibilities at Ben Davis include AP Computer Science and Computer Programming. Coach Davidson’s computer science program has produced first-place finishing teams at both the IUPUI and Rose Hulman computing contests.
Over his career, Coach Davidson has been an IATCCC Coach of the Year nominee 14 times and was named the IATCCC Coach of the Year 3 times. He is a three-time NFHS Indiana Track Coach of the Year. In 2010, he was named NFHS Central Region Coach of the Year and was honored as a NHSACA National Coach of the Year Finalist. In 2012 Coach Davidson was inducted into the Indiana Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. Coach Davidson has been actively involved in the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches for many years. He served as vice president for two years and is entering his second year as the president.
Coach Davidson’s wife, Debbie, retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year as a teacher in the business department at Ben Davis. During her 32 years at Ben Davis she was selected as the 2002 Ben Davis Teacher of the Year, Wayne Township Teacher of the Year, and a 2003 Top Ten Finalist for Indiana Teacher of the Year. In 2019 she received the Business Professionals of America Club Thirty Year Advisor Award. In addition, she spent many years as the head girls track coach and gives great support to Coach Davidson and the Giants track program. She now runs the MSD of Wayne Township website.
Voicemail: 317-988-7042
Hayden Baldwin – Assistant Coach – Distance
Coach Baldwin will begin his first year as an assistant coach for the Giants. He also coaches boys cross country during the fall. Hayden is a 2019 Ben Davis graduate and was a member of our Giants boys cross country and track and field teams all four years in high school. In 2022 he graduated from the University of Indianapolis where he majored in chemistry. While there, he was also a member of the men’s cross country and track and field teams as well.
Coach Baldwin is excited to be back at his alma mater to be mentoring those in the position he was in just a few years ago. He teaches in our science department at Ben Davis High School.
Voicemail: 317-988-7141
Aaron Edwards – Assistant Coach
Coach Edwards is entering his first season coaching track and field. Prior to Ben Davis, Coach Edwards spent one season coaching football at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. In 2013, he joined Coach Mark Raetz at Northview High School in Brazil, Indiana, where he stayed through 2021. During his time at Northview, the school won 6 conference championships and its first sectional championship appearance in 2021. Coach Edwards is part of the Indiana Football Coaches Association, where he serves as the region 7 assistant coach rep. Also, he coached in the 2022 IFCA All-Star game.
Coach Edwards is a 2008 graduate of Terre Haute North, where he was a 3-year letterman in football and participated in track and field, throwing shotput and discus. He also made the IFCA Region 6 All-Star football team in 2007. Coach Edwards went on to play football at Indiana State University, where he graduated in 2013, as part of the defensive line. He’s currently a special education teacher at Ben Davis High School.
Coach Edwards is married to his wife, Alia, who is also a proud alumnae of Ben Davis (09) and a news anchor/reporter at FOX59/CBS4.
Voicemail: 317-988-7163
Harrison Goss – Assistant Coach – Jumps
This is Coach Goss’ second season on the coaching staff for the Giants. He is a 2016 Ben Davis Graduate where he participated as a 3-sport athlete in football, basketball, and track and field. Coach Goss was a part of the 2014 State Football championship team and has won multiple indoor state championships and 2 runner-up outdoor championships.
Coach Goss is a proud HBCU graduate at Kentucky State University where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree of science in Psychology with a concentration in Addiction. Coach Goss participated in football where he played safety and outside linebacker for the Thorobreds. Coach Goss also ran for K-State participating in the 100, 200, 4×100, 4×400, long jump and high jump at his time on the hill.
Ryan McMaster – Assistant Coach – Distance
Ryan is starting his twelfth year with the boys’ track program after previously assisting the girls’ team for four years. This will be his eleventh year now at the helm of the distance program. This will be his sixteenth year of coaching and teaching in the Social Studies Department altogether.
Ryan is a 2004 graduate of Ben Davis where he ran Cross Country and Track. He was a member of the track state runner up squad in 2002. Following high school, Ryan attended the University of Indianapolis where he ran both Cross Country and Track. Ryan graduated in 2008 with an undergraduate degree in History Education in addition to graduating from the university’s Honor’s College. Ryan is excited to be at his alma mater teaching and coaching! While at Ben Davis he has coached 10 athletes and 3 relays to All-State status. Another of his relays also garnered All-American status at New Balance Nationals.
When not coaching or teaching, Ryan spends time with his wife, Cassie, sons, Declan and Theo and daughter, Norah. He also trains for different distance races ranging from 5Ks to 50Ks.
Voicemail: 317-988-7394
Laura McMaster – Volunteer Coach – Distance
Coach McMaster is in her 15th year of being an assistant distance coach for track, eight years at Greencastle High School and the last six years at Ben Davis. Laura is grateful for all the coaches who have mentored her especially Ryan McMaster.
Coach McMaster has a master’s degree in Special Education and retired in the spring of 2023 after 41 years of teaching.
Laura enjoys running and training for 5k’s and half marathons and spending time with family especially Declan, Norah and Theo.
Nathan Niese – Assistant Coach – Throws
Coach Niese graduated from Bishop Dwenger Fort Wayne in 2014. While at Bishop Dwenger he was a three-year starter for football and a four-time letter winner as a shot and discus thrower. He won All-state honor in football as an offensive lineman and was the captain of the team that won the school’s first regional track and field championship.
After high school he attended DePauw University where he got a dual degree in Actuarial Science and Computer Science. He then went on to get his master’s in applied data science from IUPUI. He currently works as a software engineer in Brownsburg. This will be Coach Niese’s 3rd season to coach the throwers.
Dion Rogers – Assistant Coach – Throws
Assistant Throws Coach Rogers enters his fourth season as an assistant throws coach. He is very excited to continue this journey and bring all of his knowledge and leadership skills to the Ben Davis Giants Track & Field Team. He had a freshman County shot put champion during the 2021 season and coached BD’s first ever state champion in discus during the 2022 season.
Coach Rogers graduated from Ben Davis in 2013 and was a part of the track program all four years. He was a varsity letter winner two of those years. Coach Rogers also participated in AAU Track & Field with the Indiana Storm Track Club for three years.
He began throwing the shot put in middle school. Coach Rogers works as a Resource Officer at our Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center.
Voicemail:317-988-7581
Jalen Simmons – Assistant Coach – Pole Vault
Coach Simmons graduated from Ben Davis in 2018 and was a member of the Giants Track and Field Team all four years. He was also a four-year member of the Boys Tennis Team. Coach Simmons was a 7-time varsity letter winner in track and tennis. As a pole vaulter for the Giants, he finished 18th at the state meet his senior year.
Jalen continued his education at Hanover College and was part of their track and tennis teams. He broke the Hanover school record in pole vault with a vault of 14’11”. He was the first male athlete at Hanover to win an individual Conference title in the pole vault for indoor and outdoor track and field. Coach Simmons graduated from Hanover College in 2022 with a bachelor of science in biology. He is currently going to Marian University to get his bachelor of nursing degree.
Bo Thompson – Assistant Coach – Sprinters
Coach Thompson graduated from Ben Davis in 2003. He was a member of the Ben Davis football, basketball and track and field teams. He was a two-year starter for the Giants in basketball and football. As a wide receiver he was All-Conference(2001-2002) and All-State(2002). He was a part of three championship teams: 1999 (freshman- practice squad), 2001, 2002.
As a member of the basketball team, he was a two-year starter in 2001 and 2002. The Giants were 2003 Sectional Champions and made one Regional appearance. He also was a member of the 2002 track and field team. He ran anchor for the 4×100 and 3rd for the 4×400 State championship teams. He was also a 100 Meter Dash state qualifier and an Indiana All-Star (2002).
Coach Thompson played college football at the University of Saint Francis. He has 4 Conference Championships, 2 National Champion appearances, 3 Final Four appearances and was All-Conference as a wide receiver. He played one year of Arena football for the Fort Wayne Freedom. He spent 5 years coaching at North Central High School. He is now in his 7th season at Ben Davis, 12 total. He has also coached girls basketball for Ben Davis.
Coach Thompson and Gina have 2 sons Carmello 13 and Gabe 16, and his daughter Zoee 10.
Voicemail: 317-988-6940
