Sean Carlson spent only two years at Tennessee, but under his watch the Volunteers’ distance running programs improved dramatically.

It was perhaps still an incomplete job for Carlson in Knoxville, and he spent a full decade at his previous stop, Notre Dame.

Yet when an opportunity arose to pursue the job at Colorado, Carlson didn’t hesitate.

This week, Carlson became the first new cross country coach at CU in nearly 30 years, as athletic director Rick George tabbed the former Tennessee and Notre Dame leader to replace Mark Wetmore. Carlson also will oversee the track and field program, and he discussed his move to Boulder with BuffZone.

“I really enjoyed my time at Tennessee and didn’t really have any intentions of leaving. But this is the pinnacle of our sport,” Carlson said. “Historically, this has been the best job in distance running. It’s an opportunity to always have an opportunity to win nationals in men’s and women’s cross country. That’s something that has eluded me.

“I really believe in this place and the tradition of this place, and I think we can put it back on track to where it’s been.”

Carlson has landed his dream job, but he understands the wildly successful program that Wetmore led for 29 years — winning eight cross country NCAA team championships, five for the men and three for the women — has fallen on hard times.

In the wake of an internal investigation spurred by allegations of training mistreatment that surfaced in 2022, the CU cross country programs endured uncharacteristic struggles last year. The women finished 19th at nationals. The men finished 25th. Neither team placed a runner among the top 10 individuals. It was the lowest combined finish for the cross country teams since Wetmore was promoted to head coach in 1994.

Between the investigation and the perception of Wetmore’s lame-duck status in the final year of his contract, the Buffs struggled in recruiting. Carlson might be inheriting one of the most vaunted distance running programs in the nation, but he is approaching his new job more like a rebuilding project.

Carlson will retool the roster amid changes to NCAA scholarship limits announced on Friday. Cross country will now feature 17 scholarship spots, up from five for men and six for women. Men’s and women’s track and field will have 45 scholarship spots, an increase from 12.6 for men and 18 for women.

“We’re in a bit of a difficult place right now,” Carlson said. “Our women were 19th at nationals last year and we lose our top four girls and we didn’t pick up any big pieces. And then our men were 25th at nationals last year and we brought in no recruits at all. On paper, we have a long way to go to be where we want to be. That all being said, it is the University of Colorado and I think we can get it going quickly, because people want to come where. We just have to go recruit.”

Carlson still has staff spots to fill as Wetmore’s distance assistants, Heather Burroughs and Shaun Wicen, also were let go. However, while Carlson stopped short of assuring the longtime track and field assistants will remain with the program, he indicated he doesn’t plan to clean house.

“I think we have a really good staff here and they’ve been here a long time,” Carlson said. “I don’t think we’re planning on making any drastic changes. They’re good people and I want to take time to get to know them and understand them and be fair. There are a couple openings, so we will bring in some additional people, specifically on the distance side. But I’m not trying to just burn the house down. We want to give people fair opportunity and chances.”