NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced Tuesday the state-by-state winners of its inaugural High School Coach of the Year award.
One boys coach and one girls coach from each of the 50 states – as seen in the lists below – were honored for their successes during the 2014 track & field season, as selected by a committee of experts from around the nation.
The winners from each state are in consideration for the association’s first-ever National High School Coach of the Year award. Selected by a panel of track & field experts, one boys coach and one girls coach from among all the states will be announced later this month as the national winners.
"We’ve established a tradition of recognizing our nation’s top collegiate coaches on a yearly basis, and we felt it was time to shine the spotlight on our best coaches at the high school level," USTFCCCA CEO Sam Seemes said.
"As a professional coaches association, we deeply value the excellent work being done by high school coaches around the country, embodied by all of today’s award winners. They are not only preparing student-athletes for their next competitions but, more importantly, the next steps along their paths to adulthood."
State-by-state winners were selected based on their teams’ performances throughout the 2014 track & field season. Among the factors taken into consideration were team score and placement at the state championships, the number of different events in which student-athletes were qualified, individual championships, and how their teams’ performances stacked up to previous years (ex. First title in school history, consecutive titles, etc.).
"This is the most prestigious award that a high school coach could ever attain," National Senate of High School Track Coaches Associations Executive Chair Don Helberg said. "I am so happy and proud that USTFCCCA has added this award to the collegiate awards they already present."
An inaugural High School Coach of the Year award for cross country will be bestowed during the upcoming 2014 season.
ABOUT THE USTFCCCA
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) is a non-profit professional organization representing cross country and track & field coaches of all levels. The organization represents over 8,000 coaching members encompassing 94% of all NCAA track & field programs (DI, DII, and DIII) and includes members representing the NAIA as well as a number of state high school coaches associations. The USTFCCCA serves as an advocate for cross country and track & field coaches, providing a leadership structure to assist the needs of a diverse membership, serving as a lobbyist for coaches’ interests, and working as a liaison between the various stakeholders in the sports of cross country and track & field.
BOYS COACHES OF THE YEAR BY STATE
| State | Coach Name | Coach School |
| Alabama | Tom Esslinger | Homewood High School |
| Alaska | Scott Campbell | Diamond High School |
| Arizona | Tim Kelly | Corona del Sol High School |
| Arkansas | Denny Burdine | Arkansas High School |
| California | Rick Martinez | Mater Dei High School |
| Colorado | Josh Trahan | Palmer Ridge High School |
| Connecticut | Ronald Wilson | Windsor High School |
| Delaware | Mike Tucci | Caesar Rodney High School |
| Florida | Alex Armenteros | St. Thomas Aquinas High School |
| Georgia | Rob Blaszkiewics | Shiloh High School |
| Hawaii | Harvey McInerny | Kamehameha Schools Kaplama |
| Idaho | Brad Abbott | Rocky Mountain High School |
| Illinois | Leroy Millsap | Cahokia High School |
| Indiana | Gene Robinson | Gary Westside High School |
| Iowa | Brent Heitland | Waukee High School |
| Kansas | Cory Swords | Wichita-Bishop Carroll Catholic High School |
| Kentucky | James Webb | North Hardin High School |
| Louisiana | Preston Curtis | John Curtis High School |
| Maine | Steve Virgilio | Cheverus High School |
| Maryland | Marlon Turner | Frederick Douglas High School |
| Massachusetts | Michael Fowle | Woburn High School |
| Michigan | Dave Emmott | East Kentwood High School |
| Minnesota | Nick Lovas | Hopkins Senior High School |
| Mississippi | Michael Fields | Hinds AHigh School |
| Missouri | Rodney Baldridge | Lamar High School |
| Montana | Tony Arnston | Helena High School |
| Nebraska | Bob Talbitzer | Kearney High School |
| Nevada | Mike Paul | Dayton High School |
| New Hampshire | Carol Quarles | Pinkerton Academy |
| New Jersey | Mike McCabe | Union Catholic High School |
| New Mexico | Kenneith Henry | Sue Cleveland High School |
| New York | Mike Potter | Warwick Valley High School |
| North Carolina | Patrick Cromwell | Mt. Tabor High School |
| North Dakota |
Dave Zittleman Darrell Anderson |
Bismarck High School |
| Ohio | Theodore Ginn Sr. | Cleveland Glenville High School. |
| Oklahoma | Steve Patterson | Jenks High School |
| Oregon | Tom Rothenberger | Jesuit High School |
| Pennsylvania | Robert Beale | Cheltenham High School |
| Rhode Island | Charlie Breagy | North Kingstown High School |
| South Carolina | Calvin Hudgins | Northwestern High School |
| South Dakota | Jim Jarovski | Sioux Falls Lincoln High School |
| Tennessee | Aaron Martens | Houston High School |
| Texas | Tate Symons | Kingwood High School |
| Utah | Chase Englestead | Riverton High School |
| Vermont | Geoff Bennett | South Burlington High School |
| Virginia | Neil Mathews | Lee Davis High School |
| Washington | Chris Williams | Federal Way High School |
| West Virginia | Rod O’Donnell | Parkersburg High School |
| Wisconsin | Steve Pratt | Kimberly High School |
| Wyoming | Ernie Mecca | Thermopolis High School |
GIRLS COACHES OF THE YEAR BY STATE
| State | Coach Name | Coach School |
| Alabama | Devon Hind | Hoover High School |
| Alaska | Tara Edwards | Grace Christian High School |
| Arizona | Cassandra McKenzie | Desert Vista High School |
| Arkansas | Brett Unger | Har-Ber High School |
| California | Don Norford | Long Beach Poly High School |
| Colorado | Conrad Crist | Fort Collins High School |
| Connecticut | Jesse McCray | Staples High School |
| Delaware | Patrick Castagno | Tatnall School |
| Florida | Carmen Jackson | Northwestern High School |
| Georgia | Json Cage | Westlake High School |
| Hawaii | Bobby Grossman | Seabury Hall High School |
| Idaho |
Jake Wimer Cori Mooney |
Boise High School |
| Illinois | Wendy Hegarty | Lincoln-Way East High School |
| Indiana | Tim Richey | Lawrence Central High School |
| Iowa | Tim O’Neill | Assumption High School |
| Kansas | Jordan Rose | Lawrence-Free State High School |
| Kentucky | Kathy Broadnax | Bryan Station High School |
| Louisiana | Chris Carrier | Zachary High School |
| Maine | Ian Wilson | Waterville High School |
| Maryland | Valarie Harrington | Huntington High School |
| Massachusetts | Joe Tranchita | Newton North High School |
| Michigan | Brandon Jiles | Oak Park High School |
| Minnesota | Jane Reimer-Morgan | Minnetonka High School |
| Mississippi | Jonathan Perkins | Clinton High School |
| Missouri | Sheldon Webster | McCluer North High School |
| Montana | Spencer Huls | Corvallis High School |
| Nebraska | Brett Schuster | Lincoln Southwest High School |
| Nevada | Roy Session | Centennial High School |
| New Hampshire |
Tim Cox David Zink-Mailloux |
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy |
| New Jersey | Jason Russo | Haddonfield Memorial High School |
| New Mexico | Kathy Brion | Eldorado High School |
| New York | Shaun Dietz | Medgar Evers College Prep |
| North Carolina | Antwan Hughes | Parkland Magnet High School |
| North Dakota | Nick Walker | Century High School |
| Ohio | Brian Sabol | Solon High School |
| Oklahoma | Jerry Whaley Naylor | Plainview Public Schools |
| Oregon | Dave Turnbull | Summit High School |
| Pennsylvania | Ron Colland | Hempfield Area High School |
| Rhode Island | Bob Palazzo | Classical High School |
| South Carolina | Calvin Hudgins | Northwestern High School |
| South Dakota | Bob Garry | Sioux Falls Christian High School |
| Tennessee | Christina Webb | Northeast High School |
| Texas | Beverly Humphrey | Lancaster High School |
| Utah | Jeff Rawlins | Box Elder High School |
| Vermont |
Joe Gonillo Katie White |
Essex High School |
| Virginia | Claude Toukene | Western Branch High School |
| Washington | Cheryl Schauble | Kamiakin High School |
| West Virginia | Zach Hall | Williamstown High School |
| Wisconsin | David Dixon | Hayward High School |
| Wyoming | Shelly Stremcha | Campbell County High School |