Biography

Smith, the long-time head coach at Saline High School finishes his career with the NHSCA National Coach of the Year accolades.

Smith retired at the end of the 2015 season, has led the team since 1977. He led the Lady Hornets to their 20th straight conference title this past season and its 14th straight regional championship. Saline and Smith won Michigan’s Division I state championship 2009.

Smith is a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well as the Foundation for Saline Area Schools Hall of Fame.

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Community Service

In 2011, the Coach Smith Cross Country Scholarship was established to honor athletes who personify what Coach Smith holds dear: academic and athletic success, teamwork and commitment. More information can be found above.

Records

State Champions -2009

Professional Achievements

Saline Area Schools Hall of Fame Inductee

Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Amy Eubanks has been the school’s head coach since 1991. The Westminster Schools won the 2016 Georgia AAA state championship, which was the 21st state championship under Eubanks’ guidance.

In 2014, she was named Georgia State Coach of the Year by the NFHS. She was the GACA State Coach of the Year from 1992 through 2004. In 1997, Eubanks was the co-high school Coach of the Year for all sports given by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Eubanks is the first coach from Georgia to win the NHSCA Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year award.

Since being honored, Eubanks has continued her winning ways. Westminster has won ever 3A State Title sine being honored.

Records

Coached 25 State Championship Teams

Professional Achievements

2014 NFHS Georgia State Coach of the Year

2017 Georgia Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Castagno, who coaches six teams at Tatnall – the boys and girls teams in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field – led Tatnall, a school with a total enrollment of 266 students, to its eighth consecutive Division 2 girls state championship.

Starting in 2001 with just two boys and four girls on his roster, Castagno has built the roster to over 15 per squad. Tatnall was named the NHSCA Girls Small School National Team Champions by xcnation.com, which ranked the Hornets third overall nationally.

Tatnall competed against the top teams in the nation, scoring victories over 20 of the top 25 teams. He coached senior Haley Pierce to her third straight medalist honor. His indoor track teams have combined for five state team titles and his outdoor track teams for seven titles, with his girls team bidding for a sixth straight title this spring. Castagno was named Gill Athletics Mid-Atlantic Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year by USA Track and Field in 2011.

A nine-time state Coach of the Year, Castagno was named boys and girls indoor track Coach of the Year in 2011 by the cross country and track coaches association, N5CTA, making him the first coach to earn boys and girls honors in the same year since 1995.

A computer instructor at Tatnall, Castagno is a former Instructor of Biomechanics at the University of Delaware, from which he graduated in 1988, and the former director of the Gait Analysis Laboratory at the DuPont Hospital for Children.

Since being honored, Castagno is still at the helm of Tatnall’s boys’ and girls’ programs. Overe the duration, he’s led runners 200 state individual and relay state titles. He boasts 40 Delaware State Team Championship titles in Cross Country and Track & Field. He’s also coached 30 State individual champions.

Records

Coached 200 state individual and relay state titles

Coached 40 Delaware State Team Championship titles in Cross Country and Track & Field

Professional Achievements

12x State Coach of the Year

Biography

In 1995, Tracy, 60, gave up a secure corporate career, steady income and conventional lifestyle for a part-time position coaching University’s high school runners. Seventeen seasons later, Tracy is the most decorated girls cross country coach in California history.

When his girls dug down deep to repeat as Division V state champions last fall, it was a record eighth state championship for Tracy, awarded Coach of the Year honors by the California Coaches Association in 2004. The Red Devils previously won titles in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2009, while finishing second in 1995, 1999 and 2000.

His boys teams finished second in state in 2001 and 2007 and third on five other occasions. His Red Devils have combined for 25 Bay Counties League titles and 20 North Coast Section titles, 10 each for the girls and for the boys.

Tracy’s eighth state title came five months after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. And at the state meet, one of his runners, junior captain Holland Reynolds, collapsed yards short of the finish line due to dehydration, then crawled across the line, allowing her finish to count toward the Red Devils’ winning total. That title run was profiled on ESPN’s Outside the Lines series in April, and the National Federation of State High School Associations presented Tracy and his team with the Region 7 Spirit of Sport award this year.

Tracy lost his battle with ALS in April of 2014 leaving quite the legacy.

Records

Coached teams to multiple state championships

Professional Achievements

2004 California Coaches Association Cross Country Girls' Coach of the Year

Biography

The 30-year coaching veteran is the head coach of four sports at Nodaway Valley – boys’ and girls’ cross country, boys’ basketball and boys’ track and field – and has led three of those programs to state titles.

He has led the girls’ cross country team to 12 state tournament appearances in the past 13 seasons with 10 top-eight finishes, including the 2A state title last fall. The National Federation of State High School Associations named Burmeister its National Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2007.

His boys’ cross country teams advanced to the state meet eight straight years, winning the A state title in 2002 and adding 2A runner-up honors in 2003. A seven-time Southwest Region Coach of the Year, Burmeister was the state’s A Boys’ Coach of the Year in 2002 and Girls’ Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2009.

Burmeister also led the Wolverines boys’ basketball team to the 2A state title in 2006, again earning Coach of the Year honors, as well as a runner-up finish in 2005 and third place in 2007. In 17 seasons his teams have a record of 312-52 and have won 10 conference titles and six district crowns.

Since being honored, Brumeister continues to lead Nodaway Valley. His boys’ basketball team took fourth place in 2012 and in 2014, Brumeister collected his 500th career win.

The Boys’ Cross Coutnry team won another Iowa IA State Championship in 2015 by a 58 point margin.

In 2016 Brumeister was honored as the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union’s Golden Plaque of Distinction Award. This award is given to the coach who has had a successful career and has been a influence in the school, community and the profession of coaching.

Records

Has coached 2 Boys' Cross Country, 1 Girls' Cross Country and 1 Boy's Basketball teams to State Championships

Professional Achievements

2015 All-Iowa Boys' Cross Country Coach of the Year honoree

Biography

Lempesis ended an eight-year retirement from coaching when she came to Dutch Fork in 2005, with her 2008 team winning a regional championship in cross country. From 1978 to 1997 Lempesis became a cross country and track and field coaching legend at three Columbia high schools – Richland Northeast High, Spring Valley High and Ridge View High.

Her Richland Northeast cross country teams were state runners-up three straight years. Her teams at Spring Valley won a record nine consecutive state track and field championships (1986-94) and six straight cross country titles over that span. Her Ridge View teams won the 1997 state cross country and the 1997 and 1998 state track and field titles.

In the early 1990s Lempesis coached Monique Hennagan, a gold medalist at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She was been inducted into the Road Runners Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 1993, and will be inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame this year.

After being honored in 2009, Lempesis move to Lexington High School. Her cross country team finished second in 2011. Lexington came back the following year and claimed the AAAA South Carolina State Championships. Lempesis retired at the end of the 2012 season as a true South Carolina coaching legend.

Records

Coached 18 teams to State Titles in Cross Country and Track & Field

Coached 8 teams to State Runner Up finishes in Cross Country and Track & Field

Professional Achievements

Road Runners Hall of Fame Inductee

2009 NFHS Hall of Fame Inductee

1993 South Carolina Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Popp joined Disa Daucsavage as co-coach at Willmar in 2004 coaching the Cardinals boys teams to Class AA state titles in 2005 and 2006, the school’s first state crowns in 20 years.

It was a new chapter for Popp, who built a legend when he started the cross country program at Bowman (N.D.) High in 1975. Popp’s teams swept the Class B boys and girls state crowns six straight years (1979-84), one of four national and eight state records his teams own. Bowman ran to 13 double titles and 39 titles overall and his girls’ teams’ 25 titles are a national record. His girls track and field teams added six state crowns.

The North Dakota High School Coaches Association (NDHSCA) named him Coach of the Year 21 times in girls’ cross country, four times in boys’ cross country and three times in girls’ track and field. Popp also started Bowman’s speech program and coached it to 20 state titles. Popp was named National Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) in 1993 and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in 2002. He was inducted into the NDHSCA Hall of Fame in 1999, the NHSACA Hall of Fame in 2001 and the NFHS Hall of Fame in 2002.

Since being honored in 2008, Popp has continued to lead Wilmar to success. His girls’ teams have placed in the top 10 in the state six times in the past ten years including 3rd place in 2014 and 2015, 2nd in 2016 and 4th in 2017. The boys’ teams have placed in the top 15 in the state four times: 13th in 2009, 15th in 2011, 6th in 2005, and 12th in 2017.

Records

Coached nearly 40 State Championship teams

Professional Achievements

1999 NDHSCA Hall of Fame Inductee

2001 NHSACA Hall of Fame Inductee

2005 National High School Sports Hall of Fame

2017 MNCA Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Carroll is known as a football powerhouse, but Ondrasek has developed a prominent cross country program as well, building the combined boys and girls roster from 20 runners to more than 100. His girls’ teams won the Class 4A state team title in 2000 and added Class 5A crowns in 2005 and 2006, and his boys’ teams have finished second, third and second in state the past three seasons. His girls’ team finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally and his boys’ team No. 12 nationally by The Harrier.

Ondrasek also has led Southlake to six state runnerup finishes. The Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas named Ondrasek its Class 5A Girls Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006, and he also earned Coach of the Year honors from the Dallas Morning News and the Texas Girls Coaches Association in 2006.

Since being honored Ondrasek continues to build teams into powerhouses. He led Carroll to another state championship in 2011.

In 2012 Ondrasek was hired as the first ever girls’ cross country and track & field coach at College Station High School. He has led the Cougars to six district titles and two regional titles. In addition, the squad qualified for the State Championships from 2012 through 2017. The won the 3A UIL Championship in 2013.

Records

Coached team to multiple state championships

Professional Achievements

2x UIL Class 5A Girls Coach of the Year

2006 Texas Girls Coaches Association Coach of the Year

Biography

Logan has coached RHAM’s girls’ cross country and track teams since 1981. His cross country teams have won four Class M state titles, in 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997, and also have posted five state runner-up finishes. This year’s team finished fourth in state. The Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) voted Logan its Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1992 and its Girls’ Track Coach of the Year in 1996.

Logan served as CHSCA president during the 2003-04 school year. The National High School Athletic Coaches Association named him its National Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2005.

Since being honored in 2006, Logan’s teams went on to win 19th straight conference championships. RHAM also won two state championships (2007, 2016) and a state runner-up finish (2015).

Logan retired in 2016 from a long career as a teacher and RHAM’s Athletic Director.

Records

Coached team to 19th straight conference titles and 6 state titles

Professional Achievements

2019 CHSCA Athletic Director of the Year

2009 CHSCA Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Since taking over the program in 1979 Woolsey has taken 24 teams to the state tournament. His teams won state titles in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990 and 1991 and have finished second four times, most recently last fall, an accomplishment which earned him state Coach of the Year honors. He has overcome adversity in his own life, finishing fourth in the state tournament as a Lumen Christi High senior in 1973 less than three months after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an automobile accident.

The NFHS named him its National Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2004, and he is a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s National Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Since being honored in 2005 Woolsey continues to coach at Lumen Christi High School. His team won additional state titles in 2006, 2007 and 2012. He continues to lead the girls’ cross country team.

Records

Coached 9 State Championship Teams

Professional Achievements

11x Michigan Coach of the Year

Biography

On the girls’ side of Girl’s Cross Country coaches, the ultra-successful spousal coaching tandem of Art and Linda Kranick of Saratoga Springs, New York collected national coach of the year honors as their Blue Streaks finished as the top-ranked team among all female cross country squads nationwide in 2004.

The Kranick’s have been coaching at Saratoga Springs since 1985. The partnership works as they both know their strengths and make it work. Over the last few decades they have coached multiple Sectional, State, and National champions and participants.

In 2018 the Kranick’s led Saratoga Springs back to the winner’s circle as the Blue Streaks claimed a 15th place in the New York State Championships.

Records

Coached multiple Champions: Sectional, State, & National

Coached 15 State Girls' Cross Country State Championship Teams

Professional Achievements

2015 Armory Hall of Fame Inductees

National Track and Field Hall of Fame Inductees

New York State Cross-Country Coach of the Year

Biography

Arbogast has coached Bingham’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams since coming to the school as an English teacher in 1980, and has coached the boys’ and girls’ track and field teams as well since 1982. All four teams have won Class 5A state titles under his tenure – a total of nine in all. His girls’ cross country teams won three consecutive titles, in 1998, 1999, and 2000, and finished second this year. His boys’ cross country teams also have three state titles and were recognized as the nation’s top team in 1995.

His girls’ track and field team won its second state title this year. All four teams are unbeaten in conference meets for more than 10 consecutive years. One of the nation’s top distance running coaches, as of 2002 Arbogast has seen more than 50 of his athletes earn college athletic scholarships during his coaching career.

In 2007, he was inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame.

Records

Coached 10 State Championship teams

Professional Achievements

2007 NHSACA Hall of Fame Inductee

Biography

Varvas has been Woodbridge High’s only girls’ cross-country coach since the school opened its doors in 1980. His teams have placed high in state competition the past four years. After winning the 1997 Division II state title and finishing second in 1998, Woodbridge moved up to Division I and won the 1999 state title, its second in three years.

In 2001 the team was back in Division II, earning a sixth-place state finish. Varvas also is the founder of the Woodbridge Invitational, which has grown over the years to become the nation’s third largest cross-country event.

Varvas is still involved as an assistant coach at Woodbridge and still is active with the Woodbridge Invitational.

Professional Achievements

Founder of the Woodbridge Invitational