Coaches

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My wife Marie and I met in high school on the track team, so running seems to have been a theme in our relationship and family from the very beginning.  All 3 of our kids have competed as distance runners at Whitney. Jenica (2014), Logan (2017), and Ethan (2020) each ran both XC and track all four years, then pursued their running careers at the college level.

Running has been a big part of my life since high school back in the early 1980’s. I didn’t even know cross country was a sport til I was at Oakmont High School, but picked it up there and other than a couple lazy spells in my early adulthood, I’ve been running and/or training ever since.  My best race distance in high school was the 800m, but my real love of distance running is cross country, especially coaching it.

Our approach at Whitney emphasizes patience, purpose, pacing and team work in training and racing, while paying respect to the math and physiology of the sport. Because I was not naturally elite as a cross country athlete, much of my focus over the decades was on how to maximize potential and technique so that I could outperform someone with more talent in a big race when it counted.

And so through much of my 30’s and 40’s, I spent a lot of time studying what was effective and what was ineffective, not just for me personally, but for other runners as well. I don’t compete nearly as much as I used to, but still run and train. Immersing myself into the Whitney Distance Team, training these runners and building relationships, has become my biggest passion.

I was a Whitney runner myself and graduated in 2014. I continued to race in college, first for two years at American River College, then at Idaho State University for three years. Once I graduated with my Bachelor’s in 2019, I moved back home, got married, got a teaching job, and started coaching.

As a high school runner, I was convinced that the 1600, or mile, was my specialty. Even as a junior when I knew that I had more potential in the 3200, I still loved the excitement of those four fast laps. By the time my senior season rolled around, I finally accepted my “fate” and went all in with the 3200. Now, my specialty events on the track are the 5k & the 10k… and the 1600 feels like a sprint. I ran my first marathon (CIM) in December 2021 and loved it! I definitely see more marathons and other road races in my future.

My favorite part of coaching is connecting with each runner, hearing what their goals are for themselves & their team, then watching it all come together on race day. Nothing beats seeing a happy group of runners after a great race. I love working with our Whitney Distance runners and I always look forward to each year of cross country and track.

I am humbled and honored to be a part of the Whitney distance program. I really enjoyed watching from the side lines and seeing the progression and successes of last year’s Whitney team. This year I am looking forward to having a bigger impact on the lives and running careers of the student athletes here at Whitney High.

I grew up running the trails and streets since I was 11 years old in San Jose,
California near Alum Rock Park. I have always had a passion for athletic
competition, but especially for running. I attended track powerhouse, Independence
High School. There I learned dedication and commitment from legendary coach
Stan Dowell. As a member of the 76ers, we won three Central Coast Section titles.
I competed in several events for the team over my four teams there and I had many
individual successes as well. The most common question I get as a distance runner
is what was your fastest high school mile time. So here is the answer, 4:18.3
Luckily for me I went on to run in college for both Div 1 and Div 2. Arizona and
CSU Stanislaus where I focused on cross country, the 5000 meters and the 3000
meters steeplechase.

After graduating with a business management degree, I spent a year as an unpaid
grad-assistant as a distance coach for Kim Duyst at CSUS. Soon after that, in the
late 90s I went on to be the head cross country and track coach of my High School
rival Piedmont Hills HS.

My wife, Linda and I have been married for 17 years and we have two beautiful
and talented girls. My daughters, Katie and Ava and both a part of the Whitney
Distance team.

So, let’s crush this upcoming season. Go Cats!

I ran for Whitney myself before I graduated in 2017. After high school, I went to American River College where I competed for two years. Once I completed my Associate’s Degrees, I transferred to Idaho State University where I finished my Bachelor’s degree over two years. I competed for ISU as well, although COVID only allowed for one “full” year of competition while I was there. Upon graduating from ISU, I have now transferred to William Jessup University where I will be competing for their Cross Country and Track team as I work through their Master’s in Teaching program.

I have always loved the team-oriented competition of cross country and I especially enjoy the culture which develops over the course of the fall season. Track is a different beast, which is always fun and exciting to really hone in on personal goals and times that contribute to the whole team’s performance. In high school, I bounced around with my primary event, but I always had a special interest in the 1600m. After graduating however, I found my strength was in the longer events and I began to focus on the 5k during my time at ARC and ISU. After a fall marathon training block, I am excited to jump back into collegiate competition at Jessup, where I will be focusing primarily on the 10k.

While I am still relatively new to coaching here, I really enjoy witnessing the development of team camaraderie from a coaching perspective. Watching Whitney athletes work hard with each other and for each other has reinvigorated my own passion for the sport. Knowing each athlete and their personal goals while seeing them train together as a team is truly what distance running is all about.