The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Woodlands (Texas) High's Juris Green and Lee's Summit West (Missouri) High's Jesse Griffin as national high school track and field Coaches of the Year on Thursday.
"It goes without saying that the work ethic was high," Green told the USTFCCCA. "Being in Texas you can never guarantee you'll have a season like this, so you savor it when you do."
Green, who was also named the boys national coach of the year by USA Today, guided the Highlanders to a Texas University Interscholastic League title this spring in Class 6A, while Griffin posted a win at the Missouri State High School Athletic Association Class 5 Championships, helping the program score the most points of any team at the meet -- boys or girls.
"You get to see the hard work they put in during the offseason and then for it to come to fruition is special," Griffin told the USTFCCCA. "I've had several teams win state championships in cross country and be complacent the next year, but that wasn't the case here.
Below, check out coaching winners in each state.
___
| 2017 USTFCCCA BOYS HS COACHES OF THE YEAR | ||
| State | Coach Name | School |
| Alabama | Dale Carrell | Westminster School at Oak Mountain |
| Alaska | Milo Griffin | West Valley High School |
| Arizona | Bob Shisler | Scottsdale Preparatory Academy |
| Arkansas | Dale Cresswell | Heber Springs High School |
| California | Tim Callier | Rancho Verde High School |
| Colorado | Darwin Horan | Lutheran High School |
| Connecticut | Tim Geary | Daniel Hand High School |
| Delaware | James Solomon | Dover High School |
| District of Columbia | Tia Clemmons | Woodrow Wilson High School |
| Florida | Darryl Elmore | Miami Northwestern High School |
| Georgia | Jason Cage | Westlake High School |
| Georgia | Robert Wilson | Westlake High School |
| Hawaii | Micah Pavich | Punahou School |
| Idaho | Brett Hill | Sugar-Salem High School |
| Illinois | John Artman | Illini West High School |
| Indiana | Kenneth Browner | Carmel High School |
| Iowa | Casey Baxa | Lisbon High School |
| Kansas | Ryan Cornelson | Hutchinson High School |
| Kentucky | Terry Yeast | Mercer County Senior High |
| Louisiana | Claney Duplechin | Episcopal School of Baton Rouge |
| Maine | Ken Nadeau | Winslow High School |
| Maryland | Robert Youngblood | Northwest High School |
| Massachusetts | James Blackburn | Newton North High School |
| Michigan | Ralph Neal | Zeeland East High School |
| Minnesota | Jon Gilmer | Lakeville South High School |
| Mississippi | Jeremy Harrell | Tylertown High School |
| Missouri | Joseph Cusack | Blue Springs High School |
| Montana | Brandon Quessenberry | Billings Senior High School |
| Nebraska | Tim Kassmeier | Norfolk Catholic High School |
| Nevada | Dale Moss | Reed High School |
| New Hampshire | Carol Quarles | Pinkerton Academy |
| New Jersey | Mike Tursi | Mater Dei Prep |
| New Mexico | Kenny Henry | V. Sue Cleveland High |
| New York | Malcom Burke | Newburgh Free Academy |
| North Carolina | Rick Spencer | Weddington High School |
| North Dakota | Brian Anderson | New Town High School |
| Ohio | Tom Loy | East Canton High School |
| Oklahoma | Jackie Rollins | Carl Albert High School |
| Oregon | Adam Thygeson | Oregon City High School |
| Pennsylvania | Tom Hale | Hickory High School |
| Rhode Island | Dan O'Kleasky | Central High School |
| South Carolina | Jeff Johns | Dorman High School |
| South Dakota | Jim Jarovski | Lincoln High School |
| Tennessee | Rashad Haynes | Central High School |
| Texas | Juris Green | The Woodlands High |
| Utah | Shane Rowley | Delta High School |
| Vermont | Arlan Langmaid | St. Johnsbury Academy |
| Virginia | Neil Mathews | Lee-Davis High School |
| Washington | Linda Gudmunson | Mount Vernon Christian School |
| West Virginia | Richard Conaway | St. Marys High School |
| Wisconsin | Brad Hoerth | Kimberly High School |
| Wyoming | Mark Hilleman | Kelly Walsh High School |
| 2017 USTFCCCA GIRLS HS COACHES OF THE YEAR | ||
| State | Coach Name | School |
| Alabama | Ed Wright | Montgomery Catholic Prepartory School |
| Alaska | Melissa Hall | Chugiak High School |
| Arizona | Bob Shisler | Scottsdale Preparatory Academy |
| Arkansas | Drew Yoakum | Fayetteville High School |
| California | Crystal Irving | Long Beach Polytechnic High School |
| Colorado | John Reyes | Grandview High School |
| Connecticut | Anne Burrows | Bloomfield High School |
| Delaware | Maura Schafer | Smyrna High School |
| District of Columbia | Desmond Dunham | Woodrow Wilson High School |
| Florida | Dja Dugue | Miami Southridege Senior High School |
| Georgia | Brad Kinser | Greater Atlanta Christian School |
| Hawaii | Bobby Grossman | Seabury Hall |
| Idaho | Tracy Harris | Mountian View High School |
| Illinois | Patrick Garst | Dunlap High School |
| Indiana | Le'Gretta Smith | Warren Central High School |
| Iowa | Tim O'Neill | Davenport Assumption High School |
| Kansas | Randall Zimmerman | Junction High School |
| Kentucky | Sheree Beaumont | Louisville Male High School |
| Louisiana | Jennifer Daigle | Ascension Catholic Diocesan Regional School |
| Maine | John Folan | Greely High School |
| Maryland | Omar Wilkins | Elizabeth Seton High School |
| Massachusetts | Dion Crichlow | Milton High School |
| Michigan | Josh Powers | Adrian Madison High School |
| Minnesota | Jason Massman | Saint Michael-Albertville |
| Mississippi | Carlton Cotton | West Harrison High School |
| Missouri | Jesse Griffin | Lee's Summit West High School |
| Montana | Spencer Huls | Corvallis High School |
| Nebraska | Gordon Wilson | Aurora High School |
| Nevada | Roy Sessions | Centennial High School |
| New Hampshire | Mike Lyford | Portsmouth High School |
| New Jersey | Mike McCabe | Union Catholic High School |
| New Mexico | Tim Flores | V. Sue Cleveland High |
| New York | Robert Cloutier | Shenendehowa High School |
| North Carolina | James Smoots | Hillside High School |
| North Dakota | John Ward | Hazen High School |
| Ohio | Tim Crooks | Cincinnati Withrow |
| Oklahoma | Tim Grantham | Edmond Memorial High School |
| Oregon | Erich Herber | West Salem High School |
| Pennsylvania | James Boyd | Hickory High School |
| Rhode Island | Dave Federico | Westerly High School |
| South Carolina | Eric Cummings | Riverside High School |
| South Dakota | Maxine Unterbrunner | Madison High School |
| Tennessee | Yusuf Sharif | Whitehaven High School |
| Texas | Jessica Richards | McKinney North High School |
| Utah | Tom Davidson | Box Elder High School |
| Vermont | Mark McKenna | Rice Memorial High School |
| Virginia | Calude Toukene | Western Branch High School |
| Washington | Cap Perry | Oakesdale High School |
| West Virginia | Sarah Summers | Ripley High School |
| Wisconsin | Calvin Matthew | Milwaukee Rufus King High School |
| Wyoming | Shelly Stremcha | Campbell County High School |