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MileSplit is going around the country talking to top coaches of the nation's best high school cross country programs for some inside info on their squad's success and what to look forward to this coming season from them.</p>
6th in the 2013 Nike Cross Nationals, the Fort Collins girls have 3 of their top 4 back including one of the best rising sophomore distance runners in the country in Lauren Gregory (4:57 1600/10:15 3200). Gregory was a top 10 finisher at NXN as a freshmen and will need teammates Devyn Miller and Heather Holt to continue to close the gap on her in the team's 2nd and 3rd runner positions. Fort Collins did experience a coaching change since last fall, but their long-time head coach Chris Suppes picked a capable successor in his assistant Mike Callor to take over the program. The Fort Collins girls have a great history of success at NXN which should continue under Coach Callor with previous national finishes of 6th in 2013, 8th in 2012, 6th in 2011, 6th in 2010, 3rd in 2009, 7th in 2008, and 7th in 2007 to recall on. 7 straight trips to nationals and no worse than an 8th place finish. It is an easy guess what will be the worst possible NXN finish for the 2014 Fort Collins squad.
Girls Top 7 Returnees Times : 5K XC - 3200m - 1600m
Q&A with Coach Callor
Top 7 Girls Returnees from 2013 XC Season (5K Times)
Top 7 Girls Returning 3200m Times from 2014 Outdoor Season
Top 7 Girls Returning 1600m Times from 2014 Outdoor Season
Q&A with Fort Collins (CO) High School head girls XC coach Mike Callor
How many years have you been coaching high school cross country (and at your current school)?
I have been coaching for 14 years total and 2 years at Fort Collins.
What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?
Tradition and a culture of success. From top to bottom, we are a family and when everyone takes care of each other, good things happen.
What would be the best way to describe your style and philosophy of coaching and working with high school runners?
My coaching philosophy:
To patiently develop highly motivated student athletes that constantly display integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. To strive to be our best every day by being active in the community, training intelligently, individualizing as much as possible while partnering with each other to build lasting, trusting relationships that give way to a commitment to the school, the sport and each other. Develop a culture a success that feeds off itself by creating a family type atmosphere that relies on communication and accountability.
What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?
To individualize the training as much as possible and take the next logical step each season. Build the aerobic engine as big as will allow in the time we have together.
What kind of mileage and summer training have your varsity level runners put in over the last 2-3 months?
Depends on the level of the athlete, but our senior boys were in the 60's and girls in the 50's in six days, with a few extra sessions in the pool.
How does you and your team view and approach the post-season national meet opportunity that is the Nike Cross Nationals?
We view it a a great opportunity and privilege. For Nike to put on such an amazing event for these athletes is just incredible. We also take it very seriously and aim to place as high as possible. That is, of course, if we are lucky enough to make the trip!
How many runners do you return from your top 7 from a year ago?
We return 4 of the top 7.
Who is your projected top 7 heading into the cross country season?
Projected top 7 would be: Lauren Gregory, Heather Holt, Devynn Miller, Samantha Muller, Kiri Michell, Claire Hooker, Becca Schulte.
Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
Our team leaders are our seniors. They have been through the program and know what we expect as coaches and what it takes to build a team.
Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?
I have been impressed by all the girls, actually. They have all trained very hard this summer, but have also gotten smart about when to push and when to take it easy.
Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?
We have a great group of freshman this season. They know that they are the future of this team, but can hopefully make some waves this season.
What are the top invitational meets that your team will be attending this season?
Liberty Bell, John Martin, Dave Sanders
What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
Bringing it all together when it matters.
What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?
We are truly a TEAM.
What is an annual or common pre-season workout or run for your team?
We run to the top of Horsetooth Mountain (trail just outside of town) every Friday morning.
What is an annual or common mid-season workout for your team?
I like both tempo runs and mile repeats.
What is an annual or common championship season or end-of-season workout for your team?
Sticking to the regular season workouts but shorter and faster. Keep it simple.
What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?
1. Compete as a team.
2. Build numbers.
3. Keep running in perspective.
