Photo Credit: Ursuline Academy/University of Colorado
By Ian Decker - MileSplit Correspondent
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Seven years after first meeting Mike O'Connor during a speaking engagement, Olympian Jorge Torres called the Ursuline Academy athletic director to inquire about the cross country and track and field head coaching position.
O'Connor met Torres when the latter gave a talk in 2015 at the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
At the time, Torres had two young children and wasn't ready to get into coaching, so the pair exchanged business cards and parted ways.
But when Torres, a Foot Locker Nationals champion in 1998 and an NCAA champion for Colorado in the early 2000s, called in early July seven years later, it just so happened that Ursuline's running coach had given her notice several months prior.
After a lengthy phone call, what stood out to O'Connor was Torres' demeanor, professionalism and experience.
"I hire [coaches] because they know what they're doing," O'Connor said. "I mean, look at his resume; he knows what he's doing. So if he's got ideas, I'm gonna listen to them."
It's true, Torres does have quite the resume.
In high school, he was a 3-time Illinois high school cross-country champion and a 4-time qualifier at Foot Locker Nationals, where he eventually won in '98 in Orlando -- during one of the few years the championship wasn't held at Balboa Park in San Diego.
At Colorado, he claimed the NCAA Division I cross country title in 2002, then followed with a distinguished professional career, competing at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
It didn't take long for O'Connor to make a decision. He hired Torres.
But what O'Connor really admired from Torres wasn't his resume. It was how he carried himself. The Illinois native never touted his past achievements, nor did he ever carry himself with an attitude of superiority.
"I had heard that he had gone to the Olympics at one point," said assistant coach Katie McNally, a 2010 Ursuline graduate, "so I kind of had this idea that he was gonna be super competitive and a little intense. But he's been exactly the opposite and honestly."
Added O'Connor: "He's there every day. Some days he runs with them. Some days he rides his bicycle with them. It's just been a real plus. He's a very humble guy. Very, very humble."
During the pandemic, Torres, who also works as a sports agent and marketing director, saw neighborhood kids running to stay fit, so he designed a simple, 12-week training plan. In those three months, Torres seriously started thinking about coaching and giving back to the sport he's enjoyed since he was a 12-year-old in Chicago.
"Well, I guess some people would call it a job, but I'm kind of looking at it as something that I enjoy doing, and it's not really a job to me," Torres said. "It's more of like giving back to the sport that's given me so much."
Torres wanted to bring what he learned from some of the best coaches in the country, including the legendary Mark Wetmore of Colorado, to Ursuline Academy, an all girls preparatory school in Massachusetts.
"What I've learned through all my coaches really is just be consistent," Torres said. "Just show up, you don't have to crush every workout, but just be there, do the work and show up the next day."
So he started small. Consistency has been Torres' motto since the first practice back in August. He sends out the week's workouts ahead of time so his runners could prepare. And just as he expects the students to show up and give their best, he pledges to do the same.
"I'm giving them the heads up, but if I'm gonna do all that, like they know that I'm gonna be there," Torres said. "I'm gonna give them the workout. I'm gonna be physically there to show them how to do it."
After years of personalized coaching, Torres has brought his teaching philosophy to Ursuline.
Not only is he approachable, but the 42-year-old also asks about his girls' days at school and leaves room for the team to socialize.
"He's got a nice way about him," O'Connor said, "and he's committed to the year, and I hope beyond that because I think he's enjoying himself, which is even better."
Torres understands that it is a social sport for most high schoolers. But he has also emphasized to his team the foundations of running. Ultimately, for as much as he wants the squad to have fun, he also wants to see improvement.
"It's a very inclusive team in terms of we have some really good runners, but then we also have some girls that they're there to stay in shape and have a good time with their friends and have that team aspect," McNally said. "[Jorge's] been working really well with all types of runners."
McNally says she loves having the combination of someone outside the school's community -- Torres is considered a non-faculty coach -- working alongside a teacher or a staff member because the two can be complimentary.
"A big thing for him seems to be like a positive attitude is huge," McNally said. "Keeping that positivity and always looking to have the kids try their best every time, whatever that means for their level."
Since taking over, not only has Torres imparted his love of running to his team, but he also has been able to witness what lies ahead when his daughter reaches high school.
What started as a hobby at 12 years old in northeastern Illinois for Torres has become a lifelong passion. It's taken him to all corners of the world, and now it's led him here in Dedham, Mass., where he's leading this girls preparatory school.
Torres wouldn't rather be anywhere else than in a place to impact young lives positively.
"There's something special about helping tutor and helping a kid find their way and be a part of their life... is something that I hope that eventually I could build relationships with them and help them develop, become better, stronger people," he said.