Jim and Eileen Kilbreth retired from coaching high school cross country four years ago, but like many who stepped down before them, and since, the sport has remained a big part of their lives.
Karen Cummings coached high school girls’ cross country in the early stages of her marriage to Eric.
This is the first in a three-part series looking at the high school cross country coaching profession in South Carolina.
Watch practically any high school cross country or track event in the state and chances are the name of at least one, and more often several, SCISA-member schools and their student/athletes will be mixed in with their peers on the public school side at or near the top of the final-results list.
"Mike helped start Lake Murray 20 years ago," Chapin coach Jack LeGrand told scrunners.com earlier this week. "He's one of the godfathers of cross country."
SANTEE -- Funeral services were held Tuesday for Ellerbe Hightower III, a longtime high school track and cross country coach who would later serve the two sports for another 18 years as an official.
COLUMBIA – The Fort Dorchester High boys' 4x400 meter relay team took the state 4A championship in that event Saturday in a performance that erased any lingering memories of a dreadfully disappointing effort on the same track a year earlier.
Jasmine Quinn continued her dominating performance Saturday at the SCSHL state meet, winning the girls AAAA 100- and 200-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles
Broome High's Bauvier Jackson turned in one of his best performances of the season against some of the best high school discus throwers on the East Coast a few weeks back at Taco Bell, placing second in a highly competitive and entertaining field event at Spring Valley High.
Two senior high school boys from the Lowcountry took top honors in their respective events Saturday, while on the girls' side, a Daniel High junior ran the fastest 800 in the state so far this year and a Beaufort High junior won the pole vault.
Daniel High junior Laurie Barton won the girls' 800 Saturday at the Taco Bell Classic with a time of 2:10.79.
COLUMBIA – Malik Epps has dominated the first half of the 2015 outdoor state high school track season in the 800 and 1,600, a streak he hopes to build on this weekend at the Taco Bell Classic.
SENECA -- This time of year, you can usually find Tom Jordan either fishing on one of South Carolina's Upstate lakes or working at Tom Bass Field on the Seneca High campus.
Tami Dennis was packing her team's equipment after a long day of USATF cross-country competition last Saturday at Wannamaker Park, only to be interrupted repeatedly by parents thanking her with a handshake, a hug or both.
SUMMERVILLE -- State USATF President Thaddeus Sligh is trying to bring more young people into a rapidly aging team of track and field officials, an effort that appears to be working.
LIBERTY – The day of any high school cross country state meet can be both challenging and emotional for the athletes and their families, obviously more so when multiplied by four.
GREENVILLE – A year ago, Southside High’s boys cross country program was in danger of being reduced to a running club.
Watch practically any high school cross country or track event in the state and chances are the name of at least one, and more often several, SCISA-member schools and their student/athletes will be mixed in with their peers on the public school side at or near the top of the final-results list.
COLUMBIA – The 2014 high school cross country season hits its’ stride this weekend with the first big meet of the year, the annual Bob Jenkins SCTCCCA Coaches Classic at the Sandhills Research Center, and the association’s new president is anxious to get it rolling.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND – The loss of one of the state’s top high school cross country runners to graduation this past year isn’t expected to slow Hilton Head Island High’s boys team in 2014.
COLUMBIA – Raven Saunders continued her string of impressive performances in her senior season Saturday by shattering the state meet record in the shot put.
COLUMBIA – Jasmine Quinn continued her dominating performance Saturday at the SCSHL state meet, winning the girls AAAA 100- and 200-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles.
Fort Dorchester’s Jasmine Quinn set a new state record in the girls long jump Friday on the first day of competition in the 2014 SCHSL state meet.
CHARLESTON – The best thrower in South Carolina – and one of the best at her sport in the country – has hopes of performing this summer on a much bigger stage, but she needs your help.
BLYTHEWOOD – Westwood High track and field coach Lawrence Terry expects his boys and girls teams to finish in the top three next month at State, an expectation that indicates how far the Redhawk program has come under his direction in a very short period of time.
SENECA – One Holland girl will soon graduate from Seneca High holding some pretty impressive track and field marks, with another young lady from that same family coming up right behind her.
AUBURN, Ala. – It’s been nearly six years since Marcus Rowland’s remarkable sweep of the 100 and 200 meters at the Taco Bell Classic, running what would be the second fastest 100 among all U.S. high school boys in 2008.
PIEDMONT – His story will likely never achieve the lofty status reached 20-some years ago by author Winston Groom’s fictional Forrest Gump, but that’s fine with Wren High’s Larry Clark, Jr.
LANDRUM – Saturday will mark the last time Sarah Cash and Elizabeth Walter run competitively for the Landrum girls cross country team when the pair competes again in the 5,000-meters at State.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND – Over the past four years, the boys and girls cross country teams at Hilton Head High have either finished as state champs or runners up, and both teams are in very good positions to improve on that remarkable run heading into the 2013 finale next weekend at Sandhills.