Eric Cummings of Riverside High School was named, by U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association, the inaugural girls South Carolina High School Cross Country Coach of the Year.
Cummings coached Riverside to the school’s first AAAA South Carolina High School League championship when the girls dominated the state meet. Kate Ambrose won the individual championship. Riverside won the 2013 championship in AAA.
One boys coach and one girls coach from each of the 50 states and District of Columbia were honored for their successes during the 2014 cross country season.
Riverside girls team members are: Kate Ambrose, Ashley Fallow, Carter Marchbanks, Jessie Crowley, Emma Spencer, Mikie Harris and Abigail Smith.
Bill Wrightson of Hilton Head High School was the USTF boys cross country coach of the year in the state.
Cummings has worked as a social studies teacher at Riverside High for eight years, and was named the school's 2014-15 Teacher of the Year. He was nominated to the S.C. Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame last summer.
"High school coaches have a profound impact on young athletes’ lives," said USTFCCCA CEO Sam Seemes. "For so many runners, their high school cross country coach is the person who opened the world of running to them."
Among the factors taken into consideration were team score and placement at the state championships, margin of victory, performance against rankings if available, individual championships, and how their teams’ performances stacked up to previous years (e.g. first title in school history, consecutive titles, etc.)
The winners from each state are in consideration for the association’s first-ever National High School Coach of the Year award for cross country.
BOYS COACHES OF THE YEAR BY STATE
|
State |
Coach Name |
Coach School |
|
Alabama |
Claborn Campbell |
Cold Springs High School |
|
Alaska |
Marcus Dunbar |
Kodiak High School |
|
Arizona |
Chris Hanson |
Desert Vista High School |
|
Arkansas |
Carlton Efurd |
Rogers High School |
|
California |
Tyree Cruz |
Ventura High School |
|
Colorado |
Jon Dalby |
Mountain Vista High School |
|
Connecticut |
Robert Murray |
Danbury High School |
|
Delaware |
Annie Zeberkiewicz |
Tower Hill School |
|
District of Columbia |
Anthony Belber |
Georgetown Day School |
|
Florida |
Doug Butler |
Holy Trinity Academy |
|
Georgia |
Jack Coleman |
Marietta High School |
|
Hawaii |
Katie O’Neil |
Mid Pacific Institute |
|
Idaho |
Tracy Harris |
Mountain View High School |
|
Illinois |
Chris Muth |
Yorkville High School |
|
Indiana |
Steve Lewark |
West Lafayette High School |
|
Iowa |
Todd Goodell |
Linn-Mar High School |
|
Kansas |
Justin Wrigley |
St. Thomas Aquinas High School |
|
Kentucky |
Stan Clark |
South Oldham High School |
|
Louisiana |
Chaz Caiado |
John Curtis Christian School |
|
Maine |
Jim Harmon |
Scarborough High School |
|
Maryland |
Terry Gibbons |
Catoctin High School |
|
Massachusetts |
Phil Maia |
Lowell High School |
|
Michigan |
Asa Kelly |
Benzie Central High School |
|
Minnesota |
Bill Miles |
Wayzata High School |
|
Mississippi |
Heath Dudley |
J.Z. George High School |
|
Missouri |
Bryant Wright |
Festus High School |
|
Montana |
Clint May |
Bozeman High School |
|
Nebraska |
Reverend Robert Tillman |
Creighton Prep School |
|
Nevada |
Ed Parise |
McQueen High School |
|
New Hampshire |
Mike Smith |
Mascenic Regional High School |
|
New Jersey |
Tom Heath |
Christian Brothers Academy |
|
New Mexico |
Sal Gonzales |
Rio Rancho High School |
|
New York |
Bill Aris |
Fayetteville-Manlius High School |
|
North Carolina |
David Christian |
Broughton High School |
|
North Dakota |
Chris Reid |
Bismarck High School |
|
Ohio |
Tom Rapp |
Mason High School |
|
Oklahoma |
Steve Patterson |
Jenks High School |
|
Oregon |
Carol McLatchie |
Summit High School |
|
Pennsylvania |
John Neff |
North Allegheny |
|
Rhode Island |
Ken Skelly |
LaSalle Academy |
|
South Carolina |
Bill Wrightson |
Hilton Head HS |
|
South Dakota |
Eric Pooley |
Sioux Falls Lincoln High School |
|
Tennessee |
Len Jeffers |
Daniel Boone High School |
|
Texas |
Justin Leonard |
Southlake Carroll High School |
|
Utah |
Logan Fielding |
Desert Hills High School |
|
Vermont |
Geoff Bennett |
South Burlington High School |
|
Virginia |
Mike Mangan |
Lake Braddock Secondary School |
|
Washington |
Gene Blankenship |
Medical Lake High School |
|
West Virginia |
Jonathan Griffith |
Bridgeport High School |
|
Wisconsin |
Tom Kaufman |
Madison West High School |
|
Wyoming |
Greg Schabron |
Laramie High School |
GIRLS COACHES OF THE YEAR BY STATE
|
State |
Coach Name |
Coach School |
|
Alabama |
William Calvert |
Saint Bernards Prep School |
|
Alaska |
Bill Steyer |
Homer High School |
|
Arizona |
Dr. Jeff Messer |
Desert Vista High School |
|
Arkansas |
Sharon Jones |
Siloam Springs High School |
|
California |
Doug Soles |
Great Oak High School |
|
Colorado |
Mike Caller |
Fort Collins High School |
|
Connecticut |
Judi Lafontaine |
Tolland High School |
|
Delaware |
Marnie Giunta |
Padua Academy |
|
District of Columbia |
Kevin Hughes |
Georgetown Visitation Prep School |
|
Florida |
Kristen McWilliams |
Winter Park High School |
|
Georgia |
Eric Heintz |
Marist High School |
|
Hawaii |
Dennis Swart |
Kaiser High School |
|
Idaho |
Ty Axtman |
Timberline High School |
|
Illinois |
Dan Iverson |
Naperville North High School |
|
Indiana |
Steve Lewark |
West Lafayette High School |
|
Iowa |
Christy Nimrod |
Decorah High School |
|
Kansas |
Justin Wrigley |
St. Thomas Aquinas High School |
|
Kentucky |
Rick Heim |
Sacred Heart Academy |
|
Louisiana |
Mark LaHaye |
St. Joseph's Academy |
|
Maine |
Lin White |
Orono High School |
|
Maryland |
Dan Jones |
Liberty High School |
|
Massachusetts |
Cara Van Cott |
Needham High School |
|
Michigan |
Doug Jager |
Grand Rapids Christian High School |
|
Minnesota |
Dave Emmans |
Wayzata High School |
|
Mississippi |
Tim Sayers |
Ocean Springs High School |
|
Missouri |
Gaylerd Quigley |
Nerinx Hall |
|
Montana |
Clint May |
Bozeman High School |
|
Nebraska |
George O’Boyle |
Pius X |
|
Nevada |
Roy Session |
Centennial High School |
|
New Hampshire |
Tim Cox Brent Tkaczyk |
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy |
|
New Jersey |
Rob DeFillipis |
Red Bank Catholic |
|
New Mexico |
Nick Martinez |
La Cueva High School |
|
New York |
Bill Aris |
Fayetteville-Manlius High School |
|
North Carolina |
Mike Miraggliuolo |
Green Hope High School |
|
North Dakota |
Julie Stavn |
Century High School |
|
Ohio |
David Dobson |
Centerville High School |
|
Oklahoma |
David Ayres |
Bartlesville High School |
|
Oregon |
Carol McLatchie |
Summit High School |
|
Pennsylvania |
Greg Sargent |
Pennsbury High School |
|
Rhode Island |
Kelly Martin |
LaSalle Academy |
|
South Carolina |
Eric Cummings |
Riverside High School |
|
South Dakota |
Jesse Coy |
Rapid City Stevens High School |
|
Tennessee |
Raymond Farmer |
Morristown-West High School |
|
Texas |
Rebekah James |
Canyon Randall High School |
|
Utah |
Bruno Hunziker |
American Fork High School |
|
Vermont |
Scott Bliss |
Champlain Valley Union High School |
|
Virginia |
James DeMarco |
Blacksburg High School |
|
Washington |
Steve Olson |
Lakeside Nine Mile Falls |
|
West Virginia |
Daniel Demchak |
University High School |
|
Wisconsin |
Mark Johnson |
Eau Claire Memorial High School |
|
Wyoming |
Jeff Brazil |
Jackson Hole High School |