NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the state-by-state winners of its fourth annual High School Coach of the Year award for cross country on Friday.
One boys coach and one girls coach from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia -- as seen in the lists below -- were honored for their successes during the fall of 2019, as selected by a committee of experts from around the nation.
QUICK LINKS: Boys Coaches | Girls Coaches
State-by-state winners were selected based on their teams' performances throughout the 2019 cross country season. 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.).
Each honoree will receive a trophy from the USTFCCCA recognizing his or her achievements.
The winners from each state are in consideration for the association's National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year award. One boys coach and one girls coach from among all the states will be selected by a panel of experts and be announced later this month as the national winners.
Bill Aris | Fayetteville-Manlius | Boys Coach Of Year
The Fayetteville-Manlius Boys were undefeated by in-state competition this year, winning Sectionals, States, Regionals. They went on to place 11th at Nike Cross Nationals. Individually, Peyton Geehrer captured the NXN-NY Regional Title. Bill Aris has now captured five of the past ten Team Titles at the XC State Meet, including the merge.
Art Kranick | Saratoga Springs | Girls Coach Of Year
The Saratoga Springs Girls took home their second Nike Cross Nationals Title in December, after top two places at States and Regionals. Their Girls Squad, led by Art and Linda Kranick, also set the #2 All-Time Team Average at SPAC, their home course. Individually, they had one All-American, Ella Kurto, who placed 14th overall at Nike Cross Nationals.