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2015 DyeStat IL XC Awards - Girls Coach of the Year

Published by
DyeStatIL.com   Dec 29th 2015, 9:00pm
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By Michael Newman

[email protected]

 

Here are the awards for the Girls Coach of the Year in each classification for the 2015 Cross Country season in Illinois. Congratulations to all the winners and to the coaches that were considered.

 

 

3A Girls – Kevin Gummerson – Minooka HS

 

When asked last summer if he had found a fifth runner for his talented team, Minooka Coach Kevin Gummerson just shrugged and shook his head. “Not yet” was the reply that he gave. The 2015 was a work in progress as each race narrowed down would step in to the critical 5th runner spot. It was evident at the First to the Finish Invitational in September when Minooka finished sixth even with three runners in the top seven.

 

The story was different when they got to the state series. The improvement of senior Morgan Crouch and the emergence of freshman Vivian Van Eck complimented all-state runners Ashley Tutt, Emily Shelton, and Mackenzie Callahan front running. Put that all together and Gummerson had the ingredients for a state championship team. The state championship was the first for Minooka and first for Gummerson. He joined his grandfather as a state championship coach. Roy Gummerson coached Peoria Woodruff to a Boys State Championship in 1952.

 

Hinsdale Central’s Mark McCabe and New Trier’s John Burnside were also considered for the award.

 

Congratulations to Kevin Gummerson of Minooka High School as the 2015 DyeStat Illinois 3A Girls Coach of the Year.

 

2A Girls – Chris Muth – Yorkville

 

It was hard to deny Yorkville’s Chris Muth as the 2A Coach of the Year in 2015.

 

The season began at the end of last May when Muth learned that his all-state runner and leader of the team Skyler Bollinger would be moving to California. It would have hurt other teams with a loss like that. But with the depth that Yorkville had, Muth did not have to worry that much. He challenged his team at every opportunity this season. He approached First to the Finish Meet Director Brien Dunphy about allowing Yorkville to run in the 3A race instead of the 2A race. He was challenging his team to run against some of the best 3A teams in the state. That challenged resulted in a win.

 

Yorkville rolled to their fifth straight 2A state championship at Detweiller Park in November. Part of that had to do with Muth’s calming effect on his team and the willingness to challenge this squad to run their very best. It puts Muth among the elite cross country coaches ever in Illinois as his coached teams have won 5 straight state championships.

 

Ken Husser of Belvidere North, Mike Garber of Chatham-Glenwood, and Suzanne Curry of Vernon Hills were also considered for this award.

 

Congratulations to Chris Muth of Yorkville High School as the 2015 DyeStat Illinois 2A Girls Coach of the Year.

 

1A Girls – Kara Leaman – Tolono Unity

 

Tolono Unity started their season as the seventh ranked 1A team. Momentum built during the year until they lost all-state runner Taylor Renfroe for more than a month as she was diagnosed with mononucleosis. It gave the chance for first year Coach Kara Leaman to let her young squad grow and to step into the vacant spot from Renfore.

 

Unity came on strong at the end of the season winning the St. Teresa Sectional on a sixth runner tie-breaker with Urbana University. With four freshman on the starting line for the state meet, the Rockets stepped up to win the 1A state championship.

 

Creston Fenn of Kewanee Wethersfield and Jared Schmidt of Liberty were also considered for the award.

 

 

Congratulations to Kara Leaman of Unity High School in Tolono as the 2015 DyeStat Illinois 1A Girls Coach of the Year.



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