Rick Sluder, Columbus North Girls, and Karl Knerr, Brebeuf Boys, Earn USTFCCCA Indiana COY Awards for XC
Rick Sluder, head coach of the Columbus North girls, and Karl Knerr, head coach of the Brebeuf boys, were named the Indiana Cross Country Coaches of the Year yesterday by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Sluder coached the Columbus North girls to the state championship while Knerr led the Brebeuf boys to the top of the podium in 2021.
For Brebeuf and Coach Knerr, it was their first state title in cross country. They were also the Shelbyville Semi-State Champions after battling early and mid-season injuries to key members. Brebeuf easily outdistanced Hamilton Southeastern 78-117 to take home the trophy.
Coach Knerr is no stranger to the podium with his teams each finishing third the past two years. His senior-dominant team took the next step season over a talented boys field that included several pre-race favorite teams.
Knerr is a multi-time COY winner and nominee in both cross country and track from the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches.
Columbus North girls won the program's second state championship in school history. It was the first for Coach Sluder. The Bull Dogs swept their tournament path this season, including winning the Brown County Semi-State. Columbus North slipped past Carmel 79-92. The two teams had a huge margin over the rest of the podium as the third place Chesterton Trojans scored 221 points.
Coach Sluder has led the Bull Dogs girls to three straight podium finishes. Columbus North has finished 5th-3rd-1st respectively over the past three season. He also co-coached the 2014 Munster boys to a third place finish with Aaron Brown.
One boys coach and one girls coach from 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, were honored for their successes during the fall of 2021, as selected by a committee of experts from around the nation.
QUICK LINKS: Boys Coaches of the Year | Girls Coaches of the Year
State-by-state winners were selected based on their teams' performances throughout the 2021 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.