The United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has announced their Cross Country Coaches Of The Year for the state of Florida.
Earning the honor on girls' side is Steinbrenner's Ladd Baldwin. Baldwin guided the Warriors to the 4A Cross Country Finals championship over two-time defending champions Winter Park. The victory marked the first time in school history and an improvement on their 12th place finish from 2016 with a team average of 19:12.
We were there with an ecstatic coaching staff and group of girls after they found out they had clinched the title.
On the boy's side, the award went to a pair of coaches from Trinity Prep. Ken Vinal a mainstay in the Saint's program was at the helm until midway through the season and then took a leave of absence due to personal reasons. In stepped, Mike Hill, a teacher at the school, and a familiar face to the cross country running world as a state championship winning coach from Winter Park, and meet timer.
The Saints arguably had the toughest battle on their hands at state with the likes of Bolles and Satellite nipping at their heels. Trinity Prep edged out both programs by the narrowest of margins and showed their winning ways by tallying their 4th 2A title in a row and one of the best team averages in state history, under 16 minutes.