Columbus North head cross-country coach Rick Sluder, center, talks with assistant coaches Rick Weinheimer, left, and Kyle Burton before the start of the Cross Country State Finals Nov. 2, 2024 at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute.
Rob Baker | For The Republic
Two weeks ago, Rick Sluder was named US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Indiana Coach of the Year for boys cross-country.
Last week, Sluder was announced as the national award winner by the same organization.
Sluder, who led Columbus North to the boys cross-country state title in November and a ninth-place finish in the Nike Cross Nationals in December, was chosen from among the 51 state winners (from the 50 states and D.C.). The USTFCCCA looks at teams’ seasons from one year to the next, along with margins of victory and invitational and state titles when picking coaches of the year.
“Winning a coach of the year is unbelievable, and that’s a big thrill, but when they told me I was national coach of the year, just honestly, I couldn’t believe it,” Sluder said. “It’s just the kind of award you don’t think is going to come your way ever. I was just stunned an excited for our program and so grateful for all the hard work the coaching staff put in and the kids put in. Our parents, our coaches and our athletes, the amount of time they put in is unbelievable, and that’s why we are able to do what we do.”
Rick Sluder
Previously, Sluder had won the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches of the Year award for boys in 2104 after leading Munster to a close third-place team finish at state. He won the IATCCC and USTFCCCA Coach of the Year awards after leading North to the girls state title in 2021.
Sluder was in his empty classroom at North High School on Martin Luther King Day waiting to start conditioning for his track and field athletes when he received a call saying he was going to win the national award.
“I was shocked,” Sluder said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was sitting down in my room when they called and said we had won. I was just speechless. How do you put into words that somebody thinks your program was good enough to be ranked that high? I still can’t believe it. You’re sitting here in Columbus, Indiana, and they think that your program deserves coach of the year recognition. It’s pretty cool.”
Meanwhile, Sluder’s runners have been showing the dedication that has led to their success by getting in their workouts, despite the foot of snow and sub-freezing temperatures.
“They’re all doing like three-mile chunks as much as they can,” Sluder said. “They’re all getting outside. Obviously, (Sunday) was really hard. We have an online logbook, and most of them are telling me they’re able to get out some.”
