Waukon girls cross country team returns six letterwinners for first-year coach Brett Egan


Left to right - Front row: Alex Marti, Leah Riese, Dani Stock, Grace Blocker. Back row: Katelynn Griffith, Melissa Hammel, Emily Hammel, Liz Waters, Gabby Marti, Laurel Keenan.

As if returning six varsity letterwinners, including five of last season’s top seven runners, would not be enough cause for optimism for the 2014 Waukon girls cross country team, add in the fact that they get to draw from the experience of one of Waukon High School’s most decorated distance runners to further that optimism.
Brett Egan, a 2009 Waukon High School graduate and school record holder for Waukon boys cross country’s 5K distance, as well as Waukon boys track and field’s 3200 meter and 1600 meter distances, will begin his first season at the helm of the Waukon girls cross country program. Egan’s distance running experience includes being a 1600 meter high school state champion and 3200 meter state runner-up in his senior season, as well as being a Northeast Iowa Conference and District Champion in cross country before placing fourth at the State Meet his senior season.
Egan then furthered his decorated distance running career by competing at the University of Northern Iowa in both cross country and track and field, where he earned All-Conference and All-District accolades as well at that next level of competition. “My biggest asset that I bring to this coaching experience is my involvement in competitive running for over ten years,” Coach Egan said.
The first-year coach hopes to translate what he learned and accomplished as a distance runner into a program for success for the first varsity athletes he has ever coached in that same capacity. “In an era of instant gratification, my approach is to instill in the team that their goals can be achieved, but it will take a tremendous amount of dedication and effort,” Egan said. “My philosophy towards training is that each practice has a specific purpose towards the girls reaching their goals. Whether it is an easy run or a tough workout, the girls need to understand how the training is working.”
Benefiting from Egan’s vast array of distance running success will be a group of 10 young ladies from the freshman through senior ranks, with the aforementioned six returning veterans looking to headline that crew. Those six returning letterwinners include senior Melissa Hammel, juniors Alex Marti and Leah Riese, and sophomores Grace Blocker, Katelynn Griffith and Liz Waters.
“I look to the experienced girls to help lead practice and set a positive tone for practice for the freshmen and even junior high runners,” Coach Egan explained. “The culture of the program centers on the leadership, and the returning letter winners are our program’s leaders.”
Junior Emily Hammel also returns as a varsity letterwinner from two seasons ago as a freshman. The freshman trio of Laurel Keenan, Gabby Marti and Dani Stock round out this season’s small and overall young squad.
“One aspect that separates running from other sports is that there can be vocal leaders and those who lead by example,” Coach Egan reasoned. “I am looking for girls who are willing to step out of their comfort zone as the season progresses to see where their legs and determination can take them. If I can get a few girls to take a lead on the course, it will set a strong example for the other runners.”
The six veteran returnees include five runners who paced the Indians to a fifth-place finish at last year’s Northeast Iowa Conference Meet and ninth place at the Tribe’s Class 2A State Qualifying Meet. Those five returning late-season contributors leave two open spots remaining to be filled within this year’s varsity top-seven.
“We need to find two girls who can fill in at the varsity level,” Coach Egan said. “In addition, Grace Blocker is currently recovering from a hamstring injury. Hopefully, she will be back in top form by conference. I am looking to the new group of freshmen to fill in some roles at the varsity level.”
Although this year’s squad of just 10 high school competitors is not an ideal situation, Coach Egan says the philosophy of “bigger is better” doesn’t necessarily always apply. “I can say having more girls on the team would be a benefit, but I am focused on developing the girls who have made the commitment to the program,” he said. “The program can only make progress with athletes who can work as a team. The biggest positive is that I can see both the commitment and teamwork in these girls that will move the program in a positive direction this season.”
This year’s small collection of participants also makes staying healthy a top priority for the Indians. “With a small roster and some varsity positions to fill, a major key to having success during the season is avoiding injuries,” Coach Egan stated. “Our team will not be able to sub in another runner at a conference or district meet later this fall.”
Coach Egan has already noted a handful of early-season bright spots, as Riese has already assume the front-running role she played for the Indians last season, narrowly missing All-Conference honors by just a single place and State Meet qualification by just a handful more. “Based on a few practices, I have been extremely impressed with the work ethic of Leah Riese,” the first-year head coach said. “She is an extremely hard-working individual and I am looking for steady improvement from her as the season progresses. Alex Marti, who started as a manager last season, looks to build from a great summer of running to help lead our team. Her sister, Gabby, a freshman, is a new addition to the team and she could find herself battling for a varsity position. Those three could become strong leaders for our team.”
Much like the foundation of success that Egan built as a runner himself, therein lies his philosophy on team goals and what will determine a successful season for the charges under his direction. “I want the girls to have a positive experience through their participation in cross country,” he said. “If each girl sees improvement in times over the course of the year, I can ask for nothing more for the outcome of the season. The team success will come after the girls start to see the work they are putting in at practice pay off in meets. Each girl’s improvement helps define the level of success of our program, from our number-one runner to the seventh grade level.”
Although Egan will be entering his first season at the Waukon girls cross country helm, he will still be able to borrow from the past coaching experience of former Waukon girls cross country coach Mike Shupe. Shupe will serve as a volunteer assistant coach this season, having coached the Waukon girls program for four seasons, beginning in 2008. “I am grateful for his guidance and mentoring he has provided,” Coach Egan said.
Even though Egan is only in his first season at the Waukon helm, he is already privy to the perennial performance of neighboring Decorah’s cross country program, listing them as this season’s odds-on favorite within the Northeast Iowa Conference. “Decorah is the returning state champ and has built a strong tradition of success,” Egan said. “Charles City will also have a quality team after a second-place finish at Conference last year.”
Egan is also aware that as a new coach coming into a large group of competitors with previous experience he will have some work to do not only training his team in just the physical aspects of distance running, but also in the mental approach. Thus far in the season’s early going, he is pleased to see the response to his training methods.
“Through the beginning of the season, I have been pleasantly surprised with the girls’ willingness to buy into the new training program,” he said. “I am asking a lot from the girls in respect to asking them to trust a new coach and training program. I am excited with their progress so far, but more enthusiastic for the improvement to come.”
That quest for improvement was scheduled to get underway for the Indians at the Oelwein Invitational Tuesday, September 2. The Tribe will then prepare for the Tuesday, September 9 Waverly-Shell Rock Invitational.