Former Waukon cross country runners reflect on the 25th anniversary of rare double State Championships won by girls and boys teams during 1993 season


Rare double championship won 25 seasons ago ... Members of the Waukon girls and boys cross country teams pose for a combined team photo after both teams ran to their respective Class 2A State Championships in Fort Dodge October 30, 1993. Only eight other programs in the nearly 100-year history of the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships have accomplished State Championship team wins by both their girls and boys teams in the same season. Pictured above, left to right, are: Front row - Waukon girls team members Tara (Lyons) Stein, Denise (Hammel) Reinhardt, Dacia (Berger) Regan, Deb Meyer, Kathy Hoisington and Jessie (Regan) Keenan. Back row - Waukon boys cross country coach Harlan Heidelbauer and team members Mike Cunningham, Chris Hoisington, Brian Egan, Adam Kolsrud, Kevin Egan, Joey Zimmerli, Jeff DeBuhr and Nick Nordheim, and Waukon girls cross country coach Don Steffens. Photo submitted by Harlan Heidelbauer.

This past fall marked the fifth consecutive season the Waukon High School cross country program has most recently been represented at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet. The Indian girls have represented that program in each of the last two seasons and the Waukon boys team earned that honor of season grand finale qualification the three seasons prior to that, each ending multiple-season absences from that ultimate destination.

The 2018 season completed this past fall also represented the 25th anniversary of a very rare achievement accomplished by the Waukon distance dandies, as it was 25 years ago that both the boys and girls teams not only competed together at the State Cross Country Meet but also ran to their respective Class 2A State Championships at that 1993 season grand finale. That dual title run not only marked the first state championships for either team, but also the first team State Championships in Waukon High School’s history and a rare accomplishment that only five other schools had achieved previously and only three have accomplished since. Three of those other schools have accomplished that “twin title” history multiple times, making for a total of 14 such achievements in the nearly 100-year history of the Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet since it began in 1922.

LADIES FIRST
Under the direction of Coach Don Steffens, the 1993 Waukon cross country girls rode a late-season wave of momentum to consecutive wins at the Northeast Iowa Conference Meet, their Class 2A District Meet and the Class 2A State Meet. Book-ended by the grade spectrum of the results leadership of freshman Tara Lyons (now Stein) and the upperclassman leadership of senior Dacia Berger (now Regan), the Lady Indians benefited from contributions from all grade levels, as juniors Kathy Hoisington and Jessie Regan (now Keenan) and the sophomore pair of Denise Hammel (now Reinhardt) and Deb Meyer all gelled together with the Lyons and Berger spectrum extreme to win what has been the only State Cross Country championship in the history of the program thus far.

An abundance of members of that group also served as the foundation to a series of additional State Meet qualifications for the Waukon girls cross country program. Although attempts were made by teammates and coach to contact all members of that State Championship team for reflection on their historical achievement, only four out of the six shared their thoughts, along with their head coach.

“Our cross country team that year ran OK up to the Northeast Iowa Conference Meet but nothing overwhelming - we placed well in various meets but did not win any of the well-known, tough meets,” Coach Steffens reflected. “We ran as individuals - not as a team. I said to our runners just before the Conference Meet, ‘You guys do not know what you can accomplish if you run as a complete, totally focused team.’  They put it together and we won the last three meets of the season: the Conference, the District, and finally the State Meet. Winning a State Meet greatly helped develop future successes in girls cross country at Waukon High School. And winning the State Meet on that day, I think, inspired the boys cross country team to win their division also - a first of many championships to come to Waukon boys cross country.”

The former Tara Lyons was just a freshman on that 1993 girls State Championship team, but she led the Lady Indians to their only State Championship in team history with a third-place individual finish. She also ran to All-State honors with a 10th-place finish in her sophomore season in 1994 in further helping the Lady Indians to a string of consecutive State Meet qualifications during her high school career.

Now Tara Stein, her cross country experience at Waukon High School has come full circle in recent years, as she currently coaches within the program that she was once a part of as a runner. Stein became the head coach of the Waukon boys cross country team in 2011 and has built the program back up from a team that had just four total runners in her first season at the helm to being a State Meet qualifier in three consecutive seasons from 2014 through 2016.

“The 1993 season was the first time that I competed at the State CC Meet,” Stein recalls. “It was a very cold day. If I remember correctly, it was 10 degrees with wind chill and snow flurries. I feel that there was not a lot known about our team nor were we predicted to place very high, but when it was all said and done we were State Champs. We went from not winning a single regular season meet to winning the Big Three - Conference, District and State.

“Our goal was much like any other team competing at State, which was to go out and run our best race of the season and leave it all out on the course. I remember Dacia (Berger Regan) saying after she finished - I believe it was 73rd - how proud she was of it. Our girls team was the first team in school history to win a State Title. Yes, the boys followed suit and were State Champs in 1993 as well, but we ran first and knew that we had won before the boys race even started.”

Denise Hammel Reinhardt was a sophomore on the Indians’ first-ever State Championship team, finishing behind Lyons in helping lead the distance Tribe to its historic title. Reinhardt is married and has two children, ages 13 and 11. She is currently living on an acreage south of Spring Grove, MN and employed in the accounting field.

“Being at the State Meet in 1993 was a great experience and opportunity,” Reinhardt shared. “It was a cold day and I remember my mom and dad had a camcorder, a very big, put it on your shoulder camcorder. Funny how times have changed. We had a great team and ran our hearts out with a won’t quit attitude which I know still reflects my personality and life to this day.

“I don’t think I realized what an accomplishment it was to qualify and win the State Meet until we got back to Waukon that night. The welcome from the community and parents was nothing short of exceptional and I have fond memories of my years with the team.”

She shared that her family spends most of its time at the children’s various sporting events. “Taylor is in trap shooting and basketball, and Troy is a football and basketball player,” she offered. “In our downtime we spend a lot of time outdoors, riding ATVs, cutting wood and doing a little traveling.”

The former Dacia Berger was the lone senior and the fifth runner for the Lady Indians on their 1993 State Championship team, with only the top four runners for each team being counted toward the initial team score at that time. She currently still lives in the Waukon area with her husband, Brian Regan, and she works part-time as an RN with Gundersen but spends most of her time home with her six children, who range in ages from 22 to two years old.

“I started running cross country my junior year, it was my senior year when we won State,” Regan noted. “It was the day before Halloween and it was freezing!  The spectators were wearing snowsuits and boots, and there were flurries. I remember we were all bundled up in layers waiting for our turn to run, just trying to stay warm.  Then it was time; the sound of the gun, the beginning of the race, it was so cold! As the cold air filled my lungs, I had to remind myself to relax my breathing. Soon the mass of girls separated and we all fell into our individual pace. Soon I didn’t feel cold anymore, only excitement and these increased bursts of energy as I was cheered on by people I knew.

“This was my final race, I wanted to beat my personal best time, as I did every time I competed. There were five of us competing, the first four counted. The fifth runner came into play if there was a tie... I was the fifth runner. I knew my role, my purpose; I needed to beat all of the other fifth runners. Crossing the finish line, I realized instantly that I had indeed beat my personal best time, and had come in 73rd. That may not sound too good, but I remember telling Coach Steffens that I was darn proud of that... as I had also beaten all the other fifth runners. My placing wasn’t needed, as the other girls did their jobs as well, which made us 2A State Champions!

“So many friendships and memories were made from these two years running with these girls, you become a tight-knit group. One of the best memories I have is right around Homecoming we talked Coach Steffens into going for a ride with us in this old brown station wagon I used to drive. We proceeded to do a Chinese fire drill at the stoplights, he just sat in the second seat in the middle giggling, with his head down and his arms crossed. Cross country is a great sport, one I hope some of my kids will enjoy as much as I did.”

The former Jessie Regan was a junior on that State Championship team and served as the number-six alternate runner in case any of the top-five could not perform. She has since married Jerry Keenan and has worked in the administrative offices at her hometown alma mater. They are parents of four children, all of whom have run or are currently running cross country for the same Waukon program she contributed to.

“State cross country is an amazing experience, the number of people and excitement from the crowd is amazing. It made it really special that the boys and girls were both State Champs at the same time since we really are like one team.” Keenan shared. “I am happy to say that I have gotten to continue to be a part of the Waukon cross Country team with all four of my kids running.”

BOYS FOLLOW GIRLS’ LEAD, BUT ESTABLISH THEIR OWN DYNASTY
The Waukon boys cross country program had established a somewhat familiar presence at the season grand finale prior to its historic 1993 finish, having qualified for the State Cross Country Meet in seven seasons prior, beginning in 1979 and including consecutive qualifications in the four seasons prior to that first-ever State title. That championship season would not only continue a streak of what would turn out to be 17 consecutive State Meet qualifications that ranks sixth all-time for Iowa high school boys cross country, but would also provide the foundational building block for seven State Championships, the fifth most in Iowa high school boys cross country history, including five in a row from 1995-1999 that ranks second all-time in that same realm, the other and most recent title for the Waukon boys coming in 2002.

Combine with those championship results the fact that the Indian boys have also garnered five State Runner-Up finishes in their history, and those 12 total top-two finishes rank fourth among Iowa high school boys cross country programs. In fact, the Tribe’s runner-up finishes in 1992, 1994 and 2000 were just shy of adding another three opportunities for what could have been a streak of nine consecutive championships, the other two runner-up efforts coming consecutively in 1989 and 1990.

Furthering the Indians’ dominance of the 1990s decade is the fact that they still hold the all-time Iowa high school boys cross country record for the best team score at the State Meet, the 1996 champions tallying just 29 team points. The foundation of all that success also has his name etched among the Iowa high school boys cross country record books, as former head coach Harlan Heidelbauer guided the Indians to all seven of their State Cross Country Championships thus far, a number that ranks second all-time behind the nine won by former Marion head coach Les Hipple.

“The 1993 boys cross country team was made up of a group of very dedicated seniors who were outstanding leaders and true competitors and a group of very talented underclassmen that hated to lose and loved to compete,” Coach Heidelbauer said. “This group of runners continued to improve because they were a very close group with high goals, good attitudes and had a true love for running. The State Championships that they won were not as important as the fact that they were great young men who grew up to be outstanding adults, good fathers and husbands and good Christian men. As a coach I am very proud of what this group accomplished as runners and the standards they set for the future runners in our cross country program.”

That combination of outstanding senior leadership and young talent was headlined by seniors Adam Kolsrud and Kevin Egan, with the freshman trio of Mike Cunningham, Chris Hoisington and Nick Nordheim solidifying the other end of the grade spectrum of combined success. Juniors Brian Egan and Joey Zimmerli, along with sophomore Jeff DeBuhr, also added their talents to that championship effort. All eight of those team members were contacted by teammates and their former coach, with six of them offering their reflections, along with their head coach.

Kevin Egan was one of just two seniors competing for the Indians on that historical State Championship team, finishing as the Tribe’s number-three runner in 14th place in that Class 2A State Meet field of scored runners. He and his wife, Stephanie - who is a high school cross country coach, live in Ottawa Hills, OH with their two boys, Sage, age 13, and Kaed, age 10, both of whom are cross country runners. Kevin is an Economics professor at the University of Toledo in Toledo, OH and says he still runs in various 5K and marathon events. “I enjoy the competition,” he said. “Race day is still my favorite and I want to have as many race days as possible.”

“First of all, hats off to the girls team which won their State Championship first,” Egan reminisced. “That was unexpected and really fired us up to go after it and join them. I’d like to also point out the intense rivalry with Decorah. That year before the State Meet we did not win our seven-team conference, we lost to Decorah by two points. I believe they beat us at the District meet too and every other meet during the season. On the van ride to State, I remember talking with Adam (Kolsrud) and Coach Heidelbauer about how we can beat Decorah because if we beat them we are probably State Champions. We knew we could do it and Coach H always had us peaking at just the right time. Every year we always finished higher at the State Meet than we were ranked to finish. I think that year we were ranked fourth with Decorah ranked first.”

“Also, every team before us was a part of the first victory,” Egan continued. “When we were freshmen and not on varsity, I went with Adam Kolsrud to watch the State Meet, and Waukon and Decorah tied for the victory and Waukon lost the tie-breaker. Our junior years when Adam and I were now varsity runners was when we thought we had a good chance to win the State Meet but we came up short again and our rival Decorah won. For our senior year, Adam and I were the only returning varsity runners. We thought it would be a rebuilding year. But look over Coach H’s entire coaching career with seven state titles and five runner-up finishes and you know he re-builds teams quick. The next year we have three phenomenal freshmen come out: Mike Cunningham, Chris Hoisington and Nick Nordheim, and then Joey Zimmerli and my brother, Brian, stepped up as juniors and suddenly we were back and everybody raced lights out with one goal - beat Decorah, with the State title as the bonus. And, of course, after that the flood gates were opened as Waukon went on to win in 1995, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99 and 2002. Winning was a special memory and especially because I shared it with my brother, Brian. After 25 years people’s life paths diverge but you always have family. Glad we could share that first victory, Brian!”

Adam Kolsrud was the other of those two senior leaders during the distance Tribe’s first-ever State Championship season, actually leading the Indians to that Class 2A crown with his fourth-place team score finish. After graduating from Waukon High School in 1994 and then from Iowa State, he moved to New York City, where he met his wife, Wendy, and in 2007 they moved to Australia, where she is from. He has been working as an architect and living in Melbourne, Australia for the last 11 years with his wife and two children, Kasper and Zadie, who are now 13 and nine years old, respectively.

“What a blur, I cannot believe it’s been 25 years,” Kolsrud shared. “Some memories are very clear from that day, like they just happened; others are quite hazy. I remember a little about the beginning of the race, the starting line of runners seemed wider than other races. There was some jockeying for position and no one wanted to be at the rear. I remember the queasy, anxious feeling in my gut, although it disappeared shortly after the gun went off.

“I have one very clear memory, at one stage relatively late in the race, I looked to my side and saw (Mike) Cunningham inching up next to me. There may have been a smile on his face, maybe a grimace of pain. Moving past the surprise of seeing him, my thought was, ‘I can’t let a freshman beat me at State’, and I tried to speed up to pull away. Then the finish line came up fast.

“I couldn’t tell how far back from the front I was, but knew there wasn’t a huge pack of runners either side of me. As Kevin (Egan) has described our rivalry with Decorah, I knew I was ahead of their number-one runner. While in the finish chute, Coach Heidelbauer was bounding quickly around with an expression of reserved excitement as he was trying to count the Waukon runners’ places to get some indication of our team score.”

“Aside from some random bouts of exercise, I did not continue to run after high school,” Kolsrud further shared and reflected. “It didn’t hold the same degree of importance or necessity as it did in the context of the team or in the spirit of competition. What really stays with me is not just that day, which was a fantastic end to the season for the team; it was the four years leading up to that day. My mom recently sent me a very full binder with data that Coach Heidelbauer would collate for each runner, race times, splits, goals, statistics, information that he would give us over the course of the seasons. While we were all physically fit, we were also mentally and psychologically well prepared. I’m extremely proud and thankful for what Coach Heidelbauer did for us and what we accomplished 25 years ago.”

Mike Cunningham was one of three freshmen who competed on that State Championship squad and who would all contribute to a dynastic three State Championships (1993, 1995 and 1996) and one State Runner-Up finish (by a narrow margin in 1994) during their four-year high school career. He finished right behind Kolsrud in fifth place for team scoring in that 1993 Class 2A field.

“Coach Heidelbauer was a master at getting his teams to peak at the State Meet,” Cunningham praised. “We had an amazing team performance that day with everyone stepping up and probably running a personal best by a considerable amount of time. We had a lot of freshmen running that day but also some great older guys that really helped us stay focused. I ran my personal best as a freshman by close to a minute and ended up finishing ninth (overall). We were very fortunate to run at Waukon and have Coach Heidelbauer leading the program. His passion and commitment to cross country was contagious. He made you want to be the best runner and person you could be.”

Cunningham is now a commercial real estate broker in Des Moines, where he lives with his wife and three-year-old daughter, with their second child due in March. He says he still runs when he gets the chance and has completed several triathlons and an Ironman event. “(Nick) Nordheim is talking smack about the Masters 800 at Drake this year, so I might have to start training more to beat him,” Cunningham noted.

Although Nick Nordheim’s finish at the 1993 State Meet did not count in the final Indian team scoring, he would grow from that learning experience to lead the Indians to their next two State Championships in 1995 and 1996, finishing as the number-two scored runner in the overall Class 2A field in both of those championship seasons. He would also go on to compete for the University of Iowa, and he and his wife, Emily, both teach at Williamsburg High School, where he is also a track and cross country coach for the Raiders. They also have two sons, Nash, age four, and Knox, who is 10 months old.

“I don’t think many people expected us to win that day,” Nordheim reflected. “I believe it was the only meet we actually won all season. We had great senior leaders and obviously a great coach that had us believing we would be at our best that day. I remember it was really cold that day.  After the race I remember Kevin Egan’s face having ice on it and my fingers were too numb to untie my own shoes.  I know Mike and Chris really stepped up as freshmen that day and had the race of their lives. My own performance was OK. I was a little freshman who really had no clue what was going on. I ran well but not as great as most of the other guys did. I remember just being so proud to wear around that bright orange stocking cap and hang around those guys that I looked up to so much.”

As a coach at Williamsburg, Nordheim has elevated that distance program to a consistent contender level at the season grand finale, actually guiding the Williamsburg girls team to a Class 2A State Runner-Up finish this past fall. He has been recognized by the Iowa High School Track and Field Coaches Association with at-large Coach of the Year honors in Class 2A girls cross country each of the last two seasons.

“It blows my mind to think I am typing this in the hotel (because I can’t sleep) as a coach at the State Meet; 25 years after we won that championship I’m still doing the same thing,” Nordheim reflected. “Although, I’m much more nervous now than I ever was as a runner! It’s crazy being the underdogs with a shot at the State title today just the same way we were back in 1993. I’m pretty lucky to still be able to be involved in this great sport.”

Nordheim gives credit to his continued involvement in cross country to his high school coach and continuing mentor. “I’m just really proud to have competed for such a great coach and person in Harlan Heidelbauer,” Nordheim shared. “He was one of my biggest inspirations to become a teacher and coach. 

Some of the best memories I have are from running with those teams from Waukon.  The community support in all sports was amazing and I wouldn’t trade my high school memories for anything. I hope my athletes I’m coaching will look back on their high school careers like I do.”
Nordheim says he runs with his teams almost every day throughout the season. He said he also enjoys the occasional 5K and has run one marathon in the Twin Cities.

Chris Hoisington was a third member of that tremendous trio who competed as freshmen on their way to ruling Class 2A. After graduating high school and earning a Business degree from AIB College of Business, he currently works for American Airlines in Des Moines, is married and has two stepchildren and one child of his own.

“That was a very special year for Waukon cross country and myself, personally,” Hoisington noted. “That year broke the ground for Waukon cross country championships and ultimately laid the cement for the Waukon cross country legacy. I, myself, can thank Nick, Mike and my eighth grade football coach, the late Coach Dave Schoeberlein, for being part of the squad. I was really torn on whether to run or stay out for football in high school. Nick convinced Mike and myself to run, and well, the rest is history as they say. The year started slow, we didn’t really know how good this team was going to be. Coach H had a rule at the time, ‘No freshmen can run varsity the first meet’, and the next two races were run according to grade level. Once we got into the season, we had two goals that I can remember, make the State Meet and beat Decorah.

“Without the great senior leadership from Adam and Kevin, it would have been a struggle to accomplish either goal. I remember Adam as being the tough love leader and Kevin led by work ethic. Adam was such a smooth runner, which was a joy to watch; he wasn’t afraid to tell you what needs to be done. I needed that as a freshman. Kevin worked his tail off every day, showing us how we needed to work. He was like a little Coach H., he was right there with Coach, knowing all the stats and times and workouts. I will never forget the look on Kevin’s face when the race was over. He knew we had that State Championship before the numbers were even tallied up.

“So, with the senior leadership we had and the brain of Coach H., greatness was born. Coach was a genius on and off the course. He could have coached any sport and made them winners. Aside from having all the workouts planned for the year, he knew when to deviate from them. He knew when we needed a day of light work, even though his chart called for a hard workout. He was so in tune to his runners. I think as great of a coach he was, he was an even better motivator. Coach knew exactly what to say to get us up for every race. I remember most teams would peak for conference and district races, but not Waukon. Coach had us peak twice a year - the Waukon Invite and the State Meet, which I believe was the reason we won the title while the likes of Decorah seemed to struggle that day.

“As a freshman, it was hard to grasp what we had just accomplished. It wasn’t until a few years later when I realized how hard it was to win a title and what it meant to me. I still look back on my sophomore year when we got second by just a few points. Knowing that we were so close, if every runner could have just gained one more spot, the Class of 1997 would have had four straight titles. So, thanks to Adam, Kevin and Coach for getting us over the hump that year and giving Waukon their first of many titles. A special thanks to Nick and Mike for learning from Adam and Kevin and being the leaders we needed the next three years to be the champions. I tried to lead by example, but Nick and Mike were the real leaders after our freshman year.”

Hoisington said he did not continue to run after high school. He also says he will never forget what those high school years and all that he and his teammates accomplished have meant to him.

“I retired my running shoes after my senior year,” he explained. “It wasn’t hard for me to stop running. I didn’t like running, but liked winning, and more importantly, I loved the competition. We had a saying during my high school years, “Compete or Get Beat”, and if I wasn’t able to compete at the top level, I didn’t want to compete. Maybe if I had an Adam, Kevin, Mike or Nick pushing me along after high school, I would have continued to run. I will never forget my years on the cross country team. I may not remember all the details, but I will never forget the guys that made those years so successful. Thank you all again. Without you, I don’t think Waukon CC would be the legacy it still is today.”

Jeff DeBuhr was listed as an alternate runner for the Indians during that 1993 season, the number-eight runner available if any of the top seven were unable to compete in the season grand finale. He is currently a high school math teacher and the head basketball and track coach at Chatfield High School in Chatfield, MN, where he lives with his wife, Niki, and their three children, Calvin, nine; Kira, six; and Abby, three.

“I was the alternate on that team as I was recovering from an ankle injury,” DeBuhr remembered. “Because of that, I got to witness the race from an observer’s point of view while also being in on the preparation, warm-up and cool-down/celebration portion as well. I remember watching the finish line and I was trying to keep track of the contending teams. When Mike (Cunningham) came through with a surprising top-10 spot as a freshman and others rolled in, I started to realize we may have won it. It was a mix of excitement and nerves because I was pretty sure we won but was afraid to say it in case I was wrong. When the official results posted, it was a moment of pure joy.”

DeBuhr says his career path was greatly influenced by Coach Heidelbauer. “I wanted to do what he did; he made a difference and I realized I could do that as well,” he said. “I am not a runner today, but I am still involved in it as a track coach. I try to push our kids to compete the way we were taught to.”

“Being a part of that first State Championship team was a great moment for me,” DeBuhr finalized. “I have had the conversation with many of my athletes trying to explain the feeling of being part of something that you had to work so hard for and the pay-off being so great. The feeling is something that you can’t explain, you just know that you want to feel that way again. Finally, I have to say that we ran for our coach. Many of us weren’t passionate about running but we were passionate about running for him.”