The Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA) held its annual clinic and awards dinner in Columbia in December. MTCCCA hands out various awards, including Coach of the Year honors. Coach of the Year awards were handed out in each gender and class for cross country and track and field. The awards go to the member head coach of the top finishing team at the state meets.
Samer Zoughaib, Valle Catholic (Ste. Genevieve)
Coach Samer Zoughaib's 2022 girls' track and field squad continued Valle Catholic's recent state meet success. The Lady Warriors from Ste. Genevieve racked up 41 points to take 2nd at the Class 1 state track and field meet in May. Valle Catholic shined in the long sprints, and middle and distance events to take runner-up, just 5 points behind winner Drexel. Valle was led by Samantha Loida, Camryn Basler, and Madelyn Griffard. The Lady Warriors were 2nd in the 4x800 and Loida won the 800-meters.
Matt Keraus, North Platte (Dearborn)
The North Platte Lady Panthers owned the 2022 Class 2 state track and field meet, earning Matt Keraus Coach of the Year honors. A year after scoring 58 points and taking 2nd to STEAM Academy at McCluer South Berkeley, North Platte claimed the top prize. The Panthers dominated the sprints and sprint relays to total 71 points, for a 23-point victory. North Platte won the 4x100 and 4x200 while taking 2nd in the 4x400. Junior Olivia Rogers won the 100 and 200 as the Panthers racked up 37 points in the 100, 200, and 400-meter dashes.
Larry Minner, Westminster Christian (Town and Country)
Westminster Christian Academy head coach Larry Minner Sr. was a double winner at MTCCCA, taking home the girls' and boys' Class 3 Coach of the Year honors after the Wildcats claimed both the girls' and boys' state titles last May.
The girls returned three of their four athletes from the 2021 state runner-up 4x400 squad, but also added some great pieces. The biggest of those pieces arrived from North St. Louis County and Trinity Catholic High School, which closed after the 2021 school year. Coach Glen Norwood, Brooke Moore, and Sydney Burdine gave Westminster a force. Minner's Wildcats rolled to a great season and a big state win. Westminster totaled 70 points to claim the Class 3 state crown by 23 points. Moore totaled 34 points herself. The senior won the 100-hurdles, long jump, and triple jump, and was 5th in the 100-meters.
Ryan Banta, Parkway Central (Chesterfield)
Parkway Central alum Ryan Banta earned the Class 4 Coach of the Year award shortly before he was inducted into the MTCCCA Hall of Fame for his duties at his alma mater. A year after his Lady Colts were 5 points behind winner Trinity Catholic at the 2021 Class 4 state track and field meet, Parkway Central ran away with the 2022 state title. Central ruled the sprints, sprint relays, and hurdles. Led by Kayelyn Tate, Nnenna Okpara, and Skyye Lee, Parkway Central finished with 78 points for a 26-point margin of victory. Tate and Okpara went 1-2 in the 200, Lee won both hurdle races, and Central won the 4x200 and 4x400.
Tiffany Spain, Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis)
Cardinal Ritter College Prep head coach Tiffany Spain led the Lady Lions to their second straight Class 5 state title. Cardinal Ritter was Championship Factored up to Class 5 in 2021 and ended Lee's Summit West's streak of four straight state titles, edging West by six points, 64-58. In 2022, Ritter was even better. Spain's daughter Kyndall joined the team as a freshman in 2022, and she ran to 3rd and 4th place state finishes in the 100 and 300-hurdles. The Lions were led again by sophomore sprint sensation Aniyah Brown, who swept the 100 and 200 for the second straight year. Cardinal Ritter finished with 85.5 points, a nearly 40-point margin ahead of Lee's Summit West and Blue Springs, who tied for 2nd with 46 points.
