Girls' cross country coach of the year

MAX OLIVER

PINE CREEK

Years coaching: 14

Years at school: 9

Reason behind coaching: He ran in high school, college and in the Army. When he retired, he started teaching and coaching.

Day job: Physics teacher

Family: Wife (Wanda), son (Chad, 28) and daughter (Koren, 26)

Hometown: Spokane, Wash.

Alma mater: Eastern Washington

Favorite moment as a coach: Pine Creek’s first race of the year, when the Eagles finished runner-up to Highlands Ranch. That performance proved they had a chance to be pretty good.

Easiest way to find your doghouse: “I always try to be positive when dealing with athletes. Not that I won’t point out wrongdoing in a very direct manner.”

Key to winning: “What we do is concentrate on performance. It’s a team sport, but I want each kid to be able to say when they cross the line that they performed well. We don’t focus so much on time because there are always variables like weather or the venue. I just want each runner to run well, and I think that takes some of the pressure off.”

From a player’s eyes: “He really taught me that hard work pays off. I’m not a typical runner build and training to become a varsity runner was a really big challenge. He made me want to work harder each day.”
— Karrissa Dietz, senior