NH Coaches Win National Coaches of the Year!

By Jim MacKenzie

MileSplit USA national staffers narrowed down its short list of top five boys coaching programs.  The list was based on criteria gathered from state championships, national-level competition and overall team success balanced through a challenging pandemic strained season. The five programs, others from California, Utah, Colorado, were then put up for a public vote. The result:  MileSplit USA has recognized Coe-Brown Academy’s Tim Cox and Brent Tkaczyk as the 2020 National Coaches of the Year for Boys High School Cross Country.

For over twenty years Tim Cox and Brent Tkaczyk have been coaching both the boys and girls cross country teams together at Coe-Brown.  They have won countless Division II and MOC titles as well as a New England championship.  They have also had National caliber teams including this year’s team (8^th  ranked nationally) along with many individual state champions.

Personally, I am very pleased that Tim and Brent have been acknowledged for their team’s outstanding success this year.  New Hampshire isn’t a very big state.  But in the traditional sense of building a team from what you get for athletes in your own school system.  When it comes to cross country I think per capita Coe-Brown is more than holding their own nationally.

This recognition is only part of a culmination of hard work and selfless dedication that these two devoted coaches have put into their exceptional program. I have watched them work tirelessly throughout their careers to not only make their teams improve but the whole state of New Hampshire and the New England region better.

Tim and Brent live and breathe cross country and it shows in their team’s accomplishments. Not only that, but NH Cross Country/NH Track & Field Websites and Livestreaming would not be at the level that it is today if it weren’t for these two coaches along with many of their assistant coaches and former athletes and friends of Coe-Brown.  They deserve much of the credit.

I congratulate Tim and Brent, their assistant coaches, and both teams on winning such a great national award for not only this year, but for the model program that you’ve built over the years.  You have made New Hampshire very proud.

Editor’s Note:  We did say our previous post was the final one for 2020, but when something special like this happens for NH, we thought we would make an exception!