Award History
USTFCCCA TF High School National COY2024 USTFCCCA National High School Track & Field Coaches of the Year
“Act like you’ve been there before” is the adage.
That’s easy to do for the girls team from Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after it won its third consecutive LHSAA Class 5A state title. The Hornets ran roughshod over the competition at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium, winning by 32 points thanks to five event titles, including Sade Gray’s sweep of the 100 and 200 meters. Gray was also a member of the victorious 4×100 and 4×400 relays, the latter of which shattered a 22-year-old state record.
But what about the boys team from Fishers High School in Fishers, Indiana, which reigned at the IHSAA State Track & Field Championships for the first time in program history? The Tigers weren’t even supposed to contend for a state title, yet their athletes delivered when it mattered. In fact, according to pre-meet seeding, Fishers was only supposed to score one point from the discus, 4×100 and 4×800 relays. The Tigers ended up compiling 24 from those events alone.
Based on each team’s success at their respective state meets, as well as throughout the 2024 outdoor season, Ursula Harris and Nathan Warnecke were named the National High School Track & Field Coaches of the Year Presented by the United States Marine Corps by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday. Harris is the second honoree from Louisiana in award history, while Warnecke is the first from Indiana.
Scotlandville got stronger as the postseason progressed. After winning the 4-5A District title by just one point over rival St. Joseph’s High School – a meet that came down to the climactic 4×400 relay – the Hornets topped them by 21 points at the Region II-5A Championships and then finished 43 points ahead of them at state (Barbe took runner-up honors). A closer look at its region crown shows that Scotlandville won eight event titles with a clean sweep of the sprints, hurdles and sprint relays.
Fishers had to exorcise a demon named Hamilton Southeastern High School in order to capture the biggest laurel. The Tigers finished runner-up to the rival Royals at both the Section 11 and Region 3 Championships in the lead up to the state meet. Fishers, led by Tyler Tarter, left nothing to chance in Bloomington. Tarter was the Man of the Hour for the Tigers, as he won both the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles and led off the sixth-place 4×400 relay team. Fishers also got standout performances from both Joel Gates and JonAnthony Hall, who finished second in the discus and long jump, respectively.
Harris and Warnecke will be feted in December at the annual USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Florida.
About the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is proud to recognize the role of coaches, educators, mentors, and parents who inspire the fighting spirit found in current Marines and the future leaders of our force. Whether your interest lies in helping us identify high-achieving students and athletes or inviting us to help you motivate students and steer them toward success, we would like to get to know you. As you hear more about our purpose, you’ll find that becoming a Marine is a noble path and demanding journey reserved for those with the willingness to engage and determination to defeat all mental, moral, and physical requirements. In or out of uniform, it’s the fighting spirit found inside every Marine that drives them to victory.
To learn more about the United States Marine Corps, click here.