PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Campbell, Calvert selected as state’s coaches of the year

Cold Springs’ Clay Campbell and St. Bernard’s William Calvert have been named the state’s high school cross country coaches of the year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Campbell earned the accolade on the boys side Friday following a dream season for the Eagles that ended with the first boys state title in Cullman County history. Calvert was the winner of the girls honor after the Lady Saints completed a perfect campaign with the school’s first state championship in nearly 90 years.

Both longtime leaders and local sporting stalwarts are now in the running for the USTFCCCA’s inaugural national cross country coach of the year awards, which will be revealed next week.

“High school coaches have a profound impact on young athletes’ lives,” chief executive officer Sam Seemes said in a USTFCCCA press release. “For so many runners, their high school cross country coach is the person who opened the world of running to them.”

Cold Springs and St. Bernard aren’t expected to miss a beat next fall.

The Eagles will return their entire top five, inlcuding state runner-up Jared Stanley.

The Lady Saints, who touted the Class 1A-2A individual state champion in eighth-grader Ivy Edge, will lose a single senior. It’s a big one, though, considering Ayleana Mami’s career contributions as one of the program’s two charter members.