| Walt Drenth |
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Entering his seventh year as Arizona State's head cross country coach and assistant track coach for distance runners, Walt Drenth has already rewritten the record books for Sun Devil cross country, taking ASU's distance corps to heights never seen.
In just six years, Drenth has resurrected ASU's distance squads from the depths of the Pac-10 cellar, to conference and national contention. The 2000 West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, and two-time Women's Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Drenth has laid the groundwork for yet another outstanding season on the track this spring.
Demonstrating Drenth's definitive impact on the track at ASU, 10 distance school records have been set during his tenure, including the men's indoor 5,000m (Fasil Bizuneh, 2000 and then again in 2002), men's indoor distance medley relay (2000), men's outdoor 10,000m (Bizuneh, 2001 and again in 2002), the women's indoor mile (Lisa Aguilera, 2000), the women's indoor 3,000m (Lisa Aguilera, 2002), the women's indoor 5,000m (MacDonald 2000), the women's indoor distance medley relay (2000), the women's outdoor 1,500m (Priscilla Hein, 1999), the women's outdoor 5,000 (MacDonald, 2000) and the women's 3000m steeplechase (MacDonald, 2001).
Since 1997, three Sun Devils have garnered nine All-America honors in distance races, in addition to the men's indoor distance medley relay team in 2000. Kelly MacDonald ended her career in 2001 as a four-time All-American (indoor 5,000m twice, outdoor 5,000m, 3000m steeplechase), while returner Lisa Aguilera has earned honors in the 1500m and indoor mile in 2000, the indoor 3,000m and the outdoor 3,000m SC and returner Fasil Bizuneh in the 10,000m in 2001.
"I went out and recruited Coach Drenth for this position with the vision of ASU cross country becoming a conference and national contender," said ASU head track and field coach Greg Kraft. "That's exactly what has happened. He obviously is one of the hardest working and most knowledgeable middle distance/distance coaches in the country."
The 1999, 2000 and 2001 cross country seasons saw the vision of Drenth and Kraft become reality as the men and women's programs registered their best conference, regional and national team finishes in school history. In 2002, Drenth kept his teams at that higher level with the women second and the men third at the Pac-10 meet and the women tied for 23rd at the NCAA Championships.
Prior to Drenth's arrival in 1996, Arizona State's women had never made a team appearance at nationals, never earned a national ranking and never produced an All-American. For good measure, the Sun Devil women had yet to finish higher than sixth at regionals since 1986 and had only mustered three finishes better than seventh at the Pac-10 Championships.
Enter Coach Drenth, and the ASU women earn five straight top-25 NCAA Championship finishes (1998-02) -- including a school-record sixth-place finish at nationals in 2000 -- earn a national ranking for the first time in '98 -- climbing as high as third in '99 -- and produced three All-America athletes, including Priscilla Hein ('98), Kelly MacDonald ('99) and ASU's first two-time honoree Lisa Aguilera ('00-'01).
The women also recorded a school-record second-place finish at regionals and matched their school-record showing (second in `99) at the Pac-10 Championships in 2000. The team repeated that performance in 2002. Lisa Aguilera, the Pac-10 and West Region Athlete of the Year for women's cross country in 2000, also broke school records with her individual finishes at the NCAA Championships (fifth), regionals (first) and the Pac-10 Championships (second) in 2000.
The revival of ASU's men's program is just as impressive. Like the women's program, ASU's men had never made a team appearance at nationals, had never earned a national ranking, had finished higher than seventh at the Pac-10 Championships only three times and higher than seventh at regionals only once prior to 1996.
But the Sun Devil men made their first appearance at nationals in 1999, finishing 14th with Fasil Bizuneh becoming the third All-American in school history with a 19th-place finish. The Sun Devils were ranked for the first time in 1999, staying in the polls all year and climbing as high as ninth. At regionals, ASU smashed the school record, finishing third, including an individual school record second-place finish by Isaiah Festa.
At the 2001 Pac-10 Championships, ASU broke out with a second-place team finish led by individual runner-up Bizuneh, both school bests. J.J. Duke was named the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year for men's cross country after recording the highest finish for a freshman (15th) at the conference meet. The 2001 season also saw Bizuneh become the first ASU male to earn two All-America honors in cross country, finishing 22nd at the 2001 NCAA Championships. He fell short of his third honor, taking 55th in 2002.
In the classroom, ASU produced its first Verizon Academic All-Americans for cross country during the 2000-01 academic year with Lisa Aguilera earning first-team honors and Garrett Jensen earning second-team acclaim. Aguilera repeated the feat in the 2001-02 season. Mary Duerbeck also joined Aguilera and Jensen as Academic All-District first-team selections. On the track in 2001, Fasil Bizuneh was selected to the Academic All-District second-team, while Aguilera earned first-team All-District honors and third-team Academic All-America honors.
During Drenth's six years at ASU, 19 harriers have earned first or second-team Pac-10 All-Academic acclaim in cross country, while the 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 women's cross country teams were named Academic All-America squads by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association.
Such success may be new to ASU, but not to Drenth, who has been a head cross country coach for 17 seasons. He has been honored as a conference coach of the year nine times (including back-to-back Pac-10 Women's Coach of the Year honors in 1999 and 2000) and district coach of the year four times, while taking 12 teams to the NCAA Championships, and capturing seven conference championships and two district crowns. In addition, he has tutored eight cross country and 18 All-Americans on the track.
Before coming to Tempe, Drenth led the William & Mary Tribe to five Colonial Athletic Association cross country titles and two track and field crowns in six years (1990-95). He was named CAA Cross Country Coach of the Year on five occasions, including each of his last four seasons in Williamsburg. He was also tabbed as District II Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1995. W&M was the District II champion in cross country in 1990.
Drenth's harriers also fared well at the NCAAs. The Tribe took 15th at the national meet in 1990, finished 18th in 1994 and placed 17th in 1995. Drenth tutored two All-America harriers in Paul Vandegrift in 1990 and Steven Swift in 1991.
On the track, Drenth led William & Mary to two CAA titles, in 1992 and 1993. He tutored five All-America distance runners in his six seasons in Williamsburg, including 1991 NCAA 1,500 meter runner-up Vandegrift. One of Drenth's other All-Americas, Brian Hyde, represented the U.S. in the 1,500m at the 1995 World Championships and the 1996 Olympic Games. Drenth has coached four additional Olympic Trials qualifiers. Drenth also coached three IC4A champions and three runners-up.
Prior to his stint at William & Mary, Drenth was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at his alma mater, Central Michigan, from 1985-90.
He was named District IV Coach of the Year in 1989 after leading CMU to the District IV title. He led the Chippewas to two Mid-American Conference titles, in 1988 and 1989. He was named MAC Cross Country Coach of the Year both years. Drenth also led CMU to three successive Central Collegiate Conference titles from 1987-89, and was selected Central Collegiate Cross Country Coach of the Year all three years. He coached two All-Americas on the track.
Before heading back to CMU, Drenth was an assistant coach at two Michigan high schools, Charlevoix and Ypsilanti.
Drenth was the Meet Director at six CAA Cross Country Championships. He also co-directed the Colonial Relays on seven occasions and was the Co-Meet Director of the IC4A Championships in 1992.
Drenth earned his bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from Central Michigan in 1981 and his master's in physical education from CMU in 1990. Drenth and his wife, Cara, have two children, Emma (11) and Gerrit (8).
