Athletics
Sports

Cross Country

Head Coach: Anne Wardecke (STM ’11) – wardeckea@tmore.org
Assistant Coach: Drew Wilson – wilsona@tmore.org

Q&A with Coach Anne Wardecke (STM ’11)

List of 4 items.

  • How can an 8th grader prepare to join your program?

    The best way to prepare for Cross Country is to start running! Focus on your mechanics as you run. It’s important to learn to run properly from the start to avoid issues later on. If you want a personalized workout plan, feel free to reach out and I would love to work with you.
  • What is one thing you hope athletes take away from a season with you?

    I hope that athletes can take away a feeling of pride and accomplishment at the end of a season. Cross Country requires a tremendous amount of physical endurance and mental strength. I hope that even after the season, they can use those strengths in all aspects of their life.
  • Why do you love coaching at STM?

    I ran at STM all four years of my high school career. Some of my fondest memories are from those seasons and some of the greatest life lessons came from my coaches and the work that I put in to the seasons. I love coaching here at STM because it allows me to give back and pass on some of these things to the next generation of Cavaliers. STM has the best students and the Cross Country team is the cream of the crop. I am proud to coach them and an immerse them in decades of a proud tradition.
  • How would you describe the atmosphere and fellowship among your runners?

    The atmosphere of the Cross Country team is very unique. I believe that going through hardships with someone automatically brings those people closer. So naturally, after a hill workout in “death valley,” a speed workout at Tippecanoe Park, or a distance run out to College Avenue, the team is quite close. There is friendly competition between runners, of course. We set goals before each meet and those goals are often to outrun a teammate or beat someone else’s personal record. However, at the end of a race, after giving it their all, there is nothing but support and congratulations regardless of who has the fastest time in the end.

State Qualifiers

List of 11 items.

  • 2023

    Alex Arndt (STM '24) - 17:01.1, 35th Place
  • 2022

    John Paul Meer (STM ’23) - 18:18.1, 101st Place
  • 2016

    Franny Hamilton (STM ’17) – 20:51, 61st Place
  • 2015

    Franny Hamilton (STM ’17) – 20:53, 65th Place
  • 2009

    Chris Rolling (STM ’11) – 17:35, 52nd Place
  • 2006

    Nick Szczech (TM ’07) – 16:09, 2nd Place
    Rehan Mahmood (TM ’07) – 17:04, 25th Place
  • 2005

    Nick Szczech (TM ’07) – 16:40, 7th Place
    Rehan Mahmood (TM ’07) – 17:03, 16th Place
  • 2004

    Nick Szczech (TM ’07) – 17:33, 43rd Place
    Rehan Mahmood (TM ’07) – 18:13, 84th Place
  • 2003

    Paul Spillane (TM ’06) – 17:35, 76th Place
  • 2002

    Jonathan Morales (TM ’04) – 17:44, 67th Place
  • 2000

    Laura Weber (TM ’01) – 15:51 (4K) , 28th Place
    Boys Team – 8th Place
    Jason Adyniec (TM ’01) – 17:22, 55th Place
    Joel Franco (TM ’01) – 17:25, 61st Place
    Brian Rott (TM ’02) – 17:32, 64th Place
    Jonathan Morales (TM ’04) – 17:51, 75th Place
    Josh Bobinski (TM ’02) – 17:53, 78th Place
    Billy Walden (TM ’02) – 18:04, 87th Place
    Adan Franco (TM ’03) – 18:14, 97th Place
    Dan Steffes (TM ’03) – Alternate

Team Accolades

Season: Fall

Conference Champions (Boys): 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1998

Sectional Champions (Boys): 2000 

State Runner-Up (Boys): 1975, 1982, 1985, 1986

State Champions (Boys): 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981
St. Thomas More is a Catholic, coeducational high school that inspires students to embrace the values of our Patron Saint by becoming men and women for all seasons. Rooted in Christ and the Catholic tradition, the school community embodies the principles of Christian discipleship, service to others, and academic excellence.

Thank you to Visual Image Photography and ValerieAnn Photography for capturing many of the photos on tmore.org.
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