Log in

Xavier coach Van Sickle awarded national award

Posted 1/19/20

Dave Van Sickle, cross-country and track coach at Xavier College Preparatory, has been named by the National Federation of State High School Associations National Girls Cross-Country Coach of the Year.

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Xavier coach Van Sickle awarded national award

Posted

Dave Van Sickle, cross-country and track coach at Xavier College Preparatory, has been named by the National Federation of State High School Associations National Girls Cross-Country Coach of the Year.

This award designates Coach Van Sickle among the most elite coaches in the entire country, as well as the state and sectional coach of the year, according to a press release. Honorees were selected based upon their coaching performance, lifetime win/loss record, community and school involvement and philosophy of coaching.

Coach Van Sickle, a winner of numerous awards in his 30 years at Xavier, considers the National Girls Cross-Country Coach of the Year Award his finest honor, as NFHS is the governing body of all high school athletics nationwide.

“I’m thrilled and grateful to be honored by the NFHS --- an organization respected by all coaches. What continues to make my daily 3:45 a.m. wakeup for practice worth it are the students and the lifelong impact of Xavier’s cross country program,” he said in a prepared statement.

“Even today running with my team on the canal in the morning, it is not unusual to come across former students I coached 20-plus years ago. Invariably they will call out to me and say something like, 'Hey coach, I still remember what you taught me. Thank you.'”

Coach Van Sickle’s philosophy of coaching has changed over the years. He started out solely focused on building a team to win state and national championships.

Winning is more common for Xavier student-athletes, but Coach Van Sickle inspires the students to continue their training and maintain athletic fitness long after they graduate from Xavier. Xavier has won 10 state championships since 1995.

Athletic Director and Vice Principal of Activities Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, said Coach Van Sickle is among the school’s and state’s most successful coaches.

“His method of creating individual training plans for student athletes has resulted in the development of hundreds of runners, several of whom have had extraordinary running careers in college and beyond. He knows how to inspire all Xavier runners to perform at their best,” she said in a prepared statement.

“His motivation is infectious and belief in his runners for so many years has given Xavier multiple section, state runner up and state titles. All of us at Xavier are so proud of Coach Van Sickle. He is well-deserving of this prestigious award. Dave has given much of his life helping Xavier student-athletes become successful and confident young women.”