The Tulip City High School Cross Country Coaches have been recognized among their peers for their teams’ success in 2021.
Pella Head Coach Doug Cutler and Pella Christian Head Coach Mike Buchheit both won Boys At-Large Coach of the Year honors in Class 3A and 1A respectively from the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association.
Cutler has now been recognized by fellow coaches from around the state as a Head Coach of the Year in 3A Cross Country 18 times between boys and girls teams (some seasons were for both). Buchheit served as an assistant with the Pella program from 2011-16 and son Zach and daughter Ciara are among the top ten fastest runners in their respective gender for the Dutch. He says he’s thankful to have worked with Doug prior to taking over his own program on Eagle Lane.
BUCHHEIT DISCUSSES CUTLER (brief interview):
Cutler says he’s proud of how Buchheit has rebuilt the Eagles program and has no doubt they will continue to improve on and off the course under his leadership.
CUTLER DISCUSSES BUCHHEIT (brief interview):
Additionally, Cutler has served as an assistant coach with the 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2021 State Track and Field Championship Boys and Girls Teams. His assistants Robin Hammann (2009) and Kari Pingel (2019) have earned Assistant Cross Country Coaches of the Year, and Middle School Head Coach Bethany Tangen also received recognition in 2019. Pella has qualified for state in cross country 16 of the past 17 seasons, and the Dutch girls just ended a 15 year streak of qualifying as a team for the final race of the season. Pella’s 4th place boys team finish last week was the 13th top 6 performance in the past 15 seasons for the program.
Buchheit led Pella Christian’s boys to their first state meet appearance since 2010 this fall and expectations are high for both Eagles teams in 2022, with individual state qualifiers Jocelyn Terpstra and Jaclyn Holmes and most of the P.C. boys varsity team in the fold next season.
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