Shahala Eagle Cross Country (XC)
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Coaches Bio
Head Coach: Darren Kotsovos
Bio: Coach Kotsovos has led the Eagles Cross Country team since its beginning in 2009. Over 11 years the Eagles have won 13 of the 30 District Championships. Shahala has a dual meet record of 210 wins and 36 losses. (85.4%) Shahala girls also have won 14 individual district titles. Shahala XC has always had one of the largest teams in the state. Prior to coaching at Shahala he was an assistant coach at Camas High School and helped lead the boys team to 9th place and 4th place finishes at state. Coach K was an all-state XC runner at Marshfield High School in Oregon and was a 3-time state finalist in distance events in track. He is still an avid sports participant and enjoys trail running, biking, cross-country skiing, playing basketball, and paddle boarding. He is married with two kids. His kids will often be seen cheering on the girls at the home meets.
Assistant Coach: Becky Swink
Bio: Coach Swink has coached track focusing on long distance and the long jump at Shahala for the past 4 years and is excited to be a part the cross- country coaching team. She has been an avid runner for the past 30 years including five marathons, eight half-marathons, the Hood to Coast twice, and many fun runs. Her running philosophy is that teaching young girls to enjoy running at a young age will promote a love for running that will last throughout their life time. In particular, she appreciates that running can be done anywhere and anytime giving the runner and opportunity to see places not everyone gets to see. It’s an empowering sport for girls. She also enjoys hiking, boating, snow and cross country skiing, and kayaking. She is married to her husband of 34 years and has two grown children.
Assistant Coach: Sean McCarthy
Bio: Coach McCarthy has coached track and field for the last 14 years at Shahala and has been the assistant coach for the girls XC team since it started at Shahala. Many of his distance runners have been District Champions and his runners now hold 9 of the 12 distance school records at Shahala. He is an avid runner having completed a number of marathons, half-marathons, and other race distances in recent years. He also competes in triathlons. Coach McCarthy completed his first Ironman in 2011 and completed his third one in Canada during 2015. He also brings a background from Adventure Racing to coaching which brings additional fun and challenge to the workouts.