Turning on the AC: Herskind enjoyed quite a run
Whenever the discussion begins as to who the All-Area Boys’ Cross-Country Coach of the Year is, I almost always chuckle.
That question is sort of like asking who the best actress is this movie season or what’s the hamburger of the year?
The answer can always be Meryl Streep and In-N-Out, this year and every year for the last 20 or so years.
If you don’t agree, I feel sorry for you.
In boys’ cross-country, the best area coach this millennium has been Flintridge Prep’s Ingrid Herskind.
If you don’t agree, well you’re just not looking at the stats.
When Herskind announced that she was stepping away from the Prep boys’ cross-country program after a decorated career on Thursday, I took a look at her resume.
Over the past 21 seasons, Herskind’s teams have won 20 Prep League titles, six CIF Southern Section Division V championships and five state Division V titles.
Since 1997, Flintridge Prep has finished second in state seven times and third four times for a whopping 16 podium appearances in 21 years.
Her 2015 squad has the fastest CIF State Division V time (79 minutes, 40 seconds) and she’s boasted two state champs in Alan Yoho and Evan Pattinelli.
At the Southern Section level, Herskind also finished in the top three in 19 of 21 years with five Southern Section individual champs, all within the last five years in Yoho (2013), Jack Van Scoter (2014 and 2015) and Pattinelli (2016 and 2017).
“I’m extremely grateful that I could run for coach Herskind,” Pattinelli texted. “She was an incredible coach and she pushed all of us to commit to the sport and our team both on and off the course. The legacy she has built is extremely impressive and as much of a competitor as she was, she was also a great role model for each and every one of us.”
While stats are great, they don’t tell a full picture.
One person who should have been happy to see her go is Prep League cross-country dean Rick Caragher of archrival Pasadena Poly.
Caragher has been coaching the Panthers boys’ program since 1988 and was surprised to hear of Herskind’s resignation Thursday.
“Ingrid is just a remarkable educator and as a fine a coach as I know in sports,” Caragher said. “What she’s done is just remarkable and I love the tremendous drive she has to push her kids to be greater.”
Herskind’s accomplishments often came at the expense of Poly’s, though the Panthers do own the one Prep League title, in 2009, which the Rebels don’t own.
Caragher’s kids broke a 17-season league winning streak and the veteran received hearty congratulations from Herskind after a 34-48 victory.
“They’ve been quality champions for so long and I love working with Ingrid,” Caragher said. “Not only did she kick all our butts for so many years, she did it with such a sportsmanship that you appreciated. The time we won, she was also graceful. She did a lot for area coaches.”
Herskind has overcome health issues during her tenure and has served as an inspiration to her squad with her focus and compassion. She wasn’t just a champion-maker, however.
“She’s obviously accomplished a lot, but her biggest accomplishment is her runners,” Van Scoter said. “She’s not just a maker of athletes, but a maker of men. She’s been a huge influence in our lives and I wouldn’t be the person that I am without her.”
As Herskind stepped aside from a wildly successful career for academic purposes, she deserves all the praise she’s been receiving.
With or without stats, she’s a winner.
There’s no debating that.
