Vince DeGrado reached under his desk and pulled out a couple of plaques.
“Coach of the Year,” each one read.
They remain stashed away from sight because the rest of his awards have already consumed an entire wall in his humble office.
This is usually the part of the story where you find out that none of those individual accolades — including a prestigious NJCAA National Coach of the Year honor — matter to DeGrado until he’s able to capture an elusive national championship.
But (surprise) he’s got one already. It’s a major reason why he was named the best coach in the country back in 2010 with Cowley College.
In truth, DeGrado’s motivation can now be found in something more substantial than another piece of hardware to store beneath his desk.
His drive toward greatness comes when he looks into the eyes of Asha Alvarez, the freshman No. 5 runner on the women’s side of the Allen Community College cross country team.
Without Alvarez, the women’s squad might not have earned its first ever conference title and, subsequently, a spot in today’s NJCAA National Championship in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
So each day, DeGrado strives to find another Alvarez, another diamond in the rough.
His drive toward undeterred dedication comes when he looks into the eyes of Pedro Montoya and Ben Najman.
Two of Allen’s top runners will somehow suit up and run the entire 4.97 mile-race today after suffering through flu-like symptoms only days earlier.
So each day, DeGrado strives to find more athletes like Montoya and Najman — two soldiers in the gritty and unforgiving battle that is distance running.
DeGrado sees something in each of runners.
It’s why no members of his team has exactly the same workout schedule.
It’s why, even after he’s racked up every award possible, he still hits the books and conferences to learn more about coaching.
“It’s a science experiment every year,” he said.
