Allen Community College cross country and track head coach Vince DeGrado has enjoyed a long string of success throughout his leadership of Red Devil runners.
That success has included winning eight straight Jayhawk conference NJCAA titles, placing top-five nationally for two straight years and being crowned three-time defending Region 6 Champions on both the men’s and women’s side.
Last season was one of DeGrado’s toughest years to navigate as a coach as the COVID pandemic wiped out pieces of the season as well as players due to the illness. Coming into this season, DeGrado has been behind on the recruiting trail and only brings a men’s side of the team into the season.
“Last year the team came down with COVID and wiped the entire team out. We had a couple guys leave school before school started just because it was pretty bad. It did not go as planned however two of them will be returning to finish up their COVID season. On the men’s side we’re going to be good,” DeGrado said of the layover from last season to this year.
Even with the struggles that a pandemic brings to a JUCO sports team, DeGrado still finds a way. A good number of men’s runners will be returning. DeGrado said he expects the team to compete for nationals again this year. That is an extremely high expectation for any team but DeGrado believes his team is up to the task.
“We’ll have seven guys on the team. I return Devin Crow and Ray Gonzalez, they were on the national team that finished second in 2020. I think we have five, maybe six strong guys but at the end of the day cross country only needs five,” DeGrado said. “Men’s side, we’re going to make a run at the national title this year, I really think so.”
DeGrado’s success includes his 2013 track team winning their first conference championship in over 20 years since 1986. That team also won the “triple crown” in junior college running taking the crown in cross country, indoor and outdoor Jayhawk East conference championships.
In 2014, DeGrado was named Region 6 Outdoor Coach of the Year for his track team’s performances that season.
“We’ve constantly been one of the top teams in junior college year in and year out. We got second in the nation in 2020,” he said. “Eight straight conference titles on the men’s side. I wanted to have the highest trophy in the case and I wanted to bring a national title to Allen. Everything has to fall into place.”
DeGrado said he believes in intense training sessions, requiring the athletes to run longer distances than at which they will compete. Long-distance races such as the 8- and 5-kilometers require good aerobic conditioning as does the ability to sprint at the end of the shorter distance races like the 1-mile run, DeGrado said.
“Between the 8K and 5K you have to train different, too. You can’t train someone running the 5K like you do the 8K. The 8,000-meter is more of an aerobic event than the 5K. The 5K is a lot faster than the 8k so you have to adjust your training.”
While DeGrado loves both cross country and track, it’s for different reasons.
“I like to coach track more than cross country but I love cross country more than track,” said DeGrado. “Track is more individual, you can have a really good team with a couple individuals and be successful whereas in cross country you’ve got to have five guys or five girls lined up and take care of business.”
The Red Devils began practice on Monday.
