COACHING DUO HAVE TRANSFORMED HAWKS INTO NATIONAL POWER

For the past eight years, the coaching duo of Teresa Arnini and Monique Haan have led the Humber Hawks Cross Country Team to dizzying heights, turning the program into not only a provincial but national power. This weekend, the Hawks made history when the Men's Team took home their first CCAA Gold Medal in school history. While the past season stands out even by the programs standards, now is a good time to look back at just how impressive Humber Cross Country has been.

The program was inaugurated in 2005-06, and a mediocre first year was followed by a much improved second; after those two initial seasons with Haan leading on her own, Arnini joined in 2007-08. The pair, combining impressive athletic careers, kinesiology backgrounds and coaching expertise, took over confident in their ability to build a powerhouse. Their first season together at the helm saw the squad capture a pair of provincial medals, while four athletes earned First Team All-Ontario recognition. It was an emphatic opening year, and an omen of things to come.

Over the next two years, neither the Men's nor Women's Team would leave Nationals without a medal; though gold remained elusive, it was an unprecedented stretch of success, especially for a program in its relative infancy. The breakthrough on the National stage would come in the 2011-12 season, when the Women's Team was crowned best in Canada. Humber Cross Country had emphatically announced their arrival as one of the country's best, and it is a claim that they have not lost hold of since.

On top of their leading the Cross Country Team, both make contributions to Varsity stretching far beyond. Arnini coordinates Humber's High Performance Centre, where she consistently gets the Hawks top athletes into the best playing shape in the country. She has an expansive knowledge of the human body (Teresa also works as a personal trainer) and her ability to improve technique and conditioning are unparalleled. Her excellence was recognized at the OCAA Awards Banquet a few weeks ago, when she was named Ontario's Coach of the Year for her outstanding work.

Monique, a former OFSAA Champion and NCAA Athlete herself, is familiar with both the physical and mental preparation necessary to compete at the highest level. She has helped countless student-athletes succeed in the classroom during her time, as her work as Varsity Academic Advisor is second to none. Her goal-oriented mantra sets students up for success, and she is known around the college for her upbeat attitude. She too has been recognized for her work leading the team, as she was named CCAA Coach of the Year after the 2013-14 season.

While the numbers do not tell the whole story, they are staggering none the less. Since the two came together eight years ago, Humber Cross Country has won a total of twenty seven medals while producing twenty First Team All-Ontario members. Nine of those medals have come on the national stage, and seven of the twenty-seven have been of the gold variety. The two's success on the course has been matched only by their commitment to success in the classroom, with countless Cross Country athletes becoming All-Academic team members.

While this past year may have been a little extra special, now is as good a time as any to look back at just how much the two have accomplished. There is no doubt that with Monique and Teresa at the helm, Humber Cross Country will be among Canada's elite for many years to come.