Boys Cross Country: Ty Arthurhults getting Hobart back on the map

Updated: November 30, 2011 9:52PM

Changing the success level of a high school athletic squad is one thing.

Coaches accomplish that feat every season in every sport everywhere.

Changing the culture of a program in a school’s athletic landscape is a much bigger challenge.

And that’s what Hobart High School cross country coach Ty Artherhults is trying to do at a school more known for its other athletic squads — mainly football, with basketball and wrestling also successful in recent years.

It had been 39 years since the Hobart boys cross country team had won a regional title. That was also the last time the squad qualified for the state finals.

Both streaks ended this season, which is more than enough for Artherhults to earn the 2011 Post-Tribune Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year.

The seeds for success at the end of the season were planted back in the spring.

“This group was so dedicated all summer,” Artherhults said. “They were talking about cross country during track season. They came into the season with great expectations, and that makes a coach’s job so much easier.”

The challenge of being the cross country coach at Hobart is getting people at the school excited about a bunch of kids running more than three miles each race.

“We actually got a really good following from former runners and parents — the diehards,” Artherhults said. “But there were also several teachers who followed cross country themselves, and the football coaches were very supportive. We got more of a following near the end of the season. I was pleasantly surprised.”

The height of the success was at the semistate. Yes, the Brickies won the Crown Point Regional, but the semistate was the key to earning a trip to Terre Haute. A finish below sixth at New Prairie would have rendered the regional crown an afterthought.

But Artherhults didn’t want to just sneak into a qualifying spot.

“That week we believed we had a legitimate shot at second if we ran well,” he said. “We didn’t want to be the team that scraped by in sixth by a couple points.”

No chance. The Brickies got fourth, 20 points clear of sixth and just five points out of third-place Chesterton.

Artherhults got the most out of his group of boys runners — from sophomore John Petroski, whom the coach said was “pretty consistent all season,” to freshman Collin Allen, who broke the 17-minute mark at semistate, to senior Chad Brooks, who was a first-year runner and was the No. 2 runner at semistate.

“He put a lot of pressure on himself,” Artherhults said of Brooks, who has been a distance runner in track. “He was the spark that pushed the kids in the summer”

Artherhults credits his assistant coaches — Mike Black, Lauren Stafford and Nancy Phillis — for not only the team’s growth, but in helping gain more fan support. Black is the boys basketball coach, while Stafford is a former volleyball coach at Hobart.

Artherhults understands cross country’s place, not only in getting more fans to meets, but getting more kids out for the teams.

“I don’t want to play the poor cross country card,” he said. “As we continue to have success, maybe more kids will be interested. Maybe we can promote that it’s fun to be part of the cross country team.”

It’s always fun to win, and Artherhults is well on his way to building a winning tradition at Hobart in a sport other than football.

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