ALL-USA Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year, Doug Soles (Photo: Doug Soles)
Doug Soles of Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.) has been named the 2015-16 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year.
The ALL-USA teams are coordinated by Fred Baer, founder, Track and Field Writers of America. Boys selections by Jack Shepard, high school editor of Track and Field News.
MORE:
Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Noah Lyles, Williams (Alexandria. Va.)
Long Sprints and Middle Distance
COACH PROFILE:
Name: Doug Soles
School: Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.)
Highlights: Doug Soles’ relay teams at Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.) dominated the distance relays in 2016 with record performances. Following up on a national championship cross country season, Great Oak athletes — during an 8-day stretch in April — broke the 4 x 1600 meters national record twice (best of 16:52.95), posted the No. 3 all-time girls clocking in the same event, and showed amazing depth across several other relays – led by California (CIF) state 800 and 1,600 meter champion Isaac Cortes.
Great Oak also led the boys 4 x 800 meter rankings, winning the New Balance Nationals in 7:35.06, with Cortes anchoring. Track and Field News reported that no other school had ever had such high ranking accomplishments in the long relays for both boys and girls at the same time.
Great Oak won both boys and girls Southwestern League and CIF Southern Section Division I titles. The boys finished second at the California state championships (the USA’s largest single division meet).
His boys and girls teams have won the last two California (CIF) state cross country championships. Last fall the boys won the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.