Lisa Martin receives Illinois Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Distinguished Middle School Award
By FRED KRONER
For all of us, there is a then version of ourselves and a now version.
For some, there is little difference over the years.
For others, the changes are monumental and swift.
For others – such as Mahomet-Seymour high school health teacher and junior high cross-country coach Lisa Martin – the incremental transformation resembles that of the construction of a magnificent mansion that requires time and effort.
It starts with the creation of a rock-solid foundation, from which pieces are added in a timely fashion until the completed work is one in which all can take pride.
Lisa Martin grew up as Lisa Klingler, a farmer’s daughter in rural Newton.
She is now a wife, a mother, a teacher, a coach, a role model, and – as of last week – the recipient of the annual Illinois Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Distinguished Middle School Award.
The recognition is a prestigious one which was established by the ITCCCA five years ago. With three coaches recognized in 2023, there have now been 12 total honorees.
That’s where Martin’s story is currently, but not where it started.
Her introduction to cross-country came in her fifth-grade year at Newton.
She was encouraged to try the sport because, “I had cousins who were good runners,” Martin said.
She heard the words cross-country and took them literally.
“I thought running across the country sounded ridiculous,” she said.
Nonetheless, the pre-teen joined the Newton grade school team and hoped for a better outcome than when she tried what she called, “ball sports,” which never caught her fancy.
Her foundation was about to be cemented.
“My fifth-grade year, I had a pretty good season,” Martin said. “I never looked back. I was a runner.”
Her legs took her to Parkland College, where the running program was in disarray when she arrived. There was no cross-country team at the school, so Martin competed in track only as a freshman.
She was a dual-sport athlete as a sophomore, transferring to Danville Area Community College, where she came under the tutelage of Hall-of-Fame coach Terry Hill.
She was part of the Jaguars’ national championship cross-country team in her one year on campus and earned All-American status in track as part of relays which were among the best in the junior college ranks both indoors and outdoors.
Before Hill added Martin to the DACC roster, he made certain she understood what would be expected.
“I let her know that she was going to work twice as hard as she had ever worked, and it didn’t faze her a bit,” Hill said. “She readily accepted our work ethic and totally bought into our team culture.
“We went through the recruiting process, and her warm and outgoing personality really impressed me.
“She was a strong contributor on a National Championship team that had five All-Americans. She always tried to be better and improve.”
Martin’s legacy at DACC will be a permanent one. Her 1997 DACC women’s cross-country team is in the school’s Hall of Fame and will be enshrined in the Illiana Sports Hall of Fame in June, 2023.
More levels were continually being added to the person Martin was becoming.
“I got more confidence and that (junior college success) got me interest from Eastern Illinois University,” Martin said.
Though also recruited by Lewis University and Murray State, Martin accepted the scholarship offered by veteran EIU coach John McInerney and – because she did not run cross-country at Parkland – had three years of eligibility in that sport along with two years in track and field.
Hill is certain that Martin absorbed more coaching knowledge at EIU under McInerney.
“She had a very good career at EIU and knowing Lisa, I’m sure she picked his mind about different training methods,” Hill added.
Martin’s progression as a person was continuing, although not always as fast as she was running.
When Martin looked to her future, she thought, “Maybe I’d be an athletic trainer.”
It sounded good, in theory. In practicality, it wasn’t manageable.
“With running, I was basically a three-sport athlete (due to track having an indoor and an outdoor season) and you needed a season off to do an internship (in athletic training),” she said.
She considered physical therapy. Then, occupational therapy crossed her mind. Neither had the appeal of a job that she would enjoy for decades as an adult.
“I landed on being around athletics,” Martin said. “I found coaching when I was at my crossroads.”
To reach that conclusion, she simply remembered those who had a dramatic influence on her young life.
“I had junior high and high school coaches who left a lasting impression,” Martin said.
And then there was the role model and mentor she worked with at EIU in McInerney.
“College was not easy for me,” Martin said. “He was my rock.”
Some people, however, predicted that Martin would eventually wear the title of “Coach” years before she accepted her fate.
“I always knew she would end up in the coaching ranks,” former DACC coach Terry Hill said. “Her easy-going personality, always trying to be better, and learning new techniques to improve were her strengths.
“Very inquisitive about different training workouts and my philosophy of training athletes. I always thought she was destined for greatness.”
As she was nearing the completion of the requirements needed for her education certificate, Martin went to a job fair at EIU. It was in December, 2000.
She wasn’t yet stressing about where she would live and where she would work – though she briefly pondered relocating to the St. Louis area – but had a life-changing experience at the job fair.
She met Lindsey Hall and Scott Adreon. They were the athletic directors in the growing Mahomet-Seymour district. Hall was at the junior high and Adreon was at the high school.
They were on a mission. They were in search of an assistant coach for a high school track program headed up by Bonnie (Byers) Moxley that would be starting up shortly after the New Year.
Gregarious by nature, Martin left no doubt what she thought about the opportunity.
“I not only had a willingness to coach track,” she said, “but I was also excited to coach track.”
Hall and Adreon received the message. Loud and clear.
“I was hired before I graduated (from EIU),” said Martin, who has rejoiced in retrospect that she didn’t accept any of the job interviews to which she had been invited in the metro-St. Louis area.
Hall remembers having a favorable first impression of Martin.
“When I first met Lisa, she exuded positivity and enthusiasm for working with students, and her smile was radiant,” Hall said. “Kids want to be around her; this is why the program has thrived over the years, and grown, and this is also why she is such an excellent teacher.
“Excellent teachers make excellent coaches. Lisa is no exception. She creates a warm and welcoming environment for ANY junior high student who may or may not have ever considered participating in cross-country.”
In the midst of winter, in January, 2001, Martin relocated to Champaign County. To help with expenses, she got into a variety of classrooms as a substitute teacher in addition to the coaching gig with track at M-S.
Within hours after getting to her new location, she felt right at home.
“I felt something when I pulled into the (Mahomet) community,” Martin said. “It felt like Newton, the small-town feeling.
“Everyone was so nice. That’s when I realized this is where I wanted to be. I felt I could stay forever.”
Martin had to substitute for only one semester. Prior to the start of the 2001-02 school year, she was hired to fill a full-time teaching opening in health at M-S High School.
“Twenty-two years later, I’m still in the same room,” she said.
The ability and need to multi-task have increased for everyone in recent decades. Martin is a role model who has demonstrated that women don’t need to pick and choose from a limited pathway.
“In addition to being a coach, teacher and leader in our schools, Lisa is a wife, mom, daughter, all roles that she balances with her work in the schools,” Hall said. “She is a wonderful role model and human being.
“While the program was successful prior to her taking over, it has grown and thrived. She is beyond deserving of this recognition and honor. Lisa Martin has been an asset to the M-S schools since the day she started.”
Martin remained with the high school track program as an assistant for six years. In her first year as a full-time faculty member at M-S, Martin was also a high school assistant in cross-country.
After spending the fall of 2002 away from cross-country, her tenure in the sport took off a year later and has now surpassed two consecutive decades.
Martin was offered the chance to help assist the M-S Junior High cross-country program in 2003. She didn’t have to be asked twice.
“I really liked the junior high kids,” Martin said. “They are welcoming and want to be there.
“There wasn’t the stress, and there’s so much room for growth. The growth is astronomical.”
A bonus was the chance to work with veteran Bulldog head coach Tom Appenzeller.
“His patience, and the way he teaches was so inviting,” Martin said. “He prepared me (to become the head coach).”
That changeover took place in the fall of 2012, when Appenzeller handed the head coaching reins to Martin.
That first year, she worked with 72 runners, 40 boys and 32 girls.
As impressive as that turnout seems, it paled in comparison to her squad size exactly eight years later.
Her 72-member squad had increased to 144 – yes, completely doubled in size – with 71 boys and 73 girls participating in the fall of 2020.
Since becoming the junior high head coach, Martin has worked with 1,031 athletes (some of them repeaters) and coached 24 full teams that qualified for the IESA state finals (including the 2021 state championship team) as well as 21 all-state runners.
Jama Grotelueschen, the girls’ cross-country coach at Mahomet-Seymour High School, has first-hand knowledge of Martin’s impact.
Not only does she benefit from the base Martin provides for aspiring runners at the junior high level, but she has also had a front-row seat as the parent of athletes tutored by Martin.
“Our family has had the privilege of having Coach Martin share her passion of running with all three of our children,” Grotelueschen said. “We value the M-S JH cross-country program, which she has helped build so much that it is an unwritten rule that our children must participate in cross-country during their middle school years.
“As a parent, I have such a deep sense of gratitude for Coach Martin and her ability to use running as a tool for individual growth. Participating in this program has made such a positive impact on our three children’s lives.
“They have developed strong teamwork and leadership skills. They have learned that achieving your goals takes hard work. Furthermore, they have learned how to persevere during challenging times.
“They will carry these valuable lessons on with them for the rest of their lives. Many in our community would echo my sentiments as Coach Martin has touched thousands of lives.”
Martin is married to Middletown Prairie Elementary School principal Ryan Martin, a Mahomet native.
The two met courtesy of another former M-S athlete, Grant Iles, who was coaching track at Champaign Central in the early 2000s while Lisa Martin was on the M-S coaching staff.
“We had become friends, and he had an extra ticket to a Bears game in December, 2005,” Lisa Martin said. “Grant invited me to go because a friend of his backed out at the last minute.”
The time element was not an exaggeration, she said.
“Seriously last minute, like 15 minutes before we left town that cold, Sunday morning,” Lisa Martin said. “This was an annual trip for Ryan and Grant.
“They always went to the Bears/Falcons game because Grant was a Falcons fan. We picked Ryan up from his Chicago apartment (he was teaching in Oak Park at the time) and made our way to Soldier Field.
“Ryan and I instantly hit it off and talked about all of our connections – admitting that we recognized each other – as he went to church with his parents when he was in town and I would see him there.
“He also said he would play pick-up basketball at the field house while I was coaching track. However, we had never met.”
Once they did, she added, “The rest is history.”
They became engaged in April, 2007 and were married in August, 2007.
Lisa Martin’s enthusiasm for coaching hasn’t diminished over the years and the birth of three children – Hannah (13), Ashley (soon-to-be 11) and Haley (3).
“In cross-country, there are rewards for everyone,” Martin said. “It gives kids the opportunity to see growth (by running faster times) instead of wins and losses (that exist in team sports).”
Cross-country coaches at M-S have a built-in recruiting advantage. Sixth-graders can participate, unlike other junior high fall sports (such as basketball, baseball and softball) which are restricted to seventh- and eighth-graders (although golf, which has a limited season, accepts sixth-graders).
Not all of Martin’s cross-country squad members have running as their priority sport at the junior high age.
“Some of them play soccer and I tell them I will get them in shape for soccer,” Martin said.
There are few secrets to success, but perhaps one key for Martin is a personal philosophy that she routinely follows.
“The siblings,” she said. “Every sibling (of a cross-country runner), I try to get to know.”
Eventually, those younger ones will be in sixth-grade and looking for an after-school endeavor. Cross-country – and the coach – will be an activity to which they have already been exposed.
Martin said the continued success of the M-S running program goes beyond her reach.
“I have been able to find the best assistant coaches to work with,” she said.
They have showed their loyalty and commitment to the program by staying year after year.
Lori Clark and Matt Mills joined the coaching staff in 2018, and they remain.
Conan Jurkowski was added in 2019 and he, too, remains.
Clark, Mills and Jurkowski do more than add verbal support and encouragement.
“They run with the kids (at practice),” Martin said. “Lori runs with and encourages our new runners. She is a big reason our young runners see growth.”
Grotelueschen believes another important factor is Martin’s ability to show interest in all squad members, not just the ones with the most ability.
“Coach Martin has the unique ability to foster a warm and inclusive environment for anyone who chooses to participate in the sport, not just naturally talented runners,” Grotelueschen said. “She connects with all of her runners on an individual level and tries to instill in them the life-long lessons that running can provide.
“She is encouraging, kind and determined to help every runner reach his or her potential. She makes every runner feel valued and part of something greater than themselves. She is blessed with a gift and has definitely found her calling coaching middle school cross-country.”
Martin doesn’t just sit back and wait for her team to finish the day’s workout.
“I’ll run,” she said, “but I run the opposite direction and meet them.”
Clark said that Martin’s attitude about coaching is one thing that sets her apart from the pack.
“She does not treat her coaching position as a job, but rather as a hobby driven on helping youth runners both build relationships and reach their running goals,” Clark said.
“Coach Martin has built a strong program by promoting community among athletes and the supporting families. She truly loves cross-country, which makes her dedication to sustaining the success of the program very natural.”
When working with dozens of runners on a daily basis – which means staying in touch with dozens of families at least on a weekly basis – Martin said one trait is essential.
“You have to be extremely organized,” she said. “Communication is huge.
“Our families are great. They trust I will do it right. They know my expectations. I put out the calendar (for the entire fall) in May.”
Some have offered Martin the opinion that she over-communicates, though sometimes that feeling isn’t universal even in the same family.
Recalling a conversation with one of her squad members, Martin heard, “My dad says you send too many messages, but my mom loves it.”
Martin can relate.
“In an ideal world, you tell the kids to communicate with their parents,” she said.
The reality is that with the M-S squad size averaging 120 runners during the past five seasons, not everyone hears everything that is said at team meetings, so Martin takes matters into her own hands.
“I find myself touching base (with families),” she said.
The communication is not something she does begrudgingly.
“The cool part is meeting so many families,” Martin said.
While she holds the same overall goal for all of her runners – to improve – Martin understands that their reasons for participation vary.
“Some kids are serious runners,” she said, “and some kids are there to make friends.”
To help all of them achieve their goals, Martin recognizes that she needs to move forward as a coach and not rely strictly on what was done in the past.
“A lot of the top kids are getting at more of an elite level and I have to make sure I have them ready for that, and that they have a good experience,” Martin said.
Martin enters the lives of pre-teens at a significant time in their development as adolescents. She serves as a positive role model.
“And while many kids will not continue cross-country in high school, their experience in the M-S JH program helps them to gain confidence as well as healthy habits,” Hall said.
“Most importantly, it is FUN for our families, not just the kids. This is in large part due to Lisa’s coaching skills and expertise combined with her love of coaching and teaching.”
Rather than consider herself finished and fine-tuned, Martin still views herself as a work in progress.
“I’m always looking for the next goal,” she said.
At least once a year, Martin embarks on a unique segment of her coaching journey.
Her M-S team participates in a meet where another of the competing schools is Charleston Middle School. That program is under the direction of now-retired EIU coach John McInerney.
As one of her mentors while in college, those matchups hold a special significance for the Bulldog head coach.
She wants her runners to perform – and behave – well because, “I want him to know that he taught me well,” Martin said.
She finds it gratifying that individuals who formerly coached at a higher level continue to give back in their so-called retirement years.
“It’s neat that (former) high school or college coaches come back at the middle school level,” Martin said. “They are seeing the value in middle school coaches, teaching the fundamentals and communicating the importance of nutrition and getting all families on board.”
What she is not looking to is retirement or being an ex-coach herself.
“I get so fueled by the kids and the families,” she said. “There’s too much fun to be had and too many more people to meet.”
As to what the recent ITCCCA recognition signifies, Martin said, “it probably means that I found the right community to become what I didn’t know I wanted to be, and the right place to live out what I realize is a passion.”
