Could you give a brief description of your program and team and tell us how long you’ve been at McDaniel?
Coach Renner:  I have coached cross country here since 1983 and track since 1988. I previously coached track at Westminster HS and loved that experience (1981-1987). I would describe our program as blue collar. We definitely don’t get 5 star recruits like the big division one schools or even Johns Hopkins. More often than not, we get good solid high school athletes who love the sport and want competitive running as part of their college experience. They embrace the challenge of getting better throughout college and I certainly embrace the challenge of getting them to run faster than they ever dreamed.
Some of my favorite stories of absolute success here are of Greg Davis, Paul Hugus, Peter Merkel, Jim Heilman, and Gavin Gibson. All went to high school in MD in some version except for Gavin who was a Delaware guy.
Greg, who ran for me at Westminster HS, decided to go to college at age 25 after a stint in the military as well as a construction time that saw his rise from worker to owner of the company. Bad habits and fast food had Greg at least 35 pounds over his ideal running weight when he enrolled here. Through disciplined training and a healthier lifestyle, Greg became the school’s first male qualifier for NCAA nationals in cross country and went on to set several school records on the track. His indoor 3000 m school mark still stands and he has a half dozen other marks on the school’s all time top ten list. Greg had the money to attend virtually any school; the fact that he chose WMC and wanted to run for me is the ultimate compliment.
Paul Hugus (Head Coach River Hill) is part of my coaching tree and I could not be more proud of what he’s accomplished at River Hill. Paul was a two time national qualifier in cross country and holds school records for the indoor 1500 and 5000 and outdoor 10,000 m. He is on top ten lists for 1500, mile, 3000 & 5000 indoors and 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10,000 outdoors. He is also a top ten member of the 4 x 800 and distance medley relays both indoors and outdoors.
Peter Merkel is my example of unlimited possibilities. Peter was home schooled and the only reason I knew he ran was I saw his name in a 5K road race in 19 minutes and change. I invited him to run in college and he morphed into a top cross country runner and a track runner with incredible range. He holds top ten marks in the 800, 1000, mile, 3000 and 5000 m indoors and in the 800,1500,3000 and 10,000 outdoors. Peter was one of the most reliable lead off guys in the 4 x 800 in school history.
Jim Heilman came from a small MIAA school Baltimore Lutheran now known as Concordia Prep. He was pretty much “pigeon holed†as a distance runner in high school. In college he displayed great range from the 800 to cross country.He was particularly effective in the relays and is a member of the all time school bests in the 4 x 800, distance medley and 4 x 1600 relays indoors and the distance medley and 4 x 1500 relays outdoors. Jim just finished a PHD program in kinesiology and continues to run personal bests from 1500 m to road and XC races for Georgetown Running Club.
Gavin Gibson came here as a 2:07 high school 800 m runner, he left here as a 1:53.53 school record holder, with additional school records in the indoor 800 & 1000 m and as a member of our outdoor school record distance medley relay team. He was always a top five guy in cross country also.
On the women’s side my favorite memories are from our 1999 conference championship cross country team which included 4 Carroll County high school graduates and a Glenelg graduate in our top six. Jill Krebs was a South Carroll HS graduate and set the gold standard here for distance running. Jill was a three time national qualifier, two time all American in cross country. She has school records in the 5000 m run indoors and the 5000 & 10,000 m outdoors and anchored our still standing school record distance medley relay(on the same day she set the school standard @ 5000 m indoors ).
Lindsay Wilson (Seton Keough) had an outstanding three year career here. After transferring from Loyola, she earned all conference honors in cross country twice and in indoor track three times. She set still standing school records in the indoor mile and 3000 m and the outdoor 3000 m and was a member of our current school record 4 x 800 m relay team indoors.
What goals do you have for your program? How do you expect this season to go after a year off?
Coach Renner:Â Â Simply for each team member to get better every day. Our focus is on consistent workouts which build strength and confidence towards race day success. My expectations are that each athlete on our roster work smart towards being the best they can be. We focus on quality training vs. training volume. I have no expectations in the post covid era other than for each athlete to give us their best effort in practice and in races.
What is a typical training week for your team for XC?Â
Coach Renner:  Not sure there is one in our program. We do a lot of hybrid workouts which challenge the athletes by getting them to use multiple energy systems within the same workout. We use push recovery because there are no time outs or substitutions in cross country or track. I make a workout script based on the meet schedule but reserve the right to “flip the script “ if we observe certain things that we need to work on more than others.
Quality over quantity means some athletes do the full workout as prescribed while others do a partial workout to maintain the quality of each repetition. I score the workouts using a decathlon type chart which rewards each athlete with more points for faster reps. However at the end of the day, the most important statistic is points per rep, which shows the desired consistency we are striving for. So if an athlete runs a complete workout but does a “Dow Jones†(splits all over the place), he/she might score lower in the points per rep category than the athlete who completed only a certain portion of the workout. Hills are also a very important part of our year round training program.
What facilities and resources do athletes in your program have access to? Is there something you can highlight that separates your facilities from other schools? Â
Coach Renner: Â Easy access to Wakefield park, Hashawha outdoor education complex and even the rail trail (Glen Rock, PA). We also have access to some great hills on our golf course which are accessible at certain times of the year. During the winter we do reps on the perimeter of the football field which gives us a slightly softer surface of 300 + m to do reps on.
Is there a certain training philosophy you have at McDaniel or a certain way you structure the season (and rest of the year for the distance team)?
Coach Renner: Â Year round training and racing is important. Make a commitment. The sport is WAY too hard to give it anything less than your best. Have some fun out there. Believe it or not, the time memories will fade but the team bonding memories endure for a lifetime. Leave the program with something left in the tank. I am so proud of the many alumni that are still competing in the open and masters ranks and/or giving back as coaches. Running is a lifetime sport if you want to make that fitness commitment.
What does the recruiting process look like at McDaniel? Are there specific time standards or something in particular you look for in a recruit? What recommendations would you give to someone interested in competing for McDaniel?
Coach Renner:  Basically I want to know three things: miles per week in your senior year, longest single run and what your injury history has been. I can look your times up on the internet. Do you have a passion for the sport and the desire to make the most of your college athletic experience? Choose a college that is first and foremost a great fit for you academically. Someone is making an investment in your future by underwriting your college education. Make the most of that investment. Choose a school where you can envision yourself happy in a worst case athletic scenario (you are sick or injured and can’t practice or compete). Could you be happy at “XYZ†college as a regular student?
McDaniel College is an excellent place to pursue your dreams. We have cross country/track graduates that went on to finish Harvard Law School and Yale Medical School, graduating at the top of their class. Our graduates consistently earn jobs in their chosen fields or gain admission to the graduate, law or medical schools of their choice. That’s a greatâ€ROI†(return on investment). We have substantial academic scholarship opportunities that make our school an affordable option for higher education. I would be glad to speak with anyone who has interest in our school. The fact that my cross country coaching staff includes two alumni and an athlete who made Olympic Trials while I directed his training makes my own coaching journey that much more gratifying.
You’re also working with some fast high school kids. How is their progression and what are you looking for them this upcoming year?
Coach Renner:  Right before covid I was blessed with an opportunity to work with Aiden Neal who is now a rising senior at Manchester Valley HS. When we started our journey, he had very average high school times: 2:11, 4:48, 10:41 and 17:49. We finished his junior year with 15:53 xc (10th @ 17-18 Junior Olympic nationals, #3 man on the 2nd place team nationally), 8:36.80 for indoor 3000 m (2nd at nationals, top Carroll County time ever indoors and outdoors), a 1:59.2 leg on the Bullseye indoor national championship 4 x 800 team (meet record), and in the spring he improved to 1:52.97, 4:09.51 and 9:12.11. Smart training paved the way for remarkable improvement for Aiden. He is smart beyond his years with his “running IQ†and understands that everything is important for optimal performance (diet, rest, recovery, stretching, rolling out, massage gun, warm up and cool down, drills, etc.).
In the spring, we added sophomore Carter Knox as Aiden’s training partner. Carter improved immediately during the high school from 52.5 to 49.78 in the 400 and from 2:06.76 to 1:57.90 in the 800. Carter took his 800 to the next level this summer, winning the USATF junior Olympic 15-16 championship in a sizzling 1:53.38. I think this marks the first time in state history and maybe the first time in national history that two guys from the same high school have run under 1:53.50. Carter and Aiden also combined talents with teammates Marcel Montgomery and Maverick Mezaache to win the 4 x 400 3A state championship in 3:23.36, the fastest time for all four classifications. The whole group returns for an encore this school year. I would like to point out that Jim MacDonald is their high school coach and deserves a major part of the credit for their success.
Coach Renner Contact: Â drenner@mcdaniel.edu
McDaniel Cross Country Main Page
https://www.mcdanielathletics.com/sports/mxc/index
Men’s Recruiting Form
https://www.mcdanielathletics.com/sports/mxc/recruitForm
Women’s Recruiting Form
https://www.mcdanielathletics.com/sports/wxc/recruitForm