Andrea Hall is taking over the running programs at Fountain Hills High School and her first competition as cross country head coach will be the Opening Night in Paradise meet on Monday, Aug. 28. Hall held voluntary 5:30 a.m. workouts all summer, and said she is ready to start the season.

Kevin Clancy rebuilt the cross country and track programs over the past two seasons and helped his entire cross country girls team and two individual boys qualify for state last year. Hall served as an assistant during the track season and felt she and Clancy were on the same page and made a great team. They only worked together for one season, but Hall admired the professionalism and pride Clancy brought to the program.

“We were good partners together [and] it was very sad to see him go, but I’m also very excited for this opportunity, too,” Hall said. “We have so many amazing seniors that are carrying on kind of his tradition, and we’ll mold right into the new one. There won’t be big changes in the system. Kind of just carrying on because we were so in sync. It’ll just be a very smooth transition from him to me.”

Hall moved to town with her husband and daughter last year and she applied for the front office assistant position at McDowell Mountain Elementary School so she could get her foot in the door of the district’s athletic department. She’s always wanted to be a head coach, and she and her husband viewed moving to Arizona as a long-term goal, but timing worked out so both goals happened quicker than Hall expected.

“I’m here for the long term. We moved across the country to be here during peak real estate season, so yeah, we’re not going anywhere,” Hall said. “Lexi’s in the sixth grade. I really like the schools here. I love the district and there’s a lot to offer and I want to make this our home…A lot of factors are coming in, but also, my own dream of being a head coach has come true, so I am going to make that work.”

Hall has an exercise science degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and was a 12-time all-conference performer in college track and cross country. She loves running and competition and she was also a 10,000m conference champion for her university and a four-time state champion in high school.

Hall worked in fitness and health for more than 20 years and has trained runners from young to old. She’s worked with youth running groups and helped prepare individuals for the senior Olympics. Even when she works with a group, Hall’s coaching philosophy is to address the induvial needs of each runner and tailor the program to their strengths.

“It’s looking at each runner and knowing that we’ve got to read the runner,” Hall said. “What is going to make them succeed? What plan will work best with them? Watching and listening and making sure we’re communicating, whether it’s [about] how they’re feeling, how they think the workout went, or what their goals are…We’re really working towards personal goals, and for me, I really want to help you reach your goal.”

The Falcons want to build off their success last year and the girls want to repeat a trip to state. Seniors Skye Alker (29th) and Erin Hooley (37th) each placed in the top 50 at state last year, and Clancy said junior Racine Homyak and sophomore Alli Guerrette responded well to the championship atmosphere last year by setting personal records at state. Senior Eliana Bartman rounded out the state squad, and Hall said all the girls are highly motivated this year with three seniors on the team.

Homyak, Guerrette and sophomore Colby Wright were at every summer morning workout, according to Hall. Wright and Guerrette were standout freshmen, and Wright will help fill the hole left by graduated seniors Tyler Irvine-Violette and Zion Atwood, who went to state as individuals last year. Sophomore Matthew Gonzales returns for his second year and sophomore Aiden Rollins joined the team after moving to town recently, both adding more youth to the roster.

Hall expects senior Caleb Lara to be a strong runner for the Falcons this year, and fellow senior William Breen will be another steady runner to rely on. Senior Dylan Romans is trying to run cross country and play football this fall, and junior Yahshua Harris is in a similar position in the marching band. Harris qualified for the state wrestling tournament and impressed Hall during track last year, so she’s excited for his first cross country season.

“I really liked these runners. I like them as people and I know what they can do on the course,” Hall said. “That part is so nice. Inheriting the Fountain Hills Invitational, that’s a big one. Mary McDonald is just amazing; thank goodness she has been doing this for years. She just knows how to do it all, and I am more than happy to learn from her and let her take the lead. She’s done a lot of work on it.”

Hall said the home meet that draws in around 2,000 athletes annually in September was the only part of the job that gave her pause. Hall said she is thankful for McDonald and Athletic Director Evelyn Wynn’s support in preparation for her first season, and Hall’s excited to get the season rolling.