After guiding the State College Area boys track and field team to its first state championship in program history, Little Lions Coach Steve Shisler was named Pennsylvania’s high school track Coach of the Year on Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA).
In his first year as State High’s head coach, Shisler led the boys team to the PIAA Class AAA championship in May, outpacing second place Downingtown West 54 to 53. The Little Lions captured gold medal finishes in the pole vault, 4X800 and 1600 meter.
Shisler is now a candidate for USTFCCCA’s National High School Track & Field Coach of the Year Award to be announced later this week.
Kelly Jensen was named the state’s girls Coach of the Year after leading Cheltenham to the girls AAA title.
The third annual USTFCCCA high school coach awards are selected based on several factors, including ‘their teams’ finishes at their respective state championships, the number of different events in which athletes were qualified, individual championships and how their teams’ performances stack up to previous years, among other criteria,’ according to the organization.
