Mark Horstmeyer ends his chapter as Moraine Valley cross country head coach

In 2000, Mark Horstmeyer was asked to revive the Moraine Valley men’s and women’s cross country program. Thinking it would be a three-year stint, 16 years later his teams have earned a number of accolades and several trips to nationals, establishing a reputable program he’s bidding farewell to. He retired June 30.

“When [Athletics director] Bill Finn asked me to do this, I had to think if I’d like to give up my fall weekends because it’s my favorite time of year. For the next 16 years I gave up my fall weekends on one hand, but I also gained much, much more. And then I was hooked,” he said. “I gained more out of being involved with these kids. I think any coach says that when you can see these kids grow and develop athletically and in classes and do well as human beings, there’s a great amount of satisfaction in seeing that and seeing the light bulb go on or turning their lives around.”

Also retiring from his full-time position as director of College and Community Relations at Moraine Valley, Horstmeyer has been busy, but running has been in his blood for years. He was a runner on his high school’s inaugural cross country team and hasn’t stopped his involvement in running since. He guided the women’s teams to four NJCAA Division I Region IV championships, including this past season, and five Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championships, and the men’s team to a region and conference championship in 2004. Collectively, Horstmeyer has earned either a region and/or conference Coach of the Year award six times. He even fielded an All-American runner in Aileen Gorman in 2014. And among those highs, many moments stand out.

The women winning the first championship in 2003 and the men following in 2004 will always hold more meaning, he recalled. Also, the women’s back-to-back region and conference championships in 2014 and 2015 are highlights because of its challenging nature. But every year brought its own significance.

“You never get tired of winning championships. Each one is different because you have different kids. It’s special because you took a diverse group of young women and men who had to come together and understand what they could accomplish. It brings a great amount of satisfaction that they were able to understand, embrace and succeed,” Horstmeyer said.

From the many runners who’ve passed under his guidance to the Athletics staff, Horstmeyer will be sorely missed.

“The amount of stuff he did for cross country was amazing. Every year they were successful, competitive and one of the top teams in the region. You could count on him winning Coach of the Year or Skyway or region championships for either team,” said Bill Finn, Athletics director. “I can’t think of another employee like this who puts that much energy and time into a program. It’s a year-round affair. He’s had a storied run. He’s one of the best.”

Not only did Horstmeyer’s athletes do well in competition, but also in the classroom. Since he’s been coach, 51 runners have been named Academic All-Americans and 14 squads have been deemed Academic All-American teams.

Although his autumns will now be free to do anything at his leisure, Horstmeyer will still think about his Cyclones running across golf courses and along trails over fallen leaves, sticks and water.

“I’ll miss watching the kids compete. I can’t help but think about it in August and September. I’ll miss the kids because you get to know most of them really, really well, and it’s like they become extended family. There’s something very special about cross country athletes. They’re a different breed, but it was such a pleasure. Being a distance runner and then coach, it’s like you’re part of that different breed; you understand it,” he said. “The other thing I’ll miss is the brotherhood and sisterhood of the fellow coaches that includes four-year university coaches. That’s what made the weekends enjoyable as well as how well your kids develop and compete. It’s relationships you establish that you come to appreciate. It’s also high school coaches you get to know who have been supportive, and which I greatly appreciated.”

With such big shoes to fill, Horstmeyer is passing the torch to his assistant coach, Dimitri Dimizas, who ran cross country at Moraine Valley in 2009 and 2010 before becoming a coach. “I’m thrilled D is taking over the program because he’s been such an integral part of it for a long time. He started as a decorated runner, and he’s been my right arm man for a number of years,” Horstmeyer said. “He’s been co-architect of our system/program, and his contributions and planning skills have helped raise our program to the point where it’s as good as any four-year level college. He’s had a lot to do with that.”

He added, “It’s been a fantastic run from the standpoint of being able to leave knowing that with the help of outstanding young people and coaches that we’ve built a solid program that will continue being strong.”