A tradition of success for the Bishop Brossart boys and girls XC teams
ALEXANDRIA, Ky. — Located in the heart of Alexandria, Bishop Brossart High School holds a strong tradition in academic excellence. It has also historically boasted one of the strongest Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) Class 1A cross country programs in the state, and this year is no exception.
At the 2021 KHSAA Class 1A state meet in Paris, Kentucky on October 30, both the girls and boys Brossart Mustangs XC teams clinched trophies for third place. Senior Claire Curtsinger won her second straight first-place individual state title as well. Several other runners, for both the girls and boys, earned top 15 individual medals at state, including senior Ryan Branch, junior Amy Klocke, and sophomore Nate Ruth.
Tony Harden, himself a Brossart alumn and former Mustang XC runner, is in his second year as head coach of the girls XC team. He took over after long-time coach Dave Schuh stepped down after decades of coaching excellence. (Coach Schuh still remains head track coach, and the school’s new state-of-the art Mustang Athletic Complex on Gilbert Ridge named its 9-lane track after him.)
“I think Brossart has historically been strong in cross country because there has been a series of very knowledgeable, enthusiastic coaches who have led the program,” explains Harden. “Along with those coaches, you had great athletes who wanted to run for those coaches. After a while, success breeds success.”
Harden, who has been a head coach for high school running programs for 17 years and coaching for nearly three decades, shares that Bishop Brossart has always been a top-10 program in Class 1A girls since the mid ’80s. The program has won five regional championships and three state championships to date, and has the first ever (male or female) state champion in Claire Curtsinger and the first ever girl to be state runner-up in Amy Klocke. The team also has “all region” runners in Natalie Reis and Emma Bezold.
“Twenty-six years ago, my coaching career started as an assistant coach for the girls’ program,” shares Harden. “It has always been my dream to be the head coach at Bishop Brossart. Every day I get to live my dream as the head coach of the program that gave me my start as a coach. It is an honor to call myself the head coach of the Bishop Brossart girls’ cross country team.”
Brossart teacher Chris Davis is in his seventh year as head coach of the boys XC team. He noted that this year’s team qualified for the state meet for the 37th year. “Bishop Brossart High School has a long history of cross country success, and is one of the most well-respected programs year in and year out.”
According to Davis, the boys XC program really gained momentum when the team won its first state title under the guidance of Mike Guidugli in 1972. Since then, the team has won nine more state titles, most recently winning back-to-back state championships in 2013 and 2014. The team has also been state runner-up 10 times, and most recently placed 3rd place in the state meet. Instrumental coaches have also included Ray Kues and Rob Braun.
The school displays several regional, conference, and diocesan championships in the trophy case. Five runners have been individual state runner ups: Mike Bertram (1983, 1984), John Kuper (1985), Brad Dunlevy (1990), Ben Ochsner (1995), and Ryan Studer (2004).
“The same Mustang tradition of excellence has been passed down from one coach to the next, and any former Mustang runner can relate to each other and talk about the routes and courses they have done from the past and the present,” says Davis. “It is truly a unifying tradition and bond that is very special and unique.”.
Being a smaller school, cross country is a natural sport for the school to excel at, according to Davis. “You need five scoring runners at a cross country meet, and sometimes the team and school may be small in quantity but large in quality,” he explains. “Historically, Northern Kentucky has had several powerful Class 1A programs, and those rivalries have also brought out the best in our athletes.”
Davis shares that he is “very humbled to be a small part of this amazing program. It is a true honor to travel around the state and represent BBHS and lead each team to the starting line. More importantly, it is an even greater responsibility to help mold young boys into Christian men of character. I look forward to a bright future, growing the program, and getting into the middle school levels promoting the team and winning some more championships.”
The tradition of XC success at Brossart seems likely to continue. Sums up Harden: “Coaches and athletes want to be a part of the running tradition at Bishop Brossart.”
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