Sports - High Schools

POSTED: Tuesday, Jun. 30, 2009

PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Nooksack taps Sehome success for new coach

Nooksack Valley went with a proven winner when selecting its new cross country coach.

Former Sehome assistant Nic Castona will take over for Rhonda Smith, who resigned to spend more time with her family after she served a successful 10-year stint with the program. Castona, who will be a head coach for the first time, will take the reins of the Pioneer program this fall after three years serving as a Mariners assistant coach.

While at Sehome, the 25-year-old Castona, who said he will continue substitute teaching, helped the Mariners boys' and girls' cross country teams win Class 2A state team titles last fall and the girls' team win three straight state titles. He also recently finished his fourth season as an assistant on the Sehome track and field team.

Pioneers athletic director Tom Harmon said Castona represented the total package of what the school was looking for in a head coach, including the ability to coach track, if needed, and that, more importantly, "He's got an idea of how to coach from A to Z."

"Probably the thing that topped it off for us is he comes from such a great coaching pedigree over there at Sehome," Harmon said in a phone interview.

Castona said he's come a long way since joining the Mariners' staff, working under the guidance of co-coaches Mark Kerr and Kevin Ryan.

He's said he's been amazed over the years at the coaching staff's ability to convince a multitude of runners - about 100 per season - to come out for the sport, year after year.

Castona hopes to take a similar approach with the Class 1A Pioneers, who have enjoyed stability and success during Smith's decade-long tenure. The Nooksack girls have finished in the top eight at state in each of the past four years.

"If there's anything I can take from Mark and Kevin, it's if you make it fun, you're going to keep those kids around," Castona said in a phone interview. "I've just learned a tremendous amount working with them."

Castona also noted how the Sehome program has been able to make good runners into elite athletes and take new runners and make them competitive. The new coach thinks he can do the same at Nooksack.

"You can get something out of kids at all levels as long as you pay attention to them and get them to stick around," Castona said.

Castona's experience also includes three years as an assistant track and cross country coach at Lynnwood. He ran track competitively for one year while attending Western Washington University.

Harmon said he's hoping to convince his new cross country coach to help out with the track team, too, though he said nothing has been finalized.

"He would be a big asset to the track program, let me say that," Harmon said. "And we're going to try and get him there."

Castona said he's easygoing, but also carries a passion to coach, which should only benefit him as he takes on his new role.

"I'm not really a clock in clock out guy," he said. "I'm pretty much there 24 hours."