Evan Thorpe
Camp Director: 2007 - Present
Dixon High School (Dixon, IL) - Head Coach 2005 - 2020
Coach Thorpe (Sr.) is the lead director of the Northern IL Elite XC Camp. Since 2007, Coach Thorpe has been creating, organizing, and managing this camp experience for Dixon Distance athletes every June. Coach Thorpe is now the coach for Reagan Middle School XC and Track & Field and enjoys his spare time running hound dogs.
Since his return to RMS XC, the program has earned a state trophy ('24 - 3rd) and garnered over 10 all-state medals for individuals, with an XC state champion in 2024.
Simon Thorpe
Co- Director: 2020 - Present
Head Coach - Dixon High School
Coach Thorpe (Jr.) has been a Social Science instructor and the head coach of Dixon XC since 2020 and the head coach of the Dixon Duchesses T & F program since the 2023 season. Since the arrival of Coach Thorpe, over 21 medals have been earned by DHS athletes along with two event state titles in T&F (4x800, 800), and 4 team-state appearances in XC ('20 - G, '22 - 15th G, '23 - 19th B, '24 - 4th B)
As an athlete, Simon is the last runner in the state of Illinois to be All-State in Illinois XC in each season of his high school career. There are only 15 in the history of Illinois XC! He went on to run at Grand Valley State University and was part of 6 NCAA D2 trophy teams between XC, indoor track, and outdoor track.
2025 Speaker Line-Up
Lauren DeAngelis - Elmhurst (York) HS
USTFCCCA Illinois Coach of the Year 2021
York HS - IHSA State Champions 2021, 2023
James Kearney
Lewis University
(NCAA D2)
2023 GLVC Coach of the Year
Has had 9 NCAA XC Qualifiying Teams
Paul Vandersteen
Naperville (Neuqua Valley HS - Retired)
Neuqua Valley HS - IHSA State Champions 2007, 2009, 2016
Nike Cross National Champions - 2007
"Top 5 Greatest HS XC Teams ever assembled."
John Sipple
Downers Grove (North)
Downers Grove, IL
DGN HS. -
IHSA XC State Champions 2024, 2023, 2017
IHSA State Runner-Ups 2013, 2016
IHSA 3rd Place 2021, 2022
Dr. Ty Wolf
Heartland Community College (Retired)
Certified Mental Performance Coach
6 x NJCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year
Individual XC All-American at the University of Illinois
Randy Moore
Head Coach - Rockford Christian HS
Rockford (Rockford Christian)
R.C. HS. -
IHSA XC State Runner-Ups 2017
IHSA T& F State Runner-Up 2018
IHSA XC 3rd Place 2014
IHSA T & F 3rd Place 2011
Dr. Jon Gallas
(PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, CSCS)
Race Day Performance
Dr. Gallas specializes in treating running-related overuse injures and peforming biomechanical running video gait analysis.
Matt Logan
Young Harris College (NCAA D2)
Director of the newly-created Track & Field + XC teams at Young Harris University in Young Harris, GA.
Chad Clarey
Kaneland HS
Maple Park, IL
IHSA XC State Champions 2019
IHSA XC 4th Place - 2018, 2021, 2023
ITCCCA XC Coach of the Year 2019
2024 Coaches and College Counselors!
Dixon, Rockford Christian, & Winnebago Team Camp
June 10th - June 14th, 2025
Joe & Janet Erb
Head Coaches - Winnebago High School
Joe and Janet have coached at Winnebago High School for 22 years. Joereturned to the school where he first ran to assist Hall-of-Fame coach, Roger Fredrickson. In 2004 Joe became co-head coach, with his wife, Janet, of both boys and girls cross country and head coach of boys track & field. Joe and Janet have coached cross country teams to 8 IHSA State Championships, including 5 consecutive Girls titles from 2005-2009. In 2019, they had the pleasure of coaching his daughters to All-State honors and a team State Championship. In all, Joe & Janet has coached teams to 21 IHSA State trophies and over 70 individual medals. Their boys track 7 field teams have earned 3 IHSA State trophies.
Brandy Forward
Head Coach - Rockford Christian HS (Girls)
Brandy has been the Head Coach of the Rockford Christian girls XC and T&F teams since the 2022 season. An avid runner hersef, Brandy has passed along the tradition of running to her children, who run for RC, as they are multi-time State Qualifiers and school-record holders.
Randy Moore
Head Coach - Rockford Christian HS
Coach Moore has been teaching and coaching at Rockford Christian since the inception of RC in 1999. An alum of Augustana and Rockford (Lutheran) HS, Coach Moore has been involved in distance running since he was 14 years old and has coached, taught, and mentored numerous outstanding citizens and athletes. Teams fostered by Coach Moore have won four state trophies, 10 conference titles, four IHSA Track relay state titles and over 40 All-State Medals!