Columbus North High School

January 22, 2026 - Head boys and girls cross country coach Rick Sluder has been named the Indiana and National Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Sluder coached the Bull Dogs to the 2025 IHSAA Boys Cross Country State championship last fall after an undefeated regular season which included conference, sectional, and regional championships as well as victories in the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, and Nike XC Town Twilight in Terre Haute. Following the season, the Dogs won the NXR Midwest Regional and finished eighth at the NXN Nationals in Oregon. Sluder will be recognized at the USTFCCCA National Convention in Dallas, Texas in December, 2026. Bull Dog Nation congratulates Coach Sluder for this outstanding honor and wishes him all the best for many seasons to come.