Cross Country

HEAD COACHES: 

Brian Kelly – Hello, and welcome to ThunderRidge XC! I’m currently in my 16th season as the head coach of ThunderRidge Cross Country. Throughout the years, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge, both as a coach and mentor. My running career took off at Colorado State University, where I was one of the top middle distance runners in the conference. I received my Masters in Sports Psychology from the University of Tennessee following my time at CSU. I later returned to the Fort Collins area where I began my coaching career at Rocky Mountain High School prior to moving to ThunderRidge. Once arriving at ThunderRidge, I became a part of the community as a psychology and social studies teacher in the building. I value the relationships that I have made with athletes and parents alike over the years. Now as a dedicated husband and father of two sons, I have an even greater appreciation of the importance of coaches and educators. As a coach, I hope to impart this love of running on future TRXC athletes. We look forward to having you! 

Daniel Grant – I am currently in my 10th year as a cross country coach and first as a head coach at ThunderRidge. As a school counselor at Ranch View, I am so happy to have the opportunity to work with students and athletes for seven years while they navigate middle and high school. Prior to coming over to ThunderRidge, I was an assistant coach on state championship cross country and track teams. Through my experiences, I have seen that the key to success is not only in knowledge and ability level, but also guidance. As the head cross country coach of ThunderRidge, I hope to not only guide your athletes to success on the grass, but also to success in life.

ASSISTANT COACHES:

Michele Sims – Over the past four years, I have loved being a coach at ThunderRidge! As a Spanish teacher in the building, I enjoy getting to know students both as individuals and athletes. We truly do have the best kids! Running has always been a part of my life. Following 20 years living abroad in Costa Rica, I knew that I wanted to continue to incorporate it into my life as a professional. I love being a coach at ThunderRidge and can’t wait to coach your athletes! Go Grizzlies!  

John Green – I am so excited to be working with our ThunderRidge athletes! I’m originally from Texas and had the opportunity to both compete and coach in college, at Tarleton State University, before joining ThunderRidge High School. I currently serve as the Head Distance Track Coach and an Assistant Cross Country Coach. Running has been a part of my life since high school, and I’ve known I wanted to become a coach since then. My ultimate goal is to positively impact, inspire, and motivate the athletes! I love being a part of this coaching staff and am excited for the many more years to come. Go Grizzlies!

Ellie Webb – I started running at 2.5 years old (seriously!) when my parents decided that if my older brother could do a half-mile kids’ fun run, then so could I. I’ve been running and chasing after my brother ever since! In high school, I ran both cross country and track. Right before starting college, I ran my first ultramarathon, a 50K, and have basically been hooked on longer distances ever since. My biggest personal running accomplishments to date are a second-place overall finish with a women’s course record in a 100K and a sub-17 hour finish in a 100 mile race. Recognizing the positive effect running had on my life made me want to get into coaching in order to help students discover how running could be beneficial in their lives. I took my first coaching job down in Colorado Springs, where I started off as an assistant coach for cross country and track before taking the head coaching position for the girls’ team. I left coaching in order to teach in Saudi Arabia and Colombia for three years before returning to the U.S. last year. I’m thrilled to be coaching at ThunderRidge! Go Grizzlies!