Walsh excited to join ISU's coaching staff

Kokomo Tribune - Thursday, October 30, 2014

Kokomo native Kyle Walsh enjoyed terrific success as Terre Haute South’s boys cross country coach from 2011-13. He led the Braves to three straight state finals appearances, highlighted by Jackson Bertoli’s individual title and a fifth-place team finish in 2013. Walsh also coached the Braves’ boys track and field team.

Now, the former Western three-sport athlete is ready for the next step in his career, as an assistant coach for the Indiana State track and field men’s and women’s teams.

Walsh ran cross country and track for the Sycamores in 2004-09.

“When I came to Indiana State and got my education, I thought I’d be a high school coach and teacher for the rest of my life, but then I got an opportunity to be a grad assistant with our PE department here at Indiana State so they paid for my master’s and gave me a stipend to live off of. Throughout the process of getting my master’s in coaching, I realized collegiate coaching is where I wanted to go. I wanted to work with high-caliber student-athletes and kids who are passionate about it,” Walsh said.

John McNichols, Indiana State’s longtime track and field and cross country coach, is happy to have Walsh on board.

“Kyle has been a part of Sycamore athletics for 10 years,” McNichols said in a press release. “He is extremely loyal to the program and knowledgeable in his area of expertise [distance]. He also has great connections with high school coaches in the state and will be a great addition to our staff.”

Walsh is eager to hit the recruiting trail. He will tell recruits about the Sycamores’ proud history. He also will rave about their new track stadium, which is scheduled to open in the spring.

“I won’t have to sell anything I don’t believe in because I’ve been around this program for 10 years now. I can speak from the heart as I’m selling the program to young men and women,” he said.

Walsh taught at Terre Haute North for two years before returning to Indiana State as the program coordinator for the athletic department. He is in his second season in that role. He is splitting time between that job and the coaching position for the time being.

One of Walsh’s responsibilities as program coordinator is helping with the NCAA cross country championships. Indiana State has hosted the national meet 10 times in the last 12 years at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.

“I was on the NCAA planning committee. It’s amazing learning how much organization goes into an event like this,” he said.

Walsh excelled in cross country, track and basketball at Western.

In cross country, he was a two-time Marion Sectional winner, a one-time Marion Regional winner and a two-time state participant. As a junior in 2002, he finished 22nd in the state meet. As a senior in 2003, he crossed the finish line 32nd after a late fall knocked him out of contention. He was running in the top five before falling with about 25 yards left.

In track, he was a two-time Kokomo Sectional champion in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs and a one-time Kokomo Regional champ in the 1,600. He reached the state finals twice. As a junior in 2003, he was eighth in the 1,600. As a senior in 2004, he was the runner-up.

In basketball, Walsh was part of the most successful boys team in school history. The 2003-04 Western squad went 23-3 and won Class 3A sectional and regional titles — the only regional title in program history. Walsh earned Kokomo Tribune All-Area third-team honors after scoring 10.9 points per game. He topped the area in 3-pointers with 69 on 39.2 percent accuracy. He drilled nine triples in a game against Peru.

Walsh running

TIME HOP: Western’s Kyle Walsh runs in the 2004 track and field sectional at Kokomo. As a senior in 2004, Walsh was the state runner-up in the 1,600-meter run.

Walsh points to former Western cross country and track coach Dana Neer for helping him develop into a college-level athlete.

“I grew up a baseball player, I played basketball, I did tennis my freshman year. Track and cross country were not on my radar until Dana came into my life. It took him until my 10th grade year when he could finally convince me to run cross country,” he said.

Walsh also credited teammate Jimmy Jackson and Walsh’s cousin Christopher Sinnett, a Taylor standout at the time, with encouraging him to run.

Walsh thanked his parents for their support. He noted they were a fixture at his meets, adding they traveled all over the country to watch him compete in college.