Cross Country Coaches

Head Coach

Nick Hartz

nicholas.r.hartz@svcc.edu

In his seventh season as a coach for cross country, Nick Hartz looks to add his experience and knowledge to the very successful Cross-Country program. Nick was an assistant cross country and head track coach at Bureau Valley High School and has helped guide multiple athletes to medals at the state meets. He is also a United States Track and Field Level I certified coach and USATF Level II Coach in Endurance, Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays.  He joined the SVCC staff in 2015 as an assistant coach, and in 2017 as co-head coach with current assistant coach Mike Sullivan.  During the 2017 campaign, Hartz led four Skyhawk runners to the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championships.

Coach Hartz is a 1996 graduate of Bureau Valley High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Monmouth College in 2000 and a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from the University of Illinois in 2007. He is currently a teacher at Bureau Valley North Junior High School.

Assistant Coach

Mike Sullivan

michael.d.sullivan@svcc.edu

Now in his 23^rd year as a coach for the Skyhawk Cross Country program, Mike Sullivan continues to build a running program with over 30 years of experience to his credit. Coach Sullivan was the NJCAA Region IV 2015 Cross Country Coach of the Year. He also officiates area IHSA track meets each spring and was named the Honorary Referee for the 2016 IHSA State Meet.

Sullivan holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Education from SIU and currently resides in Sterling with his wife, Pat. They have three children, five grandchildren, a great granddaughter, and a great grandson.

Assistant Coach

Aaron Roe

aaron.r.roe@svcc.edu

Coach Roe brings many years of experience coaching cross country. Coach Roe was an assistant and head coach for cross country at Spoon River College for four years and an assistant coach at Moraine Valley Community College in both Cross Country and Track for three years. Coach Roe has helped many athletes achieve both academic and athletic success over the years, with many national qualifiers in the programs. While coaching is very fulfilling, Coach Roe still enjoys chasing his own personal challenges. Coach Roe has competed in 16 marathons and has recently ventured into the world of ultramarathon racing. He trained this past year in running various distances ranging from 50K to 12-hour endurance races and is preparing for his first 100 mile race this October. Coach Roe, a 2006 graduate of Byron High School, graduated with his Bachelors in Business Marketing and Management from North Central College in 2010 and a Masters in Entrepreneurship in 2012. He is currently the Director of Research and Planning at Sauk Valley Community College.