Regis Back-to-Back Cross Country Titles

By Jake Laube

The boy’s cross country team took about twenty years to win their first state championship, and not only did they win, but they won it back-to-back. The boys were coached by Mr. Bauer, who also coached the girl’s team. The Regis boys shocked everyone by winning the title despite how young they were. The Rams put on a 16-2 record. Their leading runners still hold records at our school today. Some members of the team even got to participate in out-of-state races all the way across the country. 

The first year that the boy’s cross country won state championships was back-to-back years, 1984 and 1985. The team was led by, you guessed it, Mr. Bauer. They had nineteen boys on the team, with leading runners Kevin Joyce, Brian Silbernagel, and Scott Nelson. Scot was ‘“the leader of the team.” As a senior, he helped them win the state championship. Regis’ rivals were the Monroe Dragons and they were their two losses in the season, but they beat them in the meet that mattered most.  

In addition to winning the state title, one of the highlights for Brian Silbernagel and Kevin Joyce was a trip to China, Hong Kong, and Hawaii. In China, they did a three-mile race across the rolling hills of China. The race was a coed race with over 300 hundred runners. Kevin placed 28 overall, and Brian placed in the top thirty-five. The youth friendship race was one to remember for the group. The trip was very tiring for the group but they had the times of their lives.