Tyree Cruz, who coached Ventura to 2014 state boys cross country title, steps down
Tyree Cruz was preparing for the fall season.
He was planning out the preseason parent meeting, mapping out summer workouts and setting up the beach days.
“Creating the culture that's been Ventura cross country for so long,” Cruz said.
But something felt different.
“It was the first time in 25 years it felt like work,” Cruz said. “It was my passion always.”
That’s why Cruz, who coached Ventura boys cross country to a state championship in 2014, decided to resign as the school’s boys and girls cross country coach.
A former Ventura High runner himself, Cruz succeeded Ralph Martinez as the boys coach in 2002. He later took over the girls program from his mentor, Bill Tokar.
He would guide Ventura boys cross country to the CIF-State Division II title in 2014, when the Cougars' 70 points was 35 better than second-place Fontana-Jurupa Hills.
“I just told them they have put in the work and trained for it, so just go do what you do,” Cruz told The Star after the state meet in 2014.
The team time remains the fourth-fastest in Division II history. The team also finished seventh at the Nike Cross Nationals.
The Cougars had nearly won it eight years previously, when they finished just five points behind champion Sacramento-Jesuit in 2006.
The boys were CIF-SS Division 2 champions in 2014 and 2016 and runners-up in 2006. Cruz coached the boys to 12 league titles and the girls to three.
"Tyree Cruz has been an exemplary head cross country coach for his tenure at Ventura High," Ventura athletic director Dave Hess said. "It's one of the most popular and consistently successful sports on our campus."
The programs have never been healthier. Both programs won the Pacific View League and were the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 runners-up last fall.
The boys finished third and the girls were fifth in Division II at state. Sophomore Sadie Engelhardt is one of the best female runners in the country.
“It was time,” said Cruz. “I could feel that I wasn't enjoying it as much as I had before. I was like, ‘It’s time to do something else.’ ”
Cruz, who underwent open-heart surgery in 2022, said health was not a factor in his decision. Although he plans to use the time to “get back in shape” and spend time with his family, including wife Tammy and children Jasper, 17, and Micah, 8.
A pack of Cruz’s former runners are now coaching. Garrett Reynolds, the lead runner of the 2014 state champions, coaches at Rio Mesa. Doug Petree is the head coach at Hueneme High. Daniel Mountcastle is the head coach at St. Bonaventure. Nick Randazzo is an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara. Kyle Medina is an assistant coach at Chico State.
“There's been a lot of kids come through the program that love running and keep going,” Cruz said. “So I think that legacy, right there, is pretty awesome.”
Although the program won titles and produced elite runners, Cruz hopes he’s remembered as a coach who focused on all his runners, not just the big names.
“I always said that I got as much out of coaching a 26-minute guy to 21 minutes as I did from getting a 17-minute guy down to 15,” Cruz said. “It was a program for everybody. Everybody mattered. And hopefully that's the legacy that I can leave behind.”
Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: State champion Cruz steps down as Ventura High cross country coach
