Mike Christiansen is the assistant boys track coach and the head boys and girls cross country coach at Nevada High School. He coaches the distance and middle distance in boys track. He has coached at Nevada for 12 years and has coached all together for 25. He has coached at Harlan Community High School and was a volunteer coach at Simpson College. Coach Christiansen works as a route salesman for Frito Lay.
During high school and college, Coach Christiansen lettered in cross country and track at both Harlan and Simpson. He competed in the Drake Relays seven years in a row, ran in the Kansas Relays, LSU Paper Tiger Relays, and the Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational. He qualified for state three times in CC and in track in high school, and he is a three time national qualifier in track, and a one time national qualifier in CC at Simpson.
Coach Christiansen always knew he wanted to coach. He loves the team comradery and the challenges. He loves the competitiveness of the sport as well as watching athletes grow as an athlete and a person.
He still coaches because he still loves everything about it. Practice is his favorite part of the day and he feels like he has a lot to offer the kids with his running and coaching experiences, as well as life experiences too.
The goals for the track season are high. He says they have a very talented team this year and are as strong as we ever have since he has been coaching at Nevada. Winning the conference title is also on their list of things to accomplish. Another goal for the season is to take as many events to state as they can.
His main focus for the track season is to make the 800 meter to 3200 meter guys as physically and mentally strong as he can. He wants to push them pretty hard but still keep them healthy so he can keep pushing them at the end of the year. He also wants to help Coach Pelzer however he can.
Article submitted by Sydney Mosinski.
