Coach VanderLeest, of Sioux Falls Christian School in South Dakota, has been the head XC coach for 11 seasons and head Track & Field coach for 7.  During his tenure, the Chargers have become a perennial presence on the state scene, having won 16 South Dakota State Team Championships between boys and girls cross country and track & field.  

As school counselor and chaplain, he says the growth and success of his teams are a by-product of building a culture where he and his staff focus on building community, developing character, cultivating discipline, embracing challenges and honoring Christ. This is evidenced by the fact that, in a school of 400 students, he consistently has over 80 kids on his cross country roster and over 120 on the track & field roster.

In today’s session, Coach VanderLeest will share some of the lessons he’s learned while growing his cross country program from the team he inherited (a team that hadn’t qualified for State in nine years and had only 16 runners) to his current team that has 10 top three finishes in his 11 years at the helm, and more importantly, a program that provides an environment where over 80 students are being trained and equipped for life beyond high school athletics.   

Along with discussing ways that cross country and track & field can help meet the social-emotional needs of adolescents, he’ll share some of his favorite workouts, favorite team traditions and more.

Coaching Bio of Luke VanderLeest

Cross Country

Coach VanderLeest has been coaching at Sioux Falls Christian School since 2001. After 13 years as both a middle school and assistant coach, he was named head Boys & Girls XC coach in 2014. It had been 9 years since SFC had even qualified a team for the state meet, but since 2014 the Charger boys have qualified for 11 consecutive years, finishing in the top three for 10 of those seasons (4th in 2018). This remarkable run includes 2 runner up finishes and 5 state titles.  Highlights have included having all 6 runners make the podium by placing in the top 25 in 2020, 2021 and 2024 and he has led individual boys to 21 top 10 finishes at the state meet.

In that same time, VanderLeest has led the SFC girls to qualifying for 10 consecutive state meets earning a runner up finish in 2020 and 3 straight state titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024. In the past 4 seasons he has led 4 different girls to finish as the individual runner up or state champ. The 2024 season was highlighted with 4 girls breaking the 18:00 barrier and was capped by a record setting 15 point performance at the state meet with 4 girls in the top 6.  

Track & Field

After more than a decade of coaching middle school and five years as an assistant in the high school program, Luke Vander Leest was named head Boys & Girls Track & Field Coach at Sioux Falls Christian School in 2017.  

In his first 7 seasons as head coach, the Charger Boys have won 5 state meet titles and were Runner Up twice. Highlights of the past few years include a record setting 153 point performance in the 2023 state meet, followed by somehow squeaking out another team title during a 2024 “rebuilding year” with a narrow 2 point win that was secured in a come-from-behind 4x400 relay title in the final event of the meet.  

In that same time the SFC girls program has also risen to be among the top programs in the state having won 3 consecutive state titles, which includes sweeping all five relays at the state meet for the past two years in a row!

Coaching Accolades

3x NHSACA - Circle of Champions SD Coach of the Year 

-2020 XC, 2022 Track, 2024 XC

6x USTFCCCA - South Dakota Coach of the Year / Nominee for National Coach of the Year

-2016 Boys XC, 2021 Boy TF, 2022 Girls XC, 2023 Boys TF, 2024 Girls TF, 2024 Girls XC 

12x SDCCTFCA - Class A Regional Coach of the Year

TEAM TITLES

16 SD STATE TEAM TITLES (XC & TF) 

• 5 Boys XC - 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024

• 3 Girls XC - 2022, 2023, 2024

• 5 Boys Track & Field - 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

• 3 Girls Track & Field  - 2022, 2023, 2024

8 SD Class A Combined Boy/Girl Team Titles 

XC - 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 TF - 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Individual Athlete STATE TITLES / ACCOLADES

Cross Country

2 Individual State Cross Country Champions (Maddox G’21, Braun G’23)

3 Individual State Cross Country Runners Up (Davelaar B’20, Smith G’22, Maddox G’24)

46 - Boys State Cross Country Meet Medalists (top 25)

21 - Boys Class A Cross Country All-State (top 12 finisher)

22- Girls State Cross Country Meet Medalists (top 25)

14 - Girls Class A Cross Country All-State (top 12 finisher)

Track & Field

58 EVENT CHAMPIONS @ SD STATE TRACK & FIELD MEET

29 - Relay Titles (9 state meet records)

29 - Individual Titles (7 state meet records)

Top 10 All-Time South Dakota Track & Field

100 Meters

Josiah Adams  #4 10:54 2023

800 Meters

Isaac Davelaar  #3 1:51.11   2023

1600 Meters

Corinne Braun #? 4:54.99   2024

110m Hurdles

Justus Adams  #10 14.37  2018

300m Hurldes

Chris Oostra #3 38.12  2021

Josiah Adams  #9 38.54  2023

4x100m Relay

Reuer, VanDonge, Schroder, Adams  #10  42.59  (2023)

4x200m Relay

 Reuer, VanDonge, Schroder, Adams  #1  1:27.42  (2023)

4x400m Relay

Sichmeller, VanderLeest, Braun, Vyn   #?    3:57.22 (2024)

4x800m Relay

Smith, Braun, Maddox, Vyn   #?  9:06.91  (2024)

1600m Medley Relay

Reuer, Skyberg, Schroder, Davelaar  #4   3:30.45  (2023)

Beyke, VanDriesen, VanderLeest, Vyn  #7  4:07.21  (2023)

Pole Vault

Rylee Punt  #?       12-03.5   (2024)

Shot Put

Paul Hoekman  #10  64-04.5  (2024)