Last Friday, North Summit High School announced head cross country and track and field coach Dave Peck is going to be inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Peck said there will be an induction ceremony during one of the Braves basketball games this winter.  Pe ck has been coaching at the school since 1996. He is also the health and physical education teacher there. Starting as the head boys track coach for a brief stint in 1996, Peck returned to the role in 2000, started coaching the boys and girls cross country teams in 2003 and had also led the girls track team since 2020.  Peck estimates he has won 23 state titles as a head coach of all four teams and that he has been part of 33 titles including his time as an assistant.  A transition from college skiing While Peck did run track as a high schooler in Andover, Massachusetts, he went on to ski for Brigham Young University.  Peck would take a job postgrad at Altamont High School, where he coached football and basketball for a year before arriving at North Summit.  He first took over the Braves boys track program in 1996. Peck had to stop and think for a moment when asked whether he felt ready for the role at the time.  “I just enjoyed running when I was in high school and played baseball also,” Peck said, “but there was this opening for track and I thought, ‘Yeah, I’d like to be a part of that.’” Peck said there was a learning curve to coaching the boys at first, and he admitted having to step down to being an assistant was frustrating but ultimately an educational experience.  “What happened was there was kind of a change in philosophy, and so they asked me to just be an assistant coach,” Peck said. “And they had this other coach step in for a couple years, but then he didn’t last that long. … He ran in high school and I think he also ran a little bit in college, and so it was really nice to learn from him.” Peck said one of the hardest parts of coaching track — bigger teams with lots of different events — is getting everybody organized. He credits his assistants and his wife for his success.  “I certainly gotta thank my wife, Kathy, for all the support she has given me because, yes, it’s pretty time consuming,” Peck said. “We’ll start cross country in June and then track as soon as we can after the basketball season in February.” Peck and his staff opt for shorter, efficient practices and close-to-home, limited-weekend competitions when possible, which he believes have been successful. Stacking up state titles Over his career, Peck has won three boys cross country state titles, 10 with the girls cross country team, five with the boys track team and six with the girls track team. Peck won his first state title as head coach of the boys track team in 2000, then his first state title as head coach of the boys cross country team in 2003. His first state title with the girls cross country title was in 2013, and also led the girls track team to another state title after taking that position in 2021. It took Peck almost a decade to get his first state title with the girls cross country team, but since then, he’s stacked up a total of 10.  He thinks all the winning has fueled further participation in the programs, which has turned into even more winning.  “I just think we’ve established a really good culture here,” Peck said. “People just want to come out and be a part of the team. We’ll get probably 70, 80, sometimes 90 kids to come out for the track team.” And there have been plenty of fond memories with those teams, Peck said. Like the time the girls cross country team beat Grand County High School by one point at the state championship meet a few years ago on the back of terrific individual efforts from some of their runners. Or, more recently, when both boys and girls track team’s 4×400 meter relay teams set state records this past season.  A lasting legacy Peck didn’t deny having had other offers to coach for bigger high schools or college programs over the years, but said Coalville, where his wife is from, still feels like home. He’s never stopped wanting to chase the next state title with the Braves, and though he’s receiving what could be the top honor in his field, he’s not slowing down yet.  “I’d like to continue,” Peck said. “We teach the nine months and have three months off, which is kind of kind of nice. … The track girls have a really good chance of getting their 11th (state title) in a row, and that would tie the record for the most consecutive wins.” Peck said the girls cross country team also has a great chance of winning what would be their fifth-straight state title. It’s a testament to Peck’s winning ways that that championship streak wasn’t the nearly unbelievable streak he was mentioning.  Peck said he always hits the trails and the track and tries to do his best. He never expected to be earning a hall of fame honor. When all is said and done, Peck hopes he’s remembered for the care he put into these programs.  “I’m hoping they just realize the love that I’ve had for them and what I was able to do to probably just encourage them,” Peck said. “I’ve had many come back after they graduate and say they just really appreciated the work. The things that they were able to to achieve through the hard work on their part has really helped them as they move on in life. I think that’s the key: just being able to see that they are able to learn a few things by participating in track or cross country, and then certainly helping them develop some good life skills as they move forward.” The post North Summit coach earns place in the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less