Dowling's Tim Ives named 2022 All-Iowa boys cross country coach of the year
Tim Ives may have a sore arm from pinching himself so often this fall to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
That's because his Dowling Catholic High School boys cross country team truly had a dream season.
Dowling ran past the competition all season, winning every meet it entered, culminating in a Class 4A state championship on Oct. 29 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
The Maroons made it a clean sweep as senior Jackson Heidesch won the Class 4A individual state championship, setting a new state record in the process. Because of that, he's earned the title of Des Moines Register 2022 boys cross country coach of the year.
There were plenty of reasons for Ives to pinch himself, but the dream was reality all along.
"This has really been a dream season in so many ways," said Ives, a graduate of Des Moines Christian and Dordt University, where he ran cross country and track. "The momentum created from our state cross country championship last fall, and in track last spring, carried forward into this past summer and fall. Entering this season it seemed like we would have all the necessary components for making another championship run this season and it certainly turned out that way. From our top runner to our fifth scorer to even our seventh and eighth runners, there really wasn’t a weak link to be found.."
Ives' touch of magic started over the summer when he took the Maroons to Colorado for a training camp and for some team bonding. That spilled over into the season, where Dowling dominated every meet, including the prestigious Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There, the Maroons not only beat numerous Iowa schools, but some of the best teams in the entire Midwest.
"The process of building our program into perennial title contenders starts with exposing new freshmen to our older and more experienced runners," Ives said. "I will occasionally receive comments from other sports coaches on campus about how impressive it is to watch our guys practice. They prepare well, take workouts seriously and train in tight-knit groups. Our younger boys can’t help but take notice of that approach to training and before long start to emulate it themselves. "
Dowling capped the season with a dominating performance at the state meet, where the Maroons placed their top five runners in the top 25 and beat runner-up Johnston by a whopping 73 points.
And the Dowling tradition of excellence continues under Ives.
"If you would have told me even 10 years ago that I would win eight state championships out of just 16 seasons of high school coaching I would have never believed you," Ives said. "While it’s been a memorable run, I have no intentions of slowing down anytime soon. I am not only surrounded by really good coaches, but the athletes, their families, and all of Dowling Catholic High School are what truly makes championship seasons possible."
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ives helps Dowling win its 8th Class 4A state team title in 16 years
