Longtime high school coach Paul Vandersteen joined the North Central College men's cross country and track and field staff as a volunteer coach in fall 2024.
Coach Vandersteen has 36 years of coaching experience, including stops at Peoria Notre Dame, Pekin, and Waubonsie Valley High Schools before serving as the head boys' cross country and assistant track and field coach at Neuqua Valley High School from its opening in 1997 to his retirement in 2023.
Under Vandersteen's direction, Neuqua Valley placed in the top 10 at 17 of 20 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) State Championship meets. The Wildcats won three state titles (2007,2009,2016); placed 2nd in 2017, third in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018, and fourth in 2003, 2008, and 2014. Competing as Naperville South, the 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2016 teams also qualified for the Nike Cross Country National competition in Portland, Oregon, winning the national championship in 2007.Â
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