Grafton cross country building under inspirational coach

Grafton High School has a deep boys’ cross country team this season and is rebuilding the girls’ squad.

The Black Hawks also have a new coach. The boys’ coach Derek Lindstrom has taken over the entire program and provides his runners with an inspirational leader.

Lindstrom has been a distance runner for years before it was discovered he had a damaged heart in 2018. He had a defibrillator and pacemaker installed, which saved his life twice.

Lindstrom had a heart transplant on Dec. 3, 2023. He has since shifted careers from real estate to starting a race management event company, 22 Events (Life). He loves the opportunity “to coach and mentor this amazing group of kids. After being given a second chance at life, this is one of my ways of giving back.”

Lindstrom still runs and has set a goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He could do the race as one of many charity runners who raise money for nonprofit organizations — Lindstrom supports Camp Odayin for children with heart disease and encourages people to be organ donors —  but he wants to make it on his own merit.

“I took a pretty big step toward that goal last weekend in Michigan, running a huge post-transplant half-marathon personal record,” he said.

“What has made this especially fun is how much the kids have embraced the journey. They ask about my workouts, my races and the Boston goal, and they’ve really become part of the story.”

Lindstrom’s targets for his teams are also lofty.

“Can we get the boys to state through a stacked sectional?” he asked. “And can we get Leah (Swartz) there individually? We’re sure going to find out.”

The boys team, he said, doesn’t have “that one true stud,” but “we have a ton of depth, with nine or 10 guys capable of breaking 19 minutes this year.”

The girls lost the fastest distance runner in school history, four-time state qualifier Callie Faust, to graduation. Faust runs for Coastal Carolina in South Carolina, and her mother is one of the assistant coaches.

“After graduating most of our varsity squad, we’re definitely a work in progress, but with five freshmen stepping into the lineup, the future is looking pretty bright,” Lindstrom said.

In the season-opening Milwaukee River Invite on Aug. 27, the Hawks didn’t run their full boys’ crew and scored 406 points, finishing 17th of 23 teams.

Alex Bergmann was 50th of 368 runners, finishing the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 54.8 seconds. Brayton McCann was 80th in 18:34.7. Zach Swenson was 81st in 18:35.9. Jack Wenzel was 94th in 18:53.4. Liam Hoctor was 138th in 19:41.2. Cole Burgos was 139th in 19:41.5. Ryan Piaro was 168th in 20:21.2.

The girls finished with 720 points and in 24th place of 25 teams. Swartz was 122nd of 359 runners, finishing in 23:30.1 Then came Katelyn DeMaster, 228th, 26:07.3; Tess Brulla, 230th, 26:08; Abby Widmann, 275th, 27:16.7; Sophia Leto, 282nd, 27:55.3; Amelia Jacobson, 294th, 28:37.4; Audrey Beck, 297th, 28:50.6; and Kenzie Bowler, 328th, 20:45.5.

At the Blackshirt Challenge in Minooka Park in Waukesha on Sept. 5, the boys scored 182 points and were eighth of 12 teams.

Brayton McCann was 24th of 87 runners, finishing in 18:34.6. Then came Bergmann, 25th, 18:40.3; Swenson, 41st, 19:38.4; Corbin Owens, 43rd, 19:53.4; Hoctor, 52nd, 20:16.4; Piaro, 56th, 20:44.2; and Burgos, 60th, 20:53.

The girls scored 247 points and were ninth of 13 teams. Swartz was 33rd of 92 runners, finishing in 24:12.4. Then came Brulla, 43rd, 24:49.9; DeMaster, 51st, 25:38.1; Beck, 63rd, 26:51.7; Jacobson, 64th, 27:07.8; Widmann, 65th, 27:09.05; and Leto, 67th, 27:25.9.

Boys crack the top third of Classic

Grafton’s boys finished seventh with 213 points in last Friday’s Division 2 21-team Nightfall Classic in Neenah. Shorewood won with 83.

Kagamba was 19th in 17:38.4. Then came Bergmann, 31st, 18:08.3; McCann, 34th, 18:15; Swenson, 68th, 19:11.3; Wenzel, 80th, 19:24.3; Piaro, 81st, 19:33.7; Burgos, 84th, 19:36.3; Hoctor, 86th, 19:41; and Owens, 90th, 19:46.6.

The girls scored 489 points and finished 19th of 23 teams. Kewaskum won with 95.

Swartz was 84th in 23:19. Then came Brulla, 88th, 23:28.9; DeMaster, 100th, 23:48.6; Jacobson, 154th, 25:40.4; Leto, 174th, 26:26.8; Beck, 206th, 27:52.2; and Widmann, 214th, 28:00.5.

“The team is really starting to come together. Our freshman girls continue to make some big strides, and the boys varsity team is looking strong,” Lindstrom said.

“Nightfall was a great experience. The kids loved the atmosphere, the competition and just the overall energy of the meet. With 60-plus teams there, it felt like a true championship environment. And, even better, we ran really well.”

The Hawks run in the New London Bulldog Invite on Saturday, Sept. 19.