NPXC Coach Steve Leach Announces Retirement

The end of an era.

After 25 years of guiding the North Polk Cross Country Team, Coach Leach has announced his retirement. His dedication to the team and unwavering support for each athlete has left a lasting impact on all those who have had the privilege of being under his guidance.

Thank you, Coach Leach, for your years of hard work, passion, and mentorship. Your legacy will continue to inspire us for years to come.

Coach Leach began coaching and teaching in the fall of 1999. Back in the early 80s, the district shared Cross Country with Ankeny and Johnston. In 1998, Leach proposed to the North Polk School Board the idea of having our own program, which came to fruition in 1999.

Coach Leach has elevated the North Polk Cross Country program significantly over the past two decades. The first individual Girls State Qualifier was in 2004, followed by the first team qualifier in 2007. The team has qualified 13 times under his leadership. The North Polk Girls' Cross Country team qualified for state in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021.

On the boys' side, the team qualified for the first time under Leach in 2008 and achieved their best-ever individual placing in 2012, coming in second. The North Polk Boys' Cross Country team qualified for state in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Notably, North Polk has seen individual girl qualifiers for the past two decades.

Congratulations to Coach Leach on an outstanding career and NPCSD would like to thank him for all his dedication to our student-athletes over the last two decades.