Four Members Added to Cross Country and Track and Field HOF
Charlotte, NC - The NJCAA has announced four new members to be enshrined into the NJCAA Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, including three coaches and a former student-athlete.
Kim Renas
Coach | Macomb (MI)
From 1982-2019, Kim Renas dedicated himself to Macomb and the cross country teams' success and progression, while also serving eight leadership years as the NJCAA Cross Country and Half Marathon Coaches Association Vice President.
Tallying 38 years of service as head coach, Renas helped 25 women achieve NJCAA Cross Country All-American status and was named the NJCAA Region 12 Coach of the year on three different occasions. Renas also led his women's team to three NJCAA Region 12 team championship titles. In 1994, the Monarchs were the NJCAA Women's Cross Country National Championship runner up.
Renas is a decorated track and field coach as well, possessing: three NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year awards, a pair of NJCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field National Championship runner up finishes (1983, 1993), nine NJCAA Individual Track and Field Champions, six NJCAA Track and Field Relay Team Champions, and 85 NJCAA Track and FIeld All-Americans.
Bill Smith
Coach | Vincennes (IN)
From 1982 to 2002, Bill Smith served as the cross country coach for Vincennes and from 2004 to 2007, Smith was the assistant track and field coach. In the marathon race, Smith's women took home the team championship national title four out of five years (1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001). In 1996, Smith's team won the 1996 NJCAA Men's Marathon National Championship title and the women collected team runner up honors in 1997 and 2002. In 1995, the men earned marathon team runner up honors at nationals and amongst these team accolades, Smith produced five women's individual champions (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002). On the men's side the one individual men's marathon national champion was in 1995. All together, Smith helped 15 individuals earn NJCAA All-American status.
In cross country, Smith's team earned the 1992 NJCAA Women's Cross Country Championship and just prior in 1991 and 1993, the women took home national runner up distinctions. On the track and field front, Smith's dedication earned him various awards and recognitions. In 1993, he was voted the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. Smith's commitment to the Trailblazer teams resulted in two NJCAA outdoor track and field individual champions (1983 and 1993). As a result of his unrelenting time put forth in supporting his student-athletes, Smith helped produce 20 track and field NJCAA All-Americans and 94 national place finishers in track and field to stand as one of the most well-rounded coaches in the association. Each spring, Vincennes hosts the Bill Smith Open meet.
Curtis Vais
Coach | North Iowa Area
With a total of 18 years dedicated to the NJCAA and its student-athletes' success, Curtis Vais continues to build on his team's success. From 2004 to 2021, Vais has served as the head men's and women's cross country coach and from 2006 to 2019, he was the head men's and women's track and field coach. Since serving with the North Iowa Area track and field program in 2006, the Trojans have had eight individual national champions under Vais. The Trojans have earned numerous track and field awards under Vais such as: 24 U.S. Citizen All-Americans, 28 USTFCCCA All-Americans, 21 NJCAA All-Americans, and a number of all-region athletes. Several of Vais' former student-athletes have continued academic and athletic careers at four-year Division I schools. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Vais' former student-athlete Rellie Kaputin placed 19 in the long jump event while representing Papua New Guinea.
In cross country, Vais' team collected the 2020 NJCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Championship title and also won the individual championship title. This was the first team title in program history for the men. Vais was named the 2020 NJCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and the USTFCCCA Division II Men's Coach of the Year. Sarah Bertry took home the women's individual runner up award in 2020. The Trojans placed in the top-20 from 2008-17 at the national championship meet, including top-10 finishes in 2011, 2014, and 2016. Over the years, Vais has developed 12 NJCAA All-Americans, 10 U.S. Citizen All-Americans, 10 USTFCCCA All-Americans, three Region 6 Men's and Women's Individual Champions, and 163 NJCAA All-Region student-athletes. Outside of the sport, Vais volunteers in Robert's Run, a fundraising race in memory of North Iowa Area professor Robert Davis and he also started an annual home cross country meet for former Trojan All-American Trent Smith who passed away in a car accident in 2016.
Leanne Pompeani
Student-Athlete | Iowa Central
From 2015-2016, Leanne Pompeani was a force to be reckoned with in distance events for Iowa Central. Born in Australia, Pompeani jumped head first into the Tritons program and captured success incredibly, posting school records in the 3K and 10K outdoor running events and making the all-time top-five list in multiple Triton events.
Pompeani's first season as a Triton quickly established her as the most decorated individual in the program's history, including numerous wins: NJCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Champion (2015 and 2016); two-time NJCAA Half Marathon Champion (2015 and 2016); USTFCCCA Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year (2015 and 2016); USTFCCCA Indoor and Outdoor Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year (2016); NJCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field National Champion in the 3K and 5K (2016 meet record and placed second in the mile); NJCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field National Champion in the 5K and 10K (third in the 1500m and 4x800 relay); USTFCCCA rankings during indoor as fifth in the 3K; second in the 5K, during outdoors as fifth in the 3K, second in the 5K, and second in the 10K. The unprecedented legacy Pompeani left on the Triton program and the association is undeniable. Today, she continues to break records as an Australian distance runner, competing around Canberra and beyond.