Coaching Staff

Jason Wells, head coach

A former Circleville runner, Jason Wells is in his 15th season with Circleville cross country. Wells ran for former coach Jim Diltz as a member of the Circleville cross country team from 1992-1993. He began volunteering with Circleville XC while in college before joining the staff full-time as a teacher in 2000. Wells has also coached middle school track and currently serves as the high school distance coach. He also has served as secretary/treasurer of the Southeast District Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. Wells teaches English, journalism, and reading at CHS.

 

Kelley Sabine, middle school coach

Kelley Sabine, a former Circleville runner, returned to the team in 2006 for her first year as middle school coach. Sabine ran for the Tiger XC team for two years, running in the state meet both years (1999 and 2000). She also qualified for the state meet in track as a member of the 4x800m relay team. Sabine ran cross country and track at Otterbein, where she graduated from college. A kindergarten teacher at Mound Street Elementary, Sabine also coaches the middle school distance runners in track.

 

 

Dick Liston, assistant coach

Dick Liston, a former all-state runner for the Tigers in the 1970's, has been working with Circleville distance runners for the past six years. He has served as the middle school distance coach and has also assisted with the high school track and cross country programs. Liston continues to compete himself, recently running a 17:45 at the age of 52 in this past year's Dog Days 5K.

 

Jim Diltz, volunteer/former head coach for 31 years

Diltz, Circleville XC’s coach for 31 highly successful seasons, continues to work with the program on a volunteer basis despite retiring in 2005. During his reign as head coach, the program grew from seven runners to as many as 80, and he added both the girls and the middle school programs. Diltz qualified 13 teams to the state meet and coached numerous all-state runners. He was named Central and Southeast District Coach of the Year 10 times and MSL Coach of the Year 15 times. In 1999, he was elected to the MSL Hall of Fame.

 

Bill Search, volunteer

Former middle school coach Bill Search, though no longer coaching in an official capacity, also helps with the team and directs the “Circleville Dog Days 5K” road race in August. Search, who served as Zane Trace head cross country and track coach before coming to Circleville, was a five-time state qualifier in high school and went on to run at Ohio State. He continues to run competitively himself, having run the Columbus Marathon in 2004 and the Boston Marathon in 2005.