Meet Your Coaches

Ryan Salem (He/Him) MA, MAT

Head Girls and Boys XC Coach

Volunteer Assistant Track, Distance

Marissa Moore – Varsity Assistant XC (She/Her)

Volunteer Assistant Coach Track & Field, Mid Distance 

Coach Moore is in her 9th season with the Lincoln Southwest cross country team. During her time at Lincoln Southwest, Coach Moore has been an assistant coach for two state runner-up teams (Boys XC 2017; Boys Track 2018) and four state championship team (Boys XC 2019 and Girls Track 2018, 2021, 2022). During high school, Coach Moore competed in cross country for 3 years and track all 4 years. She was a member of Norfolk’s state championship XC team in 2009 and finished 10th individually at the state cross country meet her senior year.

Coach Moore came to Lincoln Southwest after graduating from Doane College, where she competed in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. She earned 7 All-American honors during her track career (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) and specialized in middle distance. While at Doane, Coach Moore was a part of 8 GPAC Championship teams (indoor and outdoor track 2013-2016) and holds 3 school records (indoor 4×800, outdoor 4×800, indoor distance medley). Coach Moore’s success extended beyond the track, as she also earned NAIA Scholar Athlete honors each year at Doane. Coach Moore graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in English/Language Arts and an endorsement in Secondary Education; she is also continuing her education to earn a master’s degree from Doane University in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently an 8th grade English teacher right down the street at Scott Middle School.

Coach James is his 14th season with the LSW cross country team after being a practicum coach during his last semester of college in the fall of 2009. After graduating from UNL he has been teaching at LSW since January 2010. While in high school at Southeast Nebraska Consolidated he was involved in cross country, basketball, and track. He still ranks in the top ten all-time for performances in five different track events at his school.

In addition to his experience at the high school level, Coach James was also involved with the cross country and track teams at UNL. He worked directly with Head Cross Country Coach Jay Dirksen in the distance events and Head Track Coach Gary Pepin in the jumping events as a student manager for three years. During his time he was a part of two Big XII Championship teams and worked directly with four All-Americans including two national champions.

http://isite.lps.org/mjames2

My name is Olga Mwenentanda. Originally from Congo(DRC). I speak three languages ( French, Swahili, and English). I taught special education for 3 years at Belmont Elementary. I coach reserve girls basketball at Lincoln high. I currently also coach a select girls basketball team during the winter. I am looking forward for year 3 with the amazing cross country team at LSW!!

1st year teacher at LSW and coach with LSWXC in 2023. An Elkhorn-South native, Mason come to the program fromNebraska Wesleyan University.

Coach Mason is a 2x American Rivers All Conference runner and a Nebraska Wesleyan school record holder in the 4x800. In 2022 he earned a varsity letter for a third straight season... ran the mile at the American Rivers Indoor Championships and placed 11th at 4:24.30... ran the 1500-meter run at the American Rivers Outdoor Championships placing 17th with a career best time of 4:03.85... had a season-best finish of second in the 1500-meter run with a 4:12.30 at the NWU-Doane dual (4/15)... placed fourth in the 1500-meter run with a 4:13.75 finish at the Prairie Wolf Invite (4/28).

Hello! My name is Sadye Daniell! I joined LSW as a volunteer coach for the 2024 track season. I loved the athletes and coaching staff at LSW so much. I am so excited to stay on for my first year coaching cross-country! 

I competed in cross country and track for almost a decade. First attending Lincoln Christian High School before competing at the NCAA Div. I level for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Huskers. Currently, I am at the University of Nebraska studying Finance and minoring in Management, Communications, and Entrepreneurship. I am passionate about coaching because I want other girls to experience a love and a passion for running that outlasts high school! 

Ted Larson, Ph. D. (He/Him)

Volunteer Asst. Coach XC

Former Head Cross Country Coach at LSW

Nebraska Coaching Hall of Fame member, Ted Larson, is the most highly decorated cross country coach in the state of Nebraska. As a head coach at Lincoln Southeast, Larson’s teams won 24 state championships from 1983 to 2001 – 13 in girls cross country, 10 in boys cross country and one in boys track. The girls cross country team put together a streak of nine straight state championships from 1989 to 1997. In 1992, the Knights boys and girls set scoring records at the state cross country meet, one of five years his teams won both state titles. The national Coach of the Year in 1995, he also coached two years at Lincoln East and two years at Waverly before moving to Southeast. After 2001, he became the first cross country coach at Lincoln Southwest, adding another conference championship (his 28th) and an individual state champion (his sixth) before retiring in 2008.