Coaches
Head Coach Justin Baum
Coach Baum is entering his second year as the head cross country coach for Green Mountain High School and 12th year as a head cross country coach. Prior to Green Mountain High School, Coach Baum served one year as head cross country coach at Pinnacle High School and four years as the head boys and girls cross country coach at Glenwood Springs High School. While at Glenwood Springs High School, Coach Baum guided the Glenwood Springs Boys to a 15th place finish at the 2017 4A State Cross Country Championships and the Glenwood Springs Girls to an 8th place finish at the 2020 4A State Cross Country Championships. Three athletes under Coach Baum's tenure at Glenwood Springs placed in the top 10 at the State Cross Country Championships, including 2022 Air Force Academy recruit Ella Johnson who placed 5th overall in 2019 and 4th overall in 2020. Before Glenwood Springs, Coach Baum coached at Sandy Valley High School in Magnolia, Ohio. During his five year tenure with the Cardinals, Coach Baum coached both the boys and girls to three district runner up team titles and a school record performance on the boys side in 2014. Coach Baum also competed in college at Malone College under 2012 Olympic Coach Jack Hazen and was an NAIA All American in the 10,000 meters in 2007. Coach Baum also posses the following certifications:
USTFCCCA Endurance Specialist Certification
USATF Level 1 Certification
USTFCCCA Technical Certification
USATF Level 2 Certification in Endurance
USATF Cross Country Specialist Certification
Road Runners Club of America Level 1 Certification
Assistant Coach Megan Flanagan
Megan Flanagan is excited to return to coach the Rams Cross Country team after coaching Green Mountain High School Track & Field as an Assistant Coach in Spring 2023 and 2024 for Distance. She helped lead the boys to a 1st place finish and girls to a 2nd place finish at League Championships, as well as individual girl's 3rd place 800/1600 and boy's 4th place 800/1600 finishes at League Championships, and a State Qualifier Boys 4x8 team. As a long-time athlete, running Division I Cross Country and Track & Field for both Lamar University and the University of Minnesota, Megan now competes in road marathons, trail races, and ultramarathons, including the Leadville 100 and Boston Marathon. She started a running organization, Strong Runner Chicks to empower women and girls in the sport. Her coaching philosophy involves a human-first approach, individualizing feedback for each athlete to help them reach their full potential, while developing a sustainable, enjoyable approach to running.
Assistant Coach Kaiya Firor
Volunteer Assistant Coach Sam McElhiney
Assistant Coach Clifton
Clifton is excited to join the Green Mountain cross country team after a successful stint as assistant track coach. Inspired by a news story where a dog ran a half marathon, Clifton is poised to make it big as an elite distance dog.
Assistant Coach Denver
Denver has been an honorary assistant coach for the past 4 years. His favorite activity are the strides during warm ups, but was banned from the Glenwood Springs track team after tackling the top 400 meter runner during a hill repeat. Denver has summitted two 14ers and ate an entire pizza at cross country camp. You can find him enjoying a pup cup from Dutch Bros while enjoying the sunshine.
