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Yesenia Benjamin - Girls' head coach
Yesenia Benjamin - Girls' head coach
Coach Benjamin has been with Parkhill High School since 2022 as a Math teacher. Coach Benjamin coached for four years at Kearney High School as the assistant girls’ cross country coach. In 2024, she joined the Park Hill Boys Cross Country team as the Girls Head Cross Country Coach.
Coach Benjamin got her start in distance running as a sophomore in high school when she joined her school’s cross country team. After graduating high school, Benjamin continued her running career at the University of Central Missouri competing in Cross Country, and Track as a collegiate athlete. After graduating college, Benjamin has continued her love for running by coaching others towards growing the same passion for long distance running.
One of Coach Benjamin’s favorite memories of high school was running cross country to be able to find a passion to call hers. As a coach, Benjamin hopes to lead others to the same passion.
Email: benjaminy@parkhill.k12.mo.us
nick gardner - boys' head coach
nick gardner - boys' head coach
Coach Gardner has been with Park Hill High School since 2016 as a Science teacher. In 2018 he joined the Park Hill Boys Cross Country team as an assistant coach under Jon Milholland. During the 2021-2022 school year Coach Gardner took over as Head Coach of the boys Cross Country team and distance coach in track.
Coach Gardner got his start in distance running as a sophomore in high school when he joined his school's cross country team. After graduating high school he ran and coached for the Mizzou running club from 2012 - 2015. Throughout his running career Coach Gardner has competed in distances ranging from 800m to 40 miles in length. His dream goal is to finish the Hardrock 100 endurance run.
One of Coach Gardner's best memories of high school was his time as a part of the school's Cross country team. As a coach he hopes to pay it forward and bring some of that same experience to his runners.
Email: gardnern@parkhill.k12.mo.us
derrienne gaar - girls' assistant coach
derrienne gaar - girls' assistant coach
Coach Gaar is a Park Hill High School alumni, with an athletic career that included four years as a cross country and track athlete. Entering her third year as a cross country assistant coach, Coach Gaar also just recently graduated Nursing School, and is also working as an RN at North Kansas City Hospital.
After a break from running following graduation from high school, Coach Gaar has recently returned to running and completed two 10k's last years, and is completing a 10k and half marathon this year.
One of Coach Gaar's favorite memories in high school was running cross country to be able to have an outlet from everything else. As a coach, it is important to try to do the same thing for the team.
Email: gaard@parkhill.k12.mo.us
ashley shroyer - Boys' Assistant coach
ashley shroyer - Boys' Assistant coach
Entering her 3rd year as a cross country assistant coach, Coach Shroyer serves as the school social worker at Plaza Middle School. She loves working with middle schoolers, but has thoroughly enjoyed working with and getting to know her high school athletes!
Coach Shroyer has been running in some way, shape, or form since 6th grade track, and was the captain of her track team senior year- not because she was good, but because she was consistent. While she never ran cross country in high school, she developed a love of running that took off in college when she started running longer distances to stay in shape, and work through the stressors of academics and becoming an adult.
Coach Shroyer took a couple breaks from running- one around and just after graduate school, and most recently, to have her two children. She is working her way back into running now and hopes to complete another marathon and half marathon by the end of 2024. To date she has run 3 marathons , 14-15 half marathons, and too many random distance, 10Ks and 5Ks to count. Her favorite local race is the Trolley Trail 4 mile run and favorite far away race is the Soldier Field 10 mile run in Chicago, IL. She was part of a team that completed the Hood To Coast 199 mile relay in Oregon with her sister (also a cross country coach out in Oregon), and a team that completed a Ragnar Trail run in Mt. Zion Utah with her husband, his brother, sister-in-law, and their friends.
Coach Shroyer has had previous coaching experience with Special Olympics Track and Field, and has been the distance coach for Plaza Middle School’s track team since the ill-fated 2020 track season.
Email: sweneym@parkhill.k12.mo.us
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