Cross Country - History
League History
Wilcox High School began competing in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) in 1962, when the league consisted of just 9 teams. As the league grew, it expanded to 13 schools before being divided in 1974 into two separate leagues: the De Anza League and the SCVAL League. Wilcox remained in SCVAL.
In 1995, the SCVAL and De Anza leagues were reunited under the SCVAL name, but divided into two competitive divisions:
De Anza and El Camino. For cross-country, all seven teams within the original SCVAL were placed into the El Camino Division, while the former De Anza League teams made up the new De Anza Division.
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SCVAL has remained composed of the El Camino and De Anza divisions to the present day.
However, to keep competition fresh, there is a realignment in the teams that compose each division every few years. With the lowest-ranking De Anza division team being moved to the El Camino division, and the option of the highest-ranking El Camino division team being moved up to the De Anza division. It is for this reason that you may see some teams in our meets one year and then be gone the next year, only to possibly return.
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For a more detailed history of SCVAL visit their official write-up.
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Head Coach History
The first cross-country coach at Wilcox was Roger Hoy in 1962. Under his leadership, the team won league titles in 1963 and 1964. He retired from coaching later that decade.
Cross-country participation at Wilcox declined in the late 1970s. Records show that the school did not field a team at the league finals in 1979 or 1980. We unfortunately do not know who coached during this time.
In 1981, after Peterson High School closed, their cross-country coach, Tim Goode, took over the program at Wilcox. He led the team until 1983, when he transferred to coach at Santa Clara High School.
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Carol Stroud was the head coach from 1984 to 1987. Walt Van Zant was an assistant coach with her for 4 years.
Walt Van Zant took the reins in 1987 and would go on to lead the program for nearly four decades, retiring in 2022. In addition to coaching, Coach Van Zant was a cross-country and track historian. He dedicated an entire summer to researching old newspaper archives on microfiche at local libraries, compiling the comprehensive all-time performance lists still preserved today on XCStats.
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Many assistant coaches coached alongside Coach Van Zant over the years. We attempt to recognize them all below.
Carol Stroud was an assistant coach from 1987 to 1993
Charles Lightly coached from 1986 to 1992.
Ms Wizz, an English Teacher at Wilcox, coached from 1995 to 1998.
Stephanie Hovancik coached in 1999.
Jake White coached from 1999 to 2001 and then later became the head coach of Lynbrook's running teams.
Kristen Traudt, an English Teacher at Wilcox, coached from 2001 to 2013.
Todd Hayes coached from 2009 to 2011.
Karen Kasses coached from 2012 to 2013.
David Rios coached in 2014.
Brian Low coached from 2007 to 2018.
Becki Kregi coached at Wilcox from 2011 to 2023. She had previously coached at Archbishop Mitty. She is still involved.
Danielle Zelinski coached from 2020 to 2021.
Patrick Kippes coached from 2019 to 2022.
David Garza coached from 2012 to 2015 and then stopped to begin his career. He returned to coaching in 2019.
David Garza (C/O 2011) became head coach for cross-country starting in the 2023 season.
He has had the following assistant coaches support him:
Mudra Patel (C/O 2022) coached in 2023 before moving for college.
Lalida Maokhampiou (C/O 2012) started coaching in 2023.
Jesus Covarrubias (C/O 2014) started coaching mid-season in 2024.
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Facilities History
Wilcox originally had an 8-lane dirt track. This was updated to an all-weather track in 2009? Coach Garza ran on both the dirt track and the new all-weather track during his high school career. Coach Van Zant and Mike Buncic (Coached Track) worked together to convince the district to install an 8-lane all-weather track, as it was originally planned to be a 7-lane track, which is not standard, but would have fit based on the location of the existing field. They worked with SCUSD and the city to get approval to build on city property to allow sufficient space for an 8-lane track. Furthermore, Coach Van Zant asked for a 9th lane to be added in the straightaway.
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With the upgrade to an all-weather track, it was dedicated to Mike Hazlett. He was a teacher, coach, and Athletic Director at Wilcox in the past. He coaches wrestling, football, and basketball. He had the motto "Being nice matters," and he lived it as many recount how he was a great human being spreading kindness, love, and compassion.
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The stadium/field is dedicated to Patrick Fitzgerald, who was...
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In 2025, the stadiums' bleachers, announcer's box, lighting, speakers, scoreboard, snack shack, bathrooms, and general spectator areas, along with the tennis courts, were renovated.
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Honoring Coach Van Zant
During the extensive renovations in 2025, a plaque was installed on 6/17 in one of the benches looking out over the second turn (near Zone 3) to honor Coach Van Zant's impact on Wilcox's running teams. A small ceremony was held to unveil it to Coach Van Zant on 6/20.
