Mike Corn’s team stood one runner away from the district championship.

His first four runners had finished in the top 10 – now it came down to the last runner.

But with 400 meters left, that fifth man, Robbie Freeling, needed to pass two opposing runners for the title.

Freeling was drenched in sweat. He was growing weary.

He didn’t know if he could finish the race, let alone pass anybody.

Then he felt something smack his arm. It was his coach.

“Come on. Your whole high school career comes down to this. You got four guys counting on you to win this thing. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

Corn screamed as he ran alongside him.

Suddenly, Freeling had new life. He had motivation and even confidence.

He surged ahead, left the two opponents in the dust and collapsed across the finish line.

His coach was there to pick him up, hug him and give him some water.

And a free dinner.

Mike Corn, the man with the magic motivation, has been hired as the new Loyola cross country coach.

After the athletic department fell down two flights of stairs in the building of progress this semester – losing head coaches Paul Garvey and Greg Castillo – it has gotten back on its feet and managed to ascend a few of those steps.

Turns out that Garvey, the former cross country coach, is a good friend of Corn’s.

The two are cut from the same philosophical cloth of coaching.

They graduated from USA Track and Field (essentially, a school for coaches) together in 1992.

Corn’s hiring shows me that the athletic department here at Loyola is still fighting to survive.

It shows me that Loyola still wants to compete. Trust me, I know. Corn is a competitor.

He coached at my high school, Archbishop Rummel, for 11 seasons.

In nine of those seasons that he was at the helm, his team placed in the top five in state.

Looks like Loyola has brought in a coach with a history of winning, instead of letting him go.

Corn could be a diamond in the rough for the Wolfpack.

Aside from his duties at Loyola, he is also the director of the coaches’ education program for the U.S. Track and Field Federation.

Cross country coaches learn their craft at the school – from teachers. Corn is in charge of those teachers.

The man obviously knows a heck of lot about running. He can certainly help the ‘Pack make strides.

Freeling said that he could not have passed those two guys without Corn’s motivation.

In practice, Corn is as hard-nosed as they come. Yelling. Unrelenting. All to make his runners better able to perform.

Outside of practice, not many are more understanding and easy to talk to. I know firsthand. He was my physical science teacher in high school.

He challenged me, taught me a great deal and motivated me to learn more. I guess I had to.

After all, he was, as we called him, the Grand Poobah. But that’s exactly how he coaches. Push, teach, motivate, encourage – and win.

A great hire like Corn makes me believe more for the athletic program is to come.

This is how building a program starts.

One flight of stairs at a time.