A few weeks before school, the beloved coach of the cross country team, Charlton Rolle, was offered a job at Notre Dame College in Ohio. This news was great for Rolle but it came as a shocking blow to some who loved and respected Rolle as a great coach and fellow RJR Demon.
For the cross country program at Reynolds, it was a stressful time because it forced the Athletic Director, Brad Fisher, to find new Girls’ and Boys’ cross country coaches in so little time. Luckily, there were two well-qualified coaches that were looking for teaching and coaching jobs in the area.
Meghan Sticker is a the new Girls’ Cross Country and Track coach, and David Wainwright is the new Boys’ Cross Country and Track coach. After the first few weeks of Cross Country, both coaches have shown success and have loved their time as an RJR Demon.
“I feel very lucky to have been brought into such a successful program here at Reynolds,” Wainwright said. “Coach Rolle loved the team and left it in a great spot.”
The girl’s team has won one cross country meet already and the boy’s team has won two meets.
“One of our goals is to place well at the Conference cross country meet and hopefully send a few of our girls to Regionals to run,” Sticker said. “I love the girls so much and the program is just really great.”
Rolle previously coached cross country at Reynolds for two years and got to know the athletes well. He helped the runners improve in the years he was here and it was emotional for some athletes to see him leave. Rolle was awarded the Coach of the Year award in the Central Piedmont Conference last year. While it was hard for the athletes to see him leave, it was a very good opportunity for Rolle to go coach at a Division II college.
“Coach Rolle had done a lot for (the athletes) and I am glad to fill his position and hopefully bring home a state championship,” Wainwright said.
Both Wainwright and Sticker have had good running and coaching experiences, with Wainwright running all throughout high school as well as attending Wheaton College to run. Coach Sticker ran throughout high school and ran at Louisiana State University.
The athletes have missed Coach Rolle but are glad to see he’s doing well and pursuing his dreams in Ohio. Everyone hopes the new coaches will do well and hopefully lead the Demons Cross Country team to a State Championship in the near future.