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Former NP star, spouse back home
Busch, husband return from year in Hartford
Roger and Cassie (Hunt) Busch left Indiana in August of 2015 for a new adventure in Connecticut, as Roger was named head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at the University of Hartford -- a Division I school which competes in the America East Conference.
The 2015-16 season was a banner one for the Hawks' track and field programs, as Hartford saw an individual post a personal best in every event throughout the indoor and outdoor campaigns. The Hawks saw strong growth in Lauren Bossi, who earned a seventh-place finish at the conference meet in the heptathlon and earned personal bests in four events during the outdoor season.
Hartford's women's cross country team placed eighth and the men's team finished ninth at the 2015 America East Cross Country Championships.
Shortly after arriving in Connecticut, Hartford hired Cassie Busch -- a former All-American runner at Illinois -- to be one of her husband's assistants.
The East Coast stay for the Busches ended in May, however, when they resigned their positions for "family reasons," according to a Hartford statement, and moved back to Crawfordsville.
Cassie Busch has returned to work at Wabash College in the information technology department. Their future coaching plans are unknown.
Roger Busch graduated from Wabash College and coached at his alma mater for nine years as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach.
At Wabash, Busch led the cross country team to three North Coast Athletic Conference titles and two NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional titles. In the Little Giants' most recent NCAC title last season, the squad placed all seven runners on the All-NCAC Team and dominated the event with a winning margin of 62 points.
Wabash concluded the season with a 16th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA DIII Championship race.
Two of Busch's runners earned All-American laurels in cross country during his short tenure at Wabash. In the classroom, Busch's student-athletes also found success as his cross country team has earned nine consecutive Academic All-American Team awards for posting a team grade point average of 3.38 or higher.
As an assistant coach for the Wabash track and field team, Busch worked primarily with the middle and long distance runners. Under his guidance, four of his athletes have combined to earn 11 All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championship meets in the 800-meter, 1,500-meter, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races. Busch produced 12 NCAA track and field national qualifiers and a trio of national champions.
Busch's coaching accomplishments have been recognized by several organizations. Named as NCAC Coach of the Year in 2011, 2013, and 2014, he has also been named the Great Lakes Region Cross Country Coach of the Year by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on three occasions (2010, 2013, and 2014).
In addition, as a track and field assistant, he was tabbed the Great Lakes Region Assistant Indoor Track Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2014, and was most recently named the 2015 Great Lakes Region Assistant Outdoor Coach of the Year.
"Coach Roger Busch comes highly recommended and brings an accomplished resume to our cross country and track & field programs," Hartford athletic director Anton Goff said upon Busch's hiring last year. "Our vision was to hire a knowledgeable leader who would be an inspiration to our student-athletes. I am confident that with Coach Busch, we will get those qualities and much more."
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Busch served as an assistant high school track and cross country coach at North Putnam, Doherty High School (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and at Maui High School in Hawaii.
Cassie (Hunt) Busch served as a volunteer track and cross country coach at Wabash along with her husband from 2010-2015. In her time with the Little Giants, she helped the team to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships in each of her five years, including first-place finishes at the Great Lakes Regional Meet in both 2013 and 2014.
Prior to her time at Wabash, Busch served as the track and cross country coach at North Montgomery.
During her Cougar career, she was a 1,600-meter run state champion in her junior year, winning the event in a time of 4:54.43. She also placed sixth in the 3,200-meter run.
Busch was a two-time state qualifier in cross country, placing 14th as a senior with a time of 14:54.5 and also winning the girls' mental attitude award. She also advanced to the cross country state finals her junior season, placing 13th in a time of 14:46.
The Busches have continued their success in running, and both competed in the Fast Track Mile in Terre Haute on July 4.
Roger Busch was the top male Masters runner (ages 40-and-over) with his time of 5:23.4, while his wife was second among female competitors with a time of 5:23.3 -- trailing only Indiana State runner Brittany Neeley.
Cassie has won the race six times.
"It's a fun race," she told the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. "We live in Crawfordsville. I haven't been running much at all. Thought I'd come down and see how it went. Nice mist made it nice."
The Busches have two daughters, Chanlie and Emmie.
Cassie (Hunt) Busch Illinois record book
Cross Country
* All-American, 11th place (Fall 2005)
* Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships, 1st place (Fall 2005)
* Regional Runner of the Year, 1st place (Fall 2004)
* First Team All-Big 10, 5th place (Fall 2004)
* NCAA Individual Qualifier (Fall 2003)
* Big Ten Freshman of the Year, 13th place (Fall 2003)
Track and Field
* 2 Time NCAA Runner Up, Steeplechase (Spring 2005 & 2006)
* NCAA Qualifier Indoor 3k, 10th place (Winter 2006)
* Big Ten Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships, 1st place Steeplechase and 5k (Spring 2005)
* All-American Indoor 3k, 8th place (Winter 2005)
* All-American in Steeplechase, 10th place (Spring 2004)
In other news:
* It's a small world -- Roger Busch's successor at Hartford ironically also has ties to Montgomery County.
Richard Warren, a former head coach at Southmont, was an assistant coach at Ohio State for four years and accompanied Busch to Hartford last year.
Warren was recently elevated to replace his former boss.
"In his time here, Richard has shown a great passion for helping our student-athletes succeed in every facet," Goff said. "Under his guidance, we have seen our individuals improve on the track, high-quality recruits commit to our program and strengthened character across the board for the young men and women who represent this University. I'm excited to see what Richard can accomplish."
At Southmont, Warren produced four sectional champions and two regional champions in the high jump in addition to five high jump and five long jump regional qualifiers.
Warren and Southmont received national recognition during his time there as Jonathan Christensen finished the 2011 season ranked No. 1 in the nation with a leap of 2.20 meters (7-2.50).
In addition to becoming a two-time IATCCC Indoor State champion, a two-time IHSAA State Outdoor champion, and a first-place finisher at the 2011 Midwest Meet of Champions, Christensen broke school, county, conference, sectional, and regional records under Warren's leadership.
"Having the opportunity to continue coaching our student-athletes is something for which I am extremely grateful," Warren said. "I am very appreciative of the opportunity Director of Athletics Anton Goff has provided me, and I look forward to continue working alongside Anton, Ellen Crandall, our department and most notably our student-athletes. We will continue to excel in the classroom, improve athletically and produce a program Hawk Nation will be proud of. The needle is moving in the right direction."
* DePauw grad makes name for himself -- Noah Droddy, a 2013 DePauw graduate, recently became a social media superstar for his televised appearance in the U.S. Olympic trials at Eugene, Ore.
Droddy finished last in the 10,000-meter run, but that's not why he became a fan favorite.
Droddy hasn't cut his hair in three years, and his long locks drew comparisons to Tom Hanks' character in the Forrest Gump feature film.
Several comments speculated he may have stepped out of the 1970s to appear in the meet, and his appearance more resembled that of someone who drinks cheap beer than an elite runner.
Droddy will admit that he enjoys the feedback from that persona.
"I think people see me and think, 'That's not another robot runner. That's a guy that doesn't take himself too seriously'," he told Runner's World magazine. "They think, 'This guy is not some mutant. He is a normal guy.' And I think I am a normal guy outside of running. I think people can relate to it. It's how I feel comfortable."
Droddy was an NCAA qualifier in his senior year at DePauw in 2013, wrapping up his collegiate career at the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships in LaCrosse, Wisc.
Droddy competed in the 10,000-meter run and finished 14th in 31:03.71.
Droddy's DePauw career included setting the school record in the 10,000 meters and earning all-America honors in cross country in both 2011 and 2012.
Droddy's route to the trials began a year ago when he bought tickets to the event.
He had moved back in with his parents in Indianapolis and continued to train, despite not having received opportunities from shoe company-sponsored teams to continue his career.
In November, Droddy got connected with Dr. Richard Hansen -- who runs a sports medicine clinic in Boulder, Colo.
Hence, the "Roots Running Project" was born, and the group was looking for "quirky individuals as much as talented runners to join the group," the Runner's World article stated.
"They wanted someone who was low-key, willing to have a little fun, but mostly be able to work ridiculously hard," the article said. Hansen compared it to a 'hipster lifestyle' with tough training mixed in."
Droddy responded well to the training, qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials with a half marathon time of 1:04.17.
Droddy then went to a 10K tryout in Oregon and ran an 80-second PR in 28:22 to earn a spot at the Olympic trials.
Finishing last in the event did not diminish Droddy's self-worth.
"I wanted to appreciate how far I had come in running and as a person," he told Runner's World. "Even though it wasn't the result I wanted, I have to appreciate the journey. Hayward is a dream come true for a runner like me."
* Indy school penalized for forfeiting -- The Indiana High School Athletic Association placed Indianapolis Washington's baseball program on probation for the 2016-17 season for failure to appear at the IHSAA Baseball Sectional contest against Greencastle on May 30.
"This probation is a severe type of warning," the IHSAA said in its executive committee board meeting minutes. "It is official notice that serious violations have occurred."
The school was also fined $200.