Bishop Kenny’s Girls’ Head Cross Country Coach, Jackie Hardin, was named the Florida Dairy Farmers 2024 Girls’ Class 2A Cross Country Coach of the Year. This is the second time Coach Hardin has earned this prestigious honor, a testament to her dedication and leadership.
The award is a fitting conclusion to an incredible season for the Lady Crusaders, who captured first place in their district and region before claiming the FHSAA Class 2A State Championship. This victory marked their second consecutive state title and the program’s 10th overall.
“I am honored to receive this award again, and I can honestly say it is a huge team effort!” Coach Hardin shared. “Without such a dedicated coaching staff and team of girls, this wouldn’t be possible.”
Coach Hardin joined Bishop Kenny in 2016 as a guidance counselor in the Office of School Counseling and has been coaching girls’ cross country for a decade. She expressed deep gratitude to her assistant coaches, Mike Curran ’97, Jimmy Kaldor ’16, and Becca Kerr, for their unwavering support.
“We had a very young team this year,” Hardin noted. “After losing four seniors, we ran with two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman. Our focus is always on helping our girls achieve their personal goals and fostering team bonding. We don’t spend time worrying about other programs; we strive to be the best we can be every day, and that is enough for us.”
