Andy Helme – Head Coach (Distance, Mid-Distance)
Contact: ahelme@avphs.net
Coach Helme has been the Head Cross Country Coach at Paraclete since the Fall 2007 season, and the Middle Distance and Distance Coach for the Track & Field Team since the prior Spring of 2007.
In Cross Country, 2011 grad Melissa Bauer was a 2-time All State Selection, with 7th and 4th place finishes in the ’07 and ’08 meets, respectively. Melissa was also the 2007 CIF Division IV Individual Champion. Most recently the 2012 Girls Team took 6th place at the State Meet, setting a school team time record in the process. Edwin Flores (’08 grad; 7th place for All-CIF in 2007), the 2007 Boys Team (9th place at State, school team time record), and the 2010 Girls Team (12th place at State) are other notable performances. The Girls squad has won every League Championship under Coach Helme, and the Boys have won 7 of 10 titles.
He has coached several athletes to the CIF Finals on the track, including 2009 CIF Runner-up in both the 800m and 4×400 relay, Wesley Washington. Edwin Flores (1600m, 3200m), Melissa Bauer (1600m, 3200m), Ricky Ruelas (4x400m), Sabrina Huelga (4x400m), Melanie Fujiwara (3200m twice), Madison Grenier (800m, 4x400m), Miles Robinson (4x100m, 4x400m), Matthew Kern (800m, 4x400m twice), Matt Theologidy (4x400m), Tyler Schatz (800m, 4x400m), Mariah Theologidy (3200m twice), and Aadonis Solomon (110H) have also been CIF participants while under Helme’s guidance. There have been a total of 33 school records established by the contributions of Helme’s runners over the past 15 seasons
Coach Helme ran competitively at Westerville South High School and Kent State University, both in Ohio. At Kent State, he was a member of the 2000 Mid American Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship Team, finishing 4th in both the 800m (1:52.69) and 4x400m relay (3:12.39). The Kent State team was also ranked 12th nationally in the final team Power Rankings by the NCAA. Coach Helme finished his career ranked 9th on the All Time Kent State list at 800 meters. He was also a 2 time All MAC Academic selection.
In High School he qualified to the State Meet three times each in Cross Country and Track, while earning All State honors at 800m (1:55.10) with a 4th place finish in 1995. He is the only Varsity athlete in WSHS history to be a part of every League (’93 CC, ’96 T&F) and District (’92 CC, ’95 & ’96 T&F) Championship Team in both sport’s combined histories. Coach Helme was inducted onto his high school’s “Top Cat Wall” Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Coach Helme has lifetime personal bests of 48.9 (400m) and 1:52.64 (800m).
Education and Teaching Experience: Coach Helme earned his B.S. in Elementary Education from Kent State in 2000, and a M.A. in Special Education from CSUB in 2006. He currently teaches a Special Education class at Endeavor Middle School in Lancaster
.