Guthrie Hood
Girls Head Cross Country and Track & Field
(217)-369-4447
hoodgu@u4sd.org
Guthrie Hood is entering his 15th year with the Maroons Track and Field program and his 14th as Head Coach, the longest any Central Girls coach has held the position. Hood came to Central High School with three years of coaching experience. He was a volunteer coach for Naperville Central’s boys cross country team while he was doing his student teaching. He followed that experience as an assistant to the boys and girls track and field programs at Unity Jr. High School in Tolono, IL. While there, he helped athletes earn a total of 590 personal bests. Hood recently finished his ninth season at the helm of the cross country squad. Prior to taking the position of head coach, Hood served as a volunteer assistant from 2010 - 2013. He began his tenure at Central in 2009 as an assistant coach in the Girls Track and Field program. He took over head coaching responsibilities of the track & field program in the spring of 2010.
An alumnus of North Central College in Naperville, IL, where he competed for four years in both cross country and track, Hood established 42 personal records in events ranging from the 400m to the 10,000m and was a member of 12 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championship teams. He was also an active member of NCC's Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Coach Hood earned Academic All-CCIW honors during his Jr. and Sr. seasons of cross country. He was also presented with the Senior Influence Award after being nominated by legendary cross country and track coach Al Carius. The award is given to the graduating athlete deemed to have made the most positive influence not only on their team but on the entire campus. Coach Hood graduated from North Central with Cum Laude honors with a B.A. in Physical Education. He earned a Masters of Education in Edeucational, School, and Counseling Psychology with an emphasis on positive coaching from the University of Missouri. He is in his 14th year as a physical education and health teacher at Central.
During his tenure as track & field coach at Central the program has seen positive growth and improvement. The number of student-athletes has more than tripled since he started as an assistant coach in 2009. Through the 2022 season, student athletes on the girls track and field squad have earned 3,500 personal bests since Hood took over the program in 2010.
The philosophy Coach Hood has tried to build the program around is the belief that personal bests are the ultimate achievement for student athletes. While titles and records are generally available only to the physically gifted athletes, a personal best is an achievement everyone can aspire to. It is a goal that naturally evolves as the student athletes grow and improve. “When our student athletes develop the attitude that by giving the best they have at that particular point in time they are successful win or lose, great things happen.” Hood says, “It is a lesson that transcends athletics. When you learn to give your best at something, regardless of what the outcome might be, you can become successful in any endeavor you choose to pursue. When you do the right things on a daily basis the results take care of themselves.”
Coach Hood is a member of the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association, the United States Track and Cross Country Coaches Association, United States Track and Field and is a certified Level II distance coach by the USATF.