MSL Cross Country: Kaplan Twins Winning in Long Run
Schaumburg Grads Enjoying Girls Cross Country Coaching Success at Huntley, St. Charles East
The second-to-last Saturday of the 2022 high school cross country season turned into sibling revelry for twin brothers Matt and Brad Kaplan.
The girls teams they coach - Huntley by Matt and St. Charles East by Brad - were competing in the Class 3A Lake Park sectional. The ultimate goal was qualifying for the state meet in Peoria.
There was a nice bonus when the results came in with Huntley winning its first sectional title with 111 points and St. Charles East in second place with 134. This turned into no ordinary day for the Schaumburg graduates whose bond is separated only by Brad’s 13-minute head start on Matt at birth, and as a result, two programs tightly connected.
“It was a pretty special result,” Matt Kaplan said. “I honestly thought that Saturday, our response was to take full advantage to let the girls we work with know how special it was.
“We cheer for each others’ programs and it’s something we never would have anticipated, that we could get that type of result. The chances of that happening, brothers going 1-2 in a meet like that … it definitely isn’t anything I’ll forget in the near future.”
Fox Valley Conference champion Huntley was a sectional meet favorite. Brad Kaplan said St. Charles East’s goal was to be one of the top seven teams. The return of senior Brooklyn Walker from injury made it an even better day.
“To the girls credit they earned second place and exceeded the expectations in the team results,” Brad said. “To get second to a great Huntley team was icing on the cake.”
It was one of the best moments in what has been a wonderful run for Brad and Matt Kaplan since they started competing in cross country at Jane Addams Junior High in Schaumburg. What began as a suggestion to get in shape for basketball from their father Bob, a longtime coach at Hoffman Estates High School, became a big part of their calling.
Brad and Matt kept running when they got to Schaumburg for Jim Macnider. Not only would they be in the top seven for a team that finished 14th in state in 2001, they would be blessed to gain the foundation for their coaching success from one of the best in state history. Macnider filled the school’s trophy cases with a trio of state titles and three sets each of second- and third-place finishes.
“Everything stems from Jim Macnider,” Brad said. “We’re an extension of Macnider’s coaching when you talk about what we do on a daily basis. The philosophy from North Central College (where Macnider ran for the legendary Al Carius), which was run for fun and personal bests. That’s what we ran under and we’re similar to coach Macnider in the way we think about race strategy and preparing for that process.”
After Macnider retired as a teacher and coach at Schaumburg, he went to Harper College, where his men’s program won eight consecutive NJCAA Division III national titles and his women’s program won its fourth title less than two weeks ago.
“You’re talking to twins so you’ll probably hear twin answers,” Matt said. “We were fortunate to be part of a program coached by Jim Macnider. We got to be part of what a successful program looks like week-in and week-out and year-in and year-out.”
They went to Illinois State as roommates and Matt continued to run. They also were preparing to continue the family tradition of working in education. Their dad Bob taught at Addams Junior High, his three sisters taught in the district and their mom Barb taught at Frost Junior High in Schaumburg. Matt and Brad’s sister Stacey teaches at Lincoln Prairie School in Hoffman Estates.
Matt and Brad also gained valuable first-hand experience since Bob Kaplan coached girls basketball, bowling and softball and even dabbled briefly in cross country at Hoffman Estates.
“It was a natural thing for my brother and I to be coaches,” Brad said. “It played out how both of us hoped and we had two great coaches to follow in their footsteps.”
Said Matt: “He loved coaching and getting to work with kids and my brother and I were always around my dad when he was coaching. We would be at his practices and see him helping the young people he worked with and the impact it had on them.”
Both started out teaching and coaching at West Aurora and then went to Huntley, where Matt has spent 15 of his 16 years in charge of the boys program and the last five in charge of the girls. Brad assisted Matt with the boys before heading to St. Charles East, where he is in his eighth year overall and just finished year six in charge of the girls program.
They do have similar coaching styles and are fiercely competitors. But those who expect mirror images are in for a bit of a surprise.
“We do have two different personalities and when it comes down to it we’re two different people,” Matt said. “My brother is very excitable and shows his emotions right away. My brother’s energy is something I can’t match. His level of emotion and excitement are something I need to rise up to (if we’re at the same meet).”
Matt called it yin and yang between them.
“The biggest thing I learned from my brother is he’s calm in big situations,” Brad said. “The one big thing I learned is to always stay calm. If you are cool and calm it calms your athletes. I learned to know how to keep my composure and that calms down your athletes. It makes for better races.”
Races where they are often meeting at the same places such as St. Charles East, Lake Park, Schaumburg and in the sectional and state meets. One of the more unique aspects of this season was Huntley’s top runners were the all-state Division I-bound Burak twins - Breanna (Illinois State) and Brittney (Indiana State).
“For the four of us it was a fun relationship over the four years,” Matt said. “I’ve never seen anything like that happen.”
St. Charles East has junior Marley Andelman and freshman Amalia Im from its top seven and eight runners returning from its fourth consecutive state-meet qualifier. Huntley loses its top three but its next five runners return and will be joined by a strong crew of sophomores.
And Brad and Matt Kaplan know they and their teams will see plenty of each other again next fall on the road to Peoria.
“It’s hard to separate us,” Matt said.