When Sandy Buchanan joined the De La Salle Collegiate coaching staff in the spring of 2011, she wasn’t the first female coach to be associated with the track and field team. 

But, when she took on head coaching duties for the cross country team in the fall of 2015, Buchanan became the first woman to head a Division 1 boys Catholic school cross country program in the state of Michigan.

Buchanan, who brought an extensive coaching background to the position, served at St. Anne in Warren for 15 years, beginning with volleyball and track in 1996. She then added girls soccer to her resume, after her own two girls graduated out of the Warren youth soccer program. 

Buchanan also started the cross country program at St. Anne. 

Additionally, she ran weekend athletic academies at the Shelby Township-based Joe Dumars facility, teaching the basics of basketball, baseball, floor hockey and soccer to six-12-year-old children. 

Despite her years with the program, Buchanan still encounters folks throughout the state, unfamiliar with her tenure, who think she is a parent spectator.

“Some are still surprised a woman is coaching, but I tell them, 'Hey, when you’re good, you’re good,'" Buchanan said. 

Buchanan also sits on the MHSAA cross country committee -- a three-year-long position -- and is a former MHSAA track and cross country official.

One of Buchanan’s two assistant coaches is Jill Suminski, a parent of three De La Salle alumni and an accomplished competitive runner and avid fan of yoga.

Suminski joined the cross country program in the fall of 2018, and heads to practices and meets after her day job at Edison Elementary in Fraser. 

She has incorporated yoga into the team’s preparation. 

Suminski also oversees the warmup and cool-down stretching routines to ensure the boys maximize their flexibility and minimize the risk of injury.

“At first, the kids were a little uncertain,” Suminski said. “But, now, they recognize the value and bring their own yoga mats. I am very pleased with how well the kids have cooperated.”  

Buchanan and Suminski, along with assistant coach Jerry Jackson, are preparing for this Friday’s (Oct. 30) state regional meet at Chandler Park Golf Course.

“It’s a great course,” Buchanan said. “The course is well-maintained, relatively flat, except for a small, rolling hill in the first half-mile. It was a lucky course for us last year, and we are hoping for a little bit of that magic again this Friday."