Abdier Marrero
Head Coach
2007 - Present
Coach Marrero has coached the Stars since 2007, and has coached Four Boys City Championship Teams, Five Individual City Champions, One MRAC Conference Championship Girls Team, Five MRAC Conference Championship Boys Teams, 81 All-MRAC Performances, Eight Individual MRAC XC Champions, Thirteen MRAC Individual Runner Up Performances, 34 All-District Performances (Individual State Qualifiers), Three Individual District Champions, Three Team District Championship Boys Teams, Five State Qualifying Boys Teams and Five All-State Cross Country Performances, Two Top-5 Boys Team Finish, and One State Championship Boys Team as well as one Individual State Champion, along with one Individual 3rd Team All-Region Performance at Nike Heartland Regionals. Coach Marrero was named At-Large Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2019 and Class 4A Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2020 by the IATC. Coach Marrero was also named Iowa Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2020 by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The 2021 Boys Cross Country Team has attained National Recognition, climbing as high as #12 on MileSplit.com and #30 on Dyestat.com rankings. In that time, the Stars have seen 131 Academic All-Conference Runners as well as 13 Academic All-State Runners. 24 Stars have made their way onto Collegiate Cross Country Programs. Stars have been sighted in the NJCAA, the NAIA's Great Plains Athletic Conference, NCAA D-II's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, as well as NCAA D-I's Summit League, Big East and Big XII Conferences! In 2021 the Stars found themselves ranked US #19 by MileSplit and #5 in Heartland Region by Dyestat. The 2021 Stars were also Roy Griak Invitational Champions.
One Star, Abbabiya Simbassa, now competes professionally, placed 15th in the 2016 Houston Half-Marathon in 63:28, qualifying for the US Olympic Trials in the Marathon, and finished 19th at the 2016 Olympic Trials 5000 meters in 13:53. He also placed 12th overall at the 2016 USATF Cross Country Championships, and finished 4th in the 2017 USATF Championships at 5000 meters and 6th at the 2017 and 2018 US 10 Mile Road Championships, and finished 2nd in 2019. Biya also won the 2017 and 2019 NACAC Cross Country Championships (8k).
Coach Marrero began his Track running career at Sioux City West High School in 1996. He received his first Varsity Letter in Track in 1997 while attending Montclair High School in California. He returned to Sioux City West where he competed in Cross Country for the first time under Coach David Nash, and graduated from Sioux City West High School in 1999. He continued his running at Morningside College in the NCAA Division II North Central Conference, garnering All-NCC Honors during the 2002 Indoor Track and Field Season. Coach Marrero enlisted into the US Army Reserves and served from September of 2000 to June of 2018, holding the rank of Sergeant First Class, and has two deployments under Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coach Marrero obtained his Bachelor's Degree from Morningside College, Master's Degree from Buena Vista University and currently works as a Professional School Counselor at Sioux City North High School.
Coach Marrero holds his Coaching Authorization from the Iowa Department of Education, and holds certification from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and is USA Track and Field Level I Certified.
Head Coach
2007 - Present
Coach Marrero has coached the Stars since 2007, and has coached Four Boys City Championship Teams, Five Individual City Champions, One MRAC Conference Championship Girls Team, Five MRAC Conference Championship Boys Teams, 81 All-MRAC Performances, Eight Individual MRAC XC Champions, Thirteen MRAC Individual Runner Up Performances, 34 All-District Performances (Individual State Qualifiers), Three Individual District Champions, Three Team District Championship Boys Teams, Five State Qualifying Boys Teams and Five All-State Cross Country Performances, Two Top-5 Boys Team Finish, and One State Championship Boys Team as well as one Individual State Champion, along with one Individual 3rd Team All-Region Performance at Nike Heartland Regionals. Coach Marrero was named At-Large Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2019 and Class 4A Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2020 by the IATC. Coach Marrero was also named Iowa Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2020 by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The 2021 Boys Cross Country Team has attained National Recognition, climbing as high as #12 on MileSplit.com and #30 on Dyestat.com rankings. In that time, the Stars have seen 131 Academic All-Conference Runners as well as 13 Academic All-State Runners. 24 Stars have made their way onto Collegiate Cross Country Programs. Stars have been sighted in the NJCAA, the NAIA's Great Plains Athletic Conference, NCAA D-II's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, as well as NCAA D-I's Summit League, Big East and Big XII Conferences! In 2021 the Stars found themselves ranked US #19 by MileSplit and #5 in Heartland Region by Dyestat. The 2021 Stars were also Roy Griak Invitational Champions.
One Star, Abbabiya Simbassa, now competes professionally, placed 15th in the 2016 Houston Half-Marathon in 63:28, qualifying for the US Olympic Trials in the Marathon, and finished 19th at the 2016 Olympic Trials 5000 meters in 13:53. He also placed 12th overall at the 2016 USATF Cross Country Championships, and finished 4th in the 2017 USATF Championships at 5000 meters and 6th at the 2017 and 2018 US 10 Mile Road Championships, and finished 2nd in 2019. Biya also won the 2017 and 2019 NACAC Cross Country Championships (8k).
Coach Marrero began his Track running career at Sioux City West High School in 1996. He received his first Varsity Letter in Track in 1997 while attending Montclair High School in California. He returned to Sioux City West where he competed in Cross Country for the first time under Coach David Nash, and graduated from Sioux City West High School in 1999. He continued his running at Morningside College in the NCAA Division II North Central Conference, garnering All-NCC Honors during the 2002 Indoor Track and Field Season. Coach Marrero enlisted into the US Army Reserves and served from September of 2000 to June of 2018, holding the rank of Sergeant First Class, and has two deployments under Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coach Marrero obtained his Bachelor's Degree from Morningside College, Master's Degree from Buena Vista University and currently works as a Professional School Counselor at Sioux City North High School.
Coach Marrero holds his Coaching Authorization from the Iowa Department of Education, and holds certification from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and is USA Track and Field Level I Certified.
Assistant Coaches
Coaching Family Tree
Coach Allison Higgins
2019
Coach Jasmine Glasgo
2018
Coach Shawn Olorundami
2013, 2017
Coach Melanie Arnold
2015 - 2016
Coach Tunisia May
2014 - 2016
Coach Laura Staab
2011 - 2012
Coach Tom Roberts
2007 - 2010
Coach Allison Higgins
2019
Coach Jasmine Glasgo
2018
Coach Shawn Olorundami
2013, 2017
Coach Melanie Arnold
2015 - 2016
Coach Tunisia May
2014 - 2016
Coach Laura Staab
2011 - 2012
Coach Tom Roberts
2007 - 2010