By Rich Winter

605 Sports

The state cross-country meet has been a family tradition for the Schroeder family. 

For the past 10 years, Clinton and Stephanie Schroeder’s five children have been fixtures at the state cross-country meet for Freeman Academy/Marion. Oldest son, Teagan, was the first to compete with Tiana, Thaniel and Thalen all competing on the sport's biggest stage in the coming seasons.

When the Class boys race finishes Saturday, Tavin, the youngest sibling from the talented family will have run his final high school cross-country race.

Saturday, Tavin, the youngest sibling from the talented family will have run his final high school cross-country race.

"Every good thing must come to an end," Coach Suzanne Koerner said. "Every one of them has been part of this great run for the last 10-12 years where we placed at the state meet. They have been the backbone of the program. They are so dependable and so coachable.

Along the way the family and the Freeman Academy/Marion cross-country teams have enjoyed tremendous success. In 2015, ‘16 and ‘17 the FAM boys team earned Class B runner-up team finishes. In 2020, the team finished in second place. Last season, the Bearcats finished third.

Four of the Schroeder family runners - Pictured from left to right Thaniel Schroeder, Thalen Schroeder, Tianna Schroeder and Tavin Schroeder - Photo courtesy of Schroeder family

Tavin Schroeder gives credit for that success to coach Suzanne Koerner. 

“To be good one year is great,” Tavin said. “But to have a team that is successful year after year, that’s just special.” 

In 2018, the family watched as Thaniel Schroeder, who had led the entire state meet race, was passed in the final 50 meters by Warner’s Cody Larson.

“It has been a little disappointing not to have won a state title,” Freeman Academy/Marion coach Billy Beseman said. “Our program is in a place where we have the same goal to win state every year. Everyone in our school from K-12 knows what our goal is every year.” 

Prior to 2013, the Schroeder’s had kids in high school but none running cross-country. It was almost an accident; the family, who home schools their children, even gave sports a shot.

“Our oldest son Teagan was 6-foot-4 and 13 years old when Josh Stahl, the starting point guard for FAM, asked him to start playing basketball,” Stephanie Schroeder said. 

As a senior Teagan went out for cross-country for the first time and qualified for the state meet. Tianna Schroeder also went out for cross-country her senior year. She qualified for the state meet but was unable to compete after injuring her ankle playing volleyball. 

The sport was an easier sell for Thaniel and Thalen who began running much earlier than their siblings. While it was almost a given that Tavin would continue the family tradition, he still needed a prompt.

“Suzanne Koerner invited me to do one of those short little fun runs when I was in fourth grade,” Tavin said.

Eight years later, Tavin is having a solid senior season, winning most of the Class B meets he’s raced in. After finishing second last season, the coaching staff adjusted his summer mileage. 

“I felt like we worked him too much last year and we wanted to have him fresh at the end,” Beseman said. 

Along with getting stronger and faster this year, Beseman has noticed his senior exhibiting more discipline away from practice and even in races.

“I think he understands what he needs to do now and is more present during races,” Beseman said. 

Schroeder’s discipline on the course is evidenced by not always coming out of the start hot and letting the race develop in front of him. 

At last week’s Region 3B meet in Burke, Schroeder had Mitchell Christian freshman Silas Holdeman start slow with Holdeman mirroring Schroeder’s every move. 

“We started slow in that race and just kept increasing the speed,” Schroeder said. “We really started pushing with about 600 meters to go and the last 400 meters felt like a pure sprint.” 

Schroeder crossed the line in 16:47.36, just ahead of Holdeman (16:48.7). The FAM senior said that race and win gives him a lot of confidence heading into the state meet.

It has been a successful run for the Schroeder kids and a successful high school career for Schroeder who plans to run in college. 

“We’ve won a couple of regional titles and quite a few conference titles,” Schoeder said.  “We were second at state in 2020 and third last season.”

The one medal missing from an overflowing family trophy case is that elusive state title. Tavin Schroeder has been dreaming about that scenario since the completion of the 2022 state cross-country meet.

“It would be really cool and honestly that’s my goal for state and has been my goal this entire year,” he said. 

Saturday’s race marks the end of the Schroeder family at the state meet but not the end of the Schroeder family running. 

“It will be emotional and sad but not too sad,” Stephanie Schroeder said. “My middle-son Thaniel is hoping to make the cross-country nationals for Dordt and is a two-time All-American in the steeplechase.”

Tianna Schroeder is in graduate school at Mount Marty and is working on a masters degree. Thalen Schroeder is playing basketball at Mount Marty.