In the 2024-2025 season, during his fourth year at New Trier High School, boys track and field head coach Andrew Schmitt led the team to its first state championship since 1944 and received the 2025 IHSA Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year award.
Schmitt had a lot of success last year with William Landwer, Ben Crane, and Dylan Benjamin, who were seniors who ran at state, contributing to the state title. The team learned a lot about how to perform last year and they hope to succeed in the same way for this upcoming season.
This year, though with a different group of kids, Schmitt has many returners who found success competing at state last year: junior Will Miller, sophomore Martin Issa, senior William Hanahan, junior Tim Vaughan, senior Dylan Nemerovski who is committed to Lehigh, senior Jordan Kreiner who is committed to Bates, and senior Miles Lyons who is committed to Northern Arizona.
Last season, Schmitt and the team learned that anything is possible if the right amount of energy and determination is put in.
“I said this is a championship program and that we have to set standards,” Schmitt said to his team at the beginning of the previous season.
Schmitt explained that being an athlete at New Trier is different from other experiences. He explained that there is more pressure to be great here because of the many opportunities with other sports and extracurriculars.
“The biggest challenge for a New Trier student-athlete is realizing that at New Trier you can do anything, but not everything,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt explained that the track and field team members’ willingness to show up to practice every day carried them to victory.
“That level of commitment by those kids is the reason why we were so successful at the end of the year,” Schmitt said. “The biggest contributor was just the buy in of all of the kids.”
What ultimately drove the team to victory last season was the athletes’ work ethic and focus.
“When someone has someone who cares about what they’re doing, they always do better,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt aligns his values as coach to the experiences he had growing up.
“I thought of the people who had great influences in my life and most of them were coaches or teachers,” Schmitt said.
Running cross country and competing in track while attending the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Schmitt attributes his life success to the people who influenced him during his youth such as his coaches or teachers.
From teaching, Schmitt learned that “every kid is an individual,” which he has used in his coaching style.
“You try to find different ways to help teach what you want them to learn,” Schmitt said.
Michael Stokes is someone who spends a lot of time with Andrew Schmitt as they coach the boys track and field team together.
“Coach Schmitt has passion for the sport of track and field…Coach Schmitt has put an amazing staff together and we hope to keep getting better,” Stokes remarked.
In the 2025-2026 season, Schmitt is also hoping to have success on the track.
“Every year, I look forward to athletes improving throughout the year and being in a good place physically and mentally,” Schmitt said.
Schmitt plans to use his recipe for team success to prepare his team this year.
“If one is going to be super successful, they’re going to have to sacrifice and really focus on that one thing,” Schmitt said, referring to each person’s individual goals.
Pressure is a challenge that this year’s boys track and field team will have to overcome. This year’s team will have a heavy weight to carry as everyone will want to live up to the legacy of last year’s state champions.
Schmitt explained how coaching has had a positive impact on his life. He also shared how being able to connect with others from a different generation has brought him joy.
“I am thankful for being able to share in the goals and dreams of young people,” Schmitt said.