By Joseph Rooney, Class of 2015

Daniel Hull ’13 and Schaffer Ochstein ’12 were known around the Episcopal School of Dallas for their speed. Both starred on the school’s cross country and track and field teams, and continued running after graduating high school; Ochstein at Johns Hopkins University, where he is one of the university’s top distance runner, and Hull as a member of Duke’s club team.

This summer, both students are continuing to run, but not for their respective colleges. For the duration of the summer, the pair is leading the ESD cross country practices while the school searches for a new coach.

“I heard from some individuals about changes in the coaching staff, and I knew there would likely be a hole to fill,” Hull explained. “Schaffer actually took the initiative and texted me about potentially helping out over the summer. I volunteered right away and we talked and set up a meeting with Coach Reese to organize practices for the summer.”

In the fall, the team wakes up around 5:00 a.m. every Saturday for meets, but the summer is when the season really starts. Runners will wake up before 7:00 a.m. multiple days each week to practice and train for the upcoming season. Without a coach, summer workouts would have been tough to organize and execute. That’s where Hull and Ochstein come in.

It’s just like it was a couple years ago, with Daniel and Schaffer leading us,” Lili Clark ’15 explained. “It’s exciting and great to have them back.”

However, Hull hopes to help the team develop their own plan, rather than dictate how practices will be run.

“It is not my team anymore. It is theirs and I want to guide them to make it theirs. If I’ve done that, I’ve done my job,” Hull says.