Palatine Pack TFCC Coaching Staff
Coach Soto with Winston Campus and Palatine Pack alumn Alex Krieg after Alex finished 3rd at the 2021 IESA State Cross Country Championships. Alex would go on to win 3 more state medals in track finishing 1st in the 800, 3rd in the 1600 and 4th in the 4x400.
Alex Soto (Coach and Co-Founder)
E-mail: sotoxc@gmail.com | Cell: 847-754-1300
Alex Soto is an Elementary PE teacher at Winston Campus Elementary in Palatine. He also serves as cross country and track & field coach at Winston Campus Jr high where he attended as a student from 2000-2002. He has coached track and field and cross country for the last 13 years. He stated his coaching career at Matthews Middle School where he coached over 20 state qualifiers in track and 4 All-State athletes.
More recently, he spent the last four years as the Palatine High School boys track distance coach while also taking over as head cross country coach at Winston Campus in 2018. As the cross country coach at Winston he was instrumental in helping Winston and District 15 getting their start to compete at the IESA level. In 2021, their first year competing in IESA, he helped the Winston boys qualify to the state cross country meet which they finished in 12th as a team. Later that Spring he led the 8th grade boys team to their first ever state trophy at the IESA state track meet by finishing 2nd as a team. In just 3 years Winston has qualified 14 athletes to the IESA state cross country meet with 1 All-Stater and has also coached 6 All-State athletes in track. In addition, he was the assistant boys cross country coach at Palatine from 2013-2016.
Alex graduated from Palatine High School in 2006 and was a member of the cross country and track teams for 4 years. During his tenure, the cross country teams placed on the IHSA state podium three times.
Alex also excelled in track and field. He and his teammates placed an All-State 5th in the 4 x 800 relay in 2005. During his senior season, he qualified individually to the IHSA state meet by running a personal best of 1:57….
After graduating from Palatine, he received his degree from Eastern Illinois University where he ran Division I cross country and track and field. Teaching at Winston Campus Junior High is the realization of his dream to teach and coach at the same school he went to as a kid.
In his spare time, Alex enjoys Chicago sports. He is a huge Cubs fan and spends his summers in the bleachers as a season ticket holder. He lives in Hoffman Estates with his wife Amanda and his daughter Aubree.
Above: Chris Quick holds the 2011 Class 3A state title trophy aloft after the Palatine Pirates boys team captured their first ever state championship.
Lori Gonzalez (TFCC Distance Coach)
E-mail: lorigonz6@gmail.com
Lori Gonzalez is a long-time runner, coach, and Palatine resident. She has taught special education and coached girls cross country at Glenbrook North High School for the past 18 years. She also coaches our youngsters in the summer Youth Camp and our distance runners in the Palatine Pack TFCC club.
Lori has coached both soccer and girls cross country at Glenbrook North. She has coached a team to a 7th place finish in the IHSA state meet along with 2 All-State runners. This past November her athlete placed 2nd overall in Class 3A.
As an athlete, Lori exceled in both cross country, indoor track and soccer while attending Winston Campus Junior High and Palatine High School. At Palatine, she was a top 7 athlete on both the 1996 IHSA Class 2A state championship team and the 1997 team that placed 4th. She was a four year Mid-Suburban League All-Conference runner, the 1998 Palatine runner of the year, and a team captain.
In soccer, she starred on the 1997 IHSA Class 2A fourth place trophy team. She played varsity all four years, was both All-Conference and All-Sectional, and was chosen as both team captain and team MVP. She was Palatine High School’s female athlete of the year in 2000 and was elected into the Palatine High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014 alongside her cross country teammates from the 1989-1996 era.
Collegiately, Lori competed in soccer at Eastern Illinois University. She played on an OVC regular season championship team in 2000 and three consecutive OVC tournament champions in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Those latter three teams each reached the NCAA tournament.
Lori lives in Palatine with her three kids - Madi, Emma, and Levi. Her husband, Jesse, is a Spanish teacher and soccer coach at Conant High School. She prefers to spend time with her kids, coaching them and cheering them on at their sporting events. She also continues to love running, having run 6 marathons (most recent the Boston Marathon in 2021) and is part of the Fast Track Racing Team. She also serves as the Director of the U6 league for Palatine Celtic Soccer, is an avid Chicago Sports fan, rules at planning both vacations and parties, and loves new adventures!
Alec with Paltine Pack alumn and current Palatine High School distance runner Chris Quick at an indoor track meet at York High School.
Joe proudly poses in his Distance Nigh Jersey during his senior at Palatine High School.
Dana Miroballi (TFCC Distance Coach)
E-mail: dmiroballi@yahoo.com
While Dana is the only coach on the Palatine Pack staff that does not have a coaching or education backround, she comes to us as the greatest female high school distance runner in the history of Illinois. Dana initially came to us through her son Luke Firkin who is currently an 8th grader at Lake Zurich North and a member of our team. A few short months later Dana is not a pivitol member of our coaching staff and has mianly worked with our young girls.
Dana’s running accolades reach all the way back to middle school when she ran for legendary Prospect MacArthur coach Mark Fideski. During her middle school career Dana won the IESA state title in 1984 while also leading her team to the team title in 1982 and 1983.
Her running career took another leap into greatness while she attended Wheeling High School during 1984-1988 as she went on to win 10 individual state titles during cross country and track. She was 4 time cross country state champion from 1984-1987, a feat only 3 other high school girls in the history of Illinois cross country have achived since. She also led Wheeling to two team titles in 1984 and 1986. During her track season she was 4 time 3200 state champion and 2 time state champion in the 1600. In addition to her 10 state titles she was also 4th in the 1600 her freshman year and 2nd her sophomore year. Wheeling also win 3 state runner up trophies in 1985, 1986 and 1987. When it was all set and done, Dana finished her career with 12 state medals and was part of 5 state tropies between cross country and track.
After her stellar career at Wheeling, Dana ran for the Unviersity of Indiana on a track and cross country scholarship. In 1988 she would finish 43rd at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships while Indiana finished 6th as a team.
Dana now lives in Hawthrone Woods with her 2 boys Luke and Tyler who are both part of the Palatine Pack TFCC team. She will continue coach with us even after boys graduate from the club.
Emilee after completing the Scaumburg Turkey Trot. Yes she is alwasy this happy!
Addie Dietrich holding up her “Toilet Bowl” trophy in 2022 after winning the Palatine Pack XC invite. Emilee created the toilet bowl to be handed to the winner of each race.
Chris Quick (Coach and Co-Founder)
E-mail: palatinepack@gmail.com | Cell: 847-483-4642
Chris Quick is a teacher and long-time cross country and track and field coach at Palatine High School. During his tenure, the boys cross country team qualified to the Class 2A/3A state finals 12 times, including 5 podium finishes. The 2011 boys team won the IHSA Class 3A state championship and placed 5th in the Nike National Meet. During his tenure, Palatine athletes earned 17 different All-State honors, including an individual state championship for Steve Finley (2005).
In track and field, Chris coached 50 Class 2A/3A Illinois state meet qualifiers in the distance events. He mentored Mat Smoody to two consecutive wins in the 800 meter run (2007, 2008) and coached Alec Bollman to the 1600 meter state title (2010). More than 50 of his former athletes have gone on to compete at all levels of the NCAA system.
More recently, he resigned from coaching at Palatine High School to spend more time with his family and pursue other interests. In 2016, Chris inaugurated the Distance Night in Palatine track meet. He also continues his involvement with the prestigious Palatine Invite “Meet of Champions” during cross country season.
Beyond coaching and event management, Chris is a writer. He published his cross country memoir One Way Uphill Only on the Breakaway Books imprint in 2012.
Chris co-owns both the Palatine Pack TFCC club and the Palatine Pack Timing company while continuing to teach English at Palatine High School. He lives in Palatine with his wife Meredith and his three kids - Madeline, Christopher, and J.J.
Lori with her daugthers Emma and Maddi at the USATF Regional Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Both Emma and Madi compete while Emma qualifieid to the Junior National Championships in the 9-10 division.
Alec Bollman (TFCC Distance Coach)
E-mail: bollman@saoc.org
Alec Bollman is a PE teacher at Chicago Science Academy in Mt. Prospect. He has been coaching with the Pack since 2021 taking a big leadership role as a distance coach. He is also arguably the fittest coach on the team. Alec has also been a volunter coach with the Palatine High School boys cross country and track team and has helped the boys to an 8th place finish at the 2022 IHSA Cross Country state finals and 9th place in 2021. He has also been a big part of Krieg brothers succes. Older brother Mason was All-State for Paltine as a senior while younger brother Alex was a 4 time IESA All-Stater and has qualfieid to the cross country and track state meet each year as a freshman and sophomore. Alec also voluntered under coach Soto at Winston Campus Jr High during cross country and track which had some of their biggest success as a team while he helped coach.
Alec was a 2011 graduate of Palatine High School where he was a standout athlete on the cross country and track team under Chris Quick. Alec would help Palatine to three to 10 finishes at the IHSA Cross Country state meet that included a podium finish in 2007 as they would finish 3rd in the state with Alec as 6th runner. His best cross country finish would come his Junior year in 2008 as he would finish 54th in the state. On the track is where Alec shined though. In 2010 he would qualify as a junior to the track state finals for his first All-State medal finishing in 8th in the 1600 with a time of 4:18.1. A year later Alec coach Quick’s 3rd and final state champion as Alec capture the 1600 state title with a time of 4:13.79.
Alec would continue his running career at Iowa State Unviersity as part of the cross country and track teams. He would earn All-Big12 honors in the Distance Medley Relay in 2012. He also got the honor to compete a the famous Mt. Sac Relays where he ran 1:53.44 in the 800 and 3:51.87 in the 1500.
Alex continues his passion of running while still living in Palatine just a half mile from the high school. He has been an instrumental part of the Pack’s success as our 13-14 year old boys have placed 3rd at the USATF Junior National Championships 2 years in a row and the 11-12 year olds took home the team title in 2023.
Joe Ahlgrim (TFCC Distance Coach, Palatine Pack Run Club,Youth Track Camp)
E-mail: josahlg@gmail.com
Joe Ahlgrim returns for his third year of coaching both the Palatine Pack Run Club and the Palatine Pack TFCC Club He recently became the PE teacher at Kimball Hill Elementary in Rolling Meadows. His goal is to continue building relationships in the community while helping kids grow physically and cognitively.
Joe Ahlgrim graduated from Palatine High School in 2019 and ran cross country and track for all four years. He was fortunate enough to serve as the captain of the cross country team and was awarded the Lou Guerra Most Outstanding Senior Award. He specialized in long-distance, running the 4x800, 1600m, and 3200m. He was Mid-Suburban League All-conference in cross country his senior year and All-conference in the 4x800 and 3200m during track. His high school best were 9:42 (3200 meters), 4:32 (1600 meters), and 2:03 (800 meters).
Joe has recently taken over the Palatine Pack Run Club, a morning club that focuses on kids that are brand new to running. Joe took it over after Dave Cox stepped aside after stating the program over 13 years ago through the Park District. Joe has also been a big part of the Youth Track Camp which focuses on kids that are 1st-5th grade and teaching them the fundamentals of track while keeping it fun. in 2023 he was added to the TFCC where he mainly worked with the 13-14 year old boys who would finish 3rd at the USATF Junior National Meet.
In college, Joe shifted his focus to training for longer distances. His personal best in the marathon is 3:07. He also ran a 50-miler effort around Palatine in a 10 hours, 4 minutes that raised over $10,000 for charity. For fun during Covid, Joe attempted to run 3 miles each hour for a whole day. He finished with 58 miles on the day - a demonstration of his passion for running.
Dana with her son and current Palatine Pack athlete Luke Firkin after a middle school cross country meet.
Emilee Baldwin (TFCC Distance Coach)
Email: baldwin.emilee@ccsd59.org
Emily Baldwin joins us for her 3rd year as a Palatine Pack Distance coach. A 2015 graduate of Schaumburg High School, she competed on the Cross Country and Track and field teams for the Saxons as well as playing on the Softball team. While Emily doesn’t have any sate medals or state final appearance, she brings a tremendous amount of fun and wacky ideas reminding us why we really are here, to have fun! The “Toilet Bowl” (see picture on left hand side) is the brain child of Emilee and is given out to each race winner of our annual club cross country meet that we host in November. It is hands down the coolest award and kids cannot stop talking about it after receiving it. She has also made tu tu’s cool again as every Turkey Trot Emilee brings about 10 pairs of tu tu’s for the kids to wear during the race and even the boys get invovled!
Before Pack, Emilee taught at Winston Campus Jr high where she was on the cross country coaching staff that helped the boys qualify to their first ever IESA state cross country meet where they would eventually finish 12th. Emilee now teaches 6th grade science at Friendship Jr High in Des Plains while also coaching on the soccer team. She hopes to be able to coach cross country at Friendship in the near future.
Outside of acohing, Emilee is avid runner and has competed in 10 half marathons! Her current PR is 2:01, sub 2 hour coming soon! She competes in local 10Ks and 5Ks and is currently getting redy to traing for the Chattanooga half iron man.
Emilee currently lives in Elgin with her sister Karyn and their dog Precious. She loves to travel and hopes to visit all 50 one day! She is also a self proclaimed Swifty and made the trip to Kansas City with her family. Emilee Graduated from Illinois State University and currently is a Golden Apple teacher.