Coaching Staff

Dr. Erik Huffman - Owner/Operator

Dr. Huffman is the owner and operator of Colorado United. He is also the sprint coach at Mesa Ridge High School and assistant sprint coach for Colorado United. He has over 11 years of coaching experience. Erik has coached numerous state champions and top 3 finishers.

Coaching philosophy:

Process-oriented, technique over torture.

Matt Thompson - Head Sprints | Relays

USATF certified Level 2 Sprints Coach

  • 16 years experience of coaching Club and High School Track

  • Currently at Vista Ridge 

  • Previously at Cheyenne Mountain since 2011

  • Started at Wasson

  • 2014 CHSCA Assistant Coach of the Year

  • 4 consecutive 4x100 state championships

  • 6 relay championships overall

  • 2021 4A Boys Track Runner-up

  • 2023 100m 5A State Champion

  • 2023 4x1 5A State Champions (4th fastest all time)

  • Many club state champions

“You can only be fast for a small part of your life, but you can be a good person for your whole life”

Sean O’Day - Head Distance and XC

USATF-certified Level 2* coach - Distance, Sprints, and Youth

Head cross country and track coach at Cheyenne Mountain HS

  • CO State XC champions - 2021(boys), 2022(boys)

  • CO State XC Runners-up - 2020(boys), 2023(boys & girls)

  • CO State Track Runners-up - 2021(boys)

  • 3x National XC Top 50 Team Ranking(boys: 2021, 2022, 2023) 

College - University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

  • 6x NCAA Division III National Team Champions (1x XC, 3x Indoor Track, 2x Outdoor Track)

High School - Wayzata(MN)

  • 1992 State XC Team Champions

2x speaker - CHSCA track & cross country clinics

Ernie DeRubis - Head Hurdles

Ernie DeRubis has been the head track coach at Mesa Ridge High School for 8 years.  Prior to that, Coach DeRubis was a hurdle coach and jump coach at both Mesa Ridge High School and Widefield High School.  18 years of coaching experience.  

“Don’t let good enough be good enough.”

Daniel Russell - Head Jumps | Multis

14 years of experience coaching - USATF Level 2 Sprints, Jumps, Relays

Specializes in coaching jumps, hurdles, and multi-event athletes

Head coach at Palmer Ridge

Has coached multiple National Qualifiers and National All-Americans including: 

  • Hurdler Carson Bruns (14.16/37.29) Colorado State University

  • High jumper Colt Sessions (7-0) Duke University

  • Long jumpers Madissyn Moore (18-4) UCCS and Jon Rice (23-3) Current Top 10 Junior in the nation

  • Decathlete Braeden Holcombe (5519/7267) USAFA

Coach Russell's philosophy revolves around three core values: 

Character, Class, and Work Ethic

"If we can get athletes to care about themselves as well as others and put in the work, then the lessons we teach them reach past just the track and speaks directly into the athlete's life"