Coach Krauss has been coaching track and field and volleyball for the past 45 years. During this time he has had experience in coaching at the collegiate, club, and high school levels. Coach Krauss has worked with thousands of athletes and has coached multiple All -Americans, Gatorade Players of the Year, state champions, state and national qualifiers, and D1 & D2 recruited athletes.
A recognized expert in Jumps and Sprints, he has been a featured speaker at many coaching clinics including the Colorado High School Coaches Association Track Clinic. He has been certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and has developed a unique individualized strength training system that focuses on developing explosive power.
Coaching Achievements while at Highlands Ranch (1999-2023):
A recognized expert in Jumps and Sprints, he has been a featured speaker at many coaching clinics including the Colorado High School Coaches Association Track Clinic. He has been certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and has developed a unique individualized strength training system that focuses on developing explosive power.
Coaching Achievements while at Highlands Ranch (1999-2023):
- Two-time Colorado 5A Coach of the Year
- Four-time Continental League Coach of the Year
- 2018 Honoree of The Douglas County School District & The Foundation for Douglas County Schools for his contribution to Girls' and Women’s Sports
- Inducted into the Regis University’s Athletic Hall of Fame for coaching
- Has developed 70 State qualifiers in the jumps including 7 State Champions, 4 Runner ups, 13 top 5 placers, and 15 top 9 placers
- Has developed 68 State qualifiers in the sprints, including 2 State Champions, 4 Runner ups, 9 top 5 placers, and 26 top 9 placers
Jeff Bliven
Assistant Coach -- Middle Distance/Distance
Assistant Coach -- Middle Distance/Distance
Coach Bliven has achieved USATF Level 1 and 2 certifications. Still an avid runner, he has completed hundreds of road races, including 11 marathons and one ultra-marathon. A true fan of the sport, Coach Bliven has attended 5 Olympic Trials (4 for Track and Field, 1 for the marathon), one World Championship and the Olympic Games (London, 2012), as well as numerous NCAA National Cross Country and Track and Field Championship competitions. He has written dozens of articles for Colorado Milesplit, served as the Colorado representative for the national caliber Great Southwest Track and Field Classic (Albuquerque, NM), and as the high school liaison for the USATF National Cross Country Championships (Boulder, CO). He was even once the color commentator for the radio broadcast of the CHSAA State Cross Championships.
Coaching Achievements while at Smoky Hill (1994-2015) and at Highlands Ranch (2020-present) as both an assistant and head coach:
- Led the girls track and field team to one 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes at the Colorado State Track and Field Championships
- Coached individual 11 state champions and one state record holder in track and field and assisted in coaching 7 individual state champions and 3 team state champions in cross country
- Won 3 Centennial League team titles in girls track and field
- Assisted in coaching a Foot Locker National Cross Country Champion, as well as 5 Footlocker All-Americans in cross country
- Assisted in coaching a 2nd place team in the inaugural Nike National Cross Country Championships (NXN)
Dr. Chris Page
Assistant Coach -- 400 meters
Coach Page comes to us with a wealth of experience coaching and in the sport of track and field. Coach Page competed collegiately in the 400m and the 800m at Adams State College. During his student teaching, Coach Page assisted the HRHS Track Team and then went on to become head coach at Rock Canyon. Coach Page is also the principal at HRHS.
Assistant Coach -- Hurdles
Coach Turnage strives to help every athlete grow, both as a competitor and as a person of character. As a coach at Highlands Ranch High School since 2012, she has developed state qualifiers and athletes on the team's Top 10 list in the 300 meter hurdles, 100 meter hurdles, and 110 high hurdles. Two of her hurdlers have gone on to compete at the D1 level in track and field and crew.
As an athlete, Coach Turnage was a nationally-ranked age group competitor in high jump, long jump, and heptathlon, a Texas 5A state champion in high jump, a multi-year state medalist in both high jump and long jump, and a state qualifier in triple jump and 100 meter hurdles. She was a high school All-American and a scholarship athlete and multi-year letter winner and conference scorer at University of Nebraska (Go Big Red!). She earned a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and has had a career as a leadership consultant and executive coach. She is also the proud mom of three HRHS alumni, Connor (2014), Arin (2017), and Peyton (2019).
Eric Krauss
Assistant Coach -- Jumps
Assistant Coach -- Jumps
Eric has been coaching track and field at Highlands Ranch since he graduated from Highlands Ranch High School in 2016. As a high school athlete, he competed in triple jump and long jump. He was a state qualifying triple jumper and is 5th on the HRHS Track all time list for triple jump. After high school, Eric continued competing in triple jump at the D2 level at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Geography and Environmental Science from UCCS in 2021.
Alex Kane
As an athlete, Coach Alex competed in numerous sports, mainly basketball, football, and track and field. He has over 5 years of coaching experience with three of those being at Highlands Ranch High School. During that time, he has been successful in developing state qualifiers and athletes who have moved on to compete at the next level.
Lesley Fatica
- Ran cross country and track at Smoky Hill High School (where she ran for Coach Bliven) and George Washington University (Washington D.C.)
- Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Science and Masters Degree in Sports Management
- Loves to train for and run ultra marathons
- Spends her free time running mountain trails
- Excited to help with the middle distance/distance crew
Jason Margraf
Assistant Coach -- Throws
Coach Margraf has had athletes in Men’s and Women’s throws that were State Qualifiers, State Placewinners, and a State Champion in the Women’s Shot Put. He is excited to lead the HRHS Throws Program and is looking forward to watching them achieve new PRs.
Coach Margraf held the Shot Put and Discus Records at Worthington Kilbourne High School in Worthington, Ohio. His collegiate career includes being a four-year varsity letter winner, Throws Captain, multiple invitational winner, and 5th Place Finisher in discus at the 1998 SEC Championships for the University of Kentucky (Go BBN!) While at UK, Coach Margraf earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, is a Professional Engineer, entrepreneur, and volunteer with the City of Lone Tree. Coach Margraf’s goal is to build a throws program based on imparting his passion for throwing events to students, growing throwers' techniques, and letting the kids have fun learning, beating goals, and developing their character through competition.
