Running the Race With Faith: Meet Head Cross Country Coach Andrew Hanko

My wife, Melinda, and I have 3 boys: Ethan (10), Noah (9), and Silas (7). I served in the Navy after graduating from the US Naval Academy in 2011. GO NAVY! BEAT ARMY! I currently work in the energy sector (oil and gas and solar generation) as an engineer for TMEIC Corporation Americas.

What year did you start coaching at Faith Christian School? I started coaching at Faith Christian School in the summer of 2023.

Please briefly describe your journey to Faith Christian School and what attracted you to the school. My wife and I both strongly believe in Christian education. When we began our family here in the Roanoke Valley, we were very excited about the opportunities already available in the area, and we began our search early to determine the best fit for our family. The more we learned about Faith, the more determined we became to send our children here. That determination has only grown as our connection to the school has grown with our 2 oldest boys, presently members of the FCS Classes of 2033 and 2034.

Where else have you coached prior to FCS? While I have been running almost my entire life, I have only previously coached in a volunteer capacity both at the US Naval Academy after graduation and then again for 1 year at Bishop England High School in Charleston, SC.

What are your hobbies or things you enjoy outside of coaching? I enjoy running, reading (mostly fiction), hiking, biking, and playing baseball with my boys.

If you have a "life verse" or a verse that is ministering to you right now, what might it be? There are so many verses in the Bible that refer to running and endurance, but my favorite is Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

How might you describe what you feel called to as a believer? I believe my calling is to serve, primarily as a husband, then as a father, and now also as a coach.

Why do you love Faith Christian School, or what do you appreciate most about Faith Christian School and the athletes? I love being surrounded by other parents and teachers who love Jesus and care so strongly about the same things that I do. Being a dad of boys, I love that my sons and their friends have such godly male role models in their lives. I love that my children are surrounded by a larger family that is pouring the love of Christ into them and reinforcing what my wife and I are teaching them at home.