Swan Valley Athletic Department introduces recently hired coaches
SAGINAW, Mich. — In the 2022-2023 school year, the Swan Valley Athletic Department will have many new coaches but not so-unfamiliar faces in Viking Nation! Many openings were created by former coaches either retiring or moving on professionally. Out of the 14 vacancies that were filled in the last 6 months by the Athletic Department, 8 of the hired coaches are Swan Valley Alumni wanting to give back to the sport and also Swan Valley! This holds true to Swan Valley’s famous mantra of “ONCE A VIKING…ALWAYS A VIKING!”
The 8 Swan Valley Alumni coaches are listed by level and sport:
Varsity Boys and Girls Cross Country – Andrew Wendler
Freshman Football – Sal Hernandez
Freshman Boys Basketball – Tristan Branch
Varsity Boys and Girls Bowling – Abby Bremer
Varsity Pom Pon – Sophia Gilmore
JV Baseball – Nate Wachowicz
Assistant Varsity Track – Adam Houthoofd
Varsity Softball – Tara DeLine
Andrew Wendler, the new Varsity Boys and Girls Cross Country Coach, is a 2018 Swan Valley graduate. As of recently, he has competed as a collegiate athlete at Northwood University in the sports of cross country and track & field for the last 4 years. As a collegiate and former high school athlete in multiple sports, Andrew has learned from many different coaches and styles, including former longtime coach Craig Monahan and current Boys Track Coach Dave Dawson. As a result, he has extensive knowledge of various training regimens conducive to a wide array of skill and ability levels at the high school level.
Abby Bremer, the new Varsity Boys and Girls Bowling Coach, is a 2020 Swan Valley graduate. She fills the shoes of her father Tony Bremer who served as Swan Valley’s Bowling Coach from 2010-2022. Under Coach Tony Bremer’s reign, he led the Swan Valley Boys Bowling Team to a Division 3 State Title. Being a former athlete of her father, Abby plans to use Tony’s support if needed. She has been around the sport of bowling all of her life and is level two certified, coaching Kindergarten up to adults. Abby has also served as a representative and advocate of the sport, serving on the board of the United States Bowling Congress at both the local and state level. She plans to use her years of experience and strong knowledge of the game to work with athletes individually on their technique, form, and approach, and build the Swan Valley Bowling Program as a whole through team bonding and community service in and out of season.
Sophia Gilmore, the new Varsity Pom Pon Coach, is a 2019 Swan Valley graduate, having participated in middle school and high school poms at Swan Valley. Sophia continued her pom’s career at the collegiate level as a pommer at Saginaw Valley State University for the past three years. While participating on the SVSU Poms Team, she was also able to coach at White Pine Middle School in Saginaw, leading her team to a Division One State Championship. Her main goal coming into Swan Valley as a coach is to build the program back up by reaching out to both the Swan Valley Middle School Poms Club and the youth in the community. With this involvement, she sees the program growing in numbers and confidence, placing higher in competitions, and being more connected with the community.
Tara DeLine, the new Varsity Softball Coach, is a 2007 Swan Valley graduate. She is a former collegiate pitcher and coach and has coached in the Swan Valley Softball Program as a JV and Assistant Varsity Softball Coach to longtime Coach Tom Kennelly. Tara’s knowledge of the game is strong and has a good understanding of the areas of high priority to further develop the Swan Valley Softball Program. Having been a part of the Swan Valley Softball Program, Tara already has quality relationships with the players in the program and intends to use these connections to teach and motivate.
Part of Swan Valley Athletics’ Mission is for every coach to fully commit to all Viking Programs by communicating effectively with other coaches to increase participation in every sport. They will strive to be a united front to be there to support and learn from each other and to be a contributor to a Viking culture of growth and success!
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