Once a Rock, always a Rock: Westfield HS graduates come home to coach
WESTFIELD, Ind. — Something special is happening on the sidelines, courts, fields, mats and tracks at Westfield High School.
Look closely at the coaches wearing green and gold, and you will find plenty of familiar faces. Thirty-eight current Westfield coaches and athletic leaders are also Westfield High School graduates.
They once wore Westfield across their own uniforms, competed for the Rocks, learned from Westfield coaches and teachers, and felt the pride of representing their hometown.
Today, they are back, this time leading the next generation.
Once a Rock, Always a Rock.
For Josh Wachtel, a 2010 WHS graduate who now coaches boys cross country and track, returning meant giving students the same kind of experience that shaped him.
“I wanted to help do for others what the program did for me,” Wachtel said.
The transition from student-athlete to colleague took some getting used to.
“It was quite strange,” he recalled. “It took me a while to start calling my old teachers by their first names, because I still felt like their student in many ways.”
What hasn’t changed is Wachtel’s connection to Westfield.
“It has been and always will be my home,” he said. “It’s such an honor to get to lead the team that meant so much to me growing up.”
Football coach and WHS graduate Zane Burtron remembers a similar adjustment when he returned to the district.
“All of these teachers that you looked up to or had in class were now equals,” Burtron said. “I still often find myself calling all teachers Mr. and Mrs. instead of calling them by their first names.”
Burtron spent all 12 years of his public-school experience in Westfield. Returning as both a teacher and coach gave him the opportunity to invest in the community that invested in him.
“Westfield was more than just a school for me; it was my community,” he said. “When you feel a great sense of community and cared for by others, you want to come back and make others feel the way you did.”
Even as Westfield has grown, Burtron says the heart of being a Shamrock remains.
“The feeling of pride and community is still the same, no matter the size.”
Giving Forward
For 2016 graduate and track coach Karen Hubbard, returning to Westfield was an opportunity to continue something that started when she was a student.
“Westfield gave so much to me; it is a privilege to give forward to the next generation of leaders,” Hubbard said.
She describes her return as a coach in two words: “Surreal” and “grateful.”
Now on the other side of the student-coach relationship, Hubbard has a deeper appreciation for what her own teachers and coaches gave her. One lesson she carries into coaching is a “+1 Mentality,” always looking for the next opportunity to improve.
More than anything, she hopes her athletes remember that she encouraged them to believe in themselves.
Her advice to today’s Shamrocks captures why having alumni return matters:
“Be the mentor you needed when you were in high school.”
From Player to Coach
Olivia Denton, a 2010 graduate, knows the feeling of coming full circle.
After graduating from Marian University and taking a position with the U.S. Tennis Association, Denton received a call from her former Westfield tennis coach, Trudy Coler. Would she consider coming back to coach?
“It was not a hard decision to say yes,” Denton said.
Today, Denton coaches both girls and boys tennis, passing along lessons she learned as a Shamrock athlete.
“Westfield built the foundation of who I am as a person today,” she said. “I enjoy giving back to the current students and contributing to this stage in their lives.”
One lesson from Coach Coler was the idea of having a “go-to statement,” something athletes can tell themselves when they need encouragement or a reminder to refocus. Denton now encourages her players to develop their own, both on the court and in life.
“I hope they remember how much a little encouragement can improve someone’s day or attitude and how we can only control the controllables,” Denton said.
When asked what still feels exactly the same about being a Rock, her answer was simple: “The pride.”
And when asked what “coming home” means?
“Somewhere you belong.”
A Community That Shaped Them
For 2018 graduate Erick Luna Lopez, returning to Westfield carries special meaning. He moved from Mexico to Westfield with his family in 2012 and now serves as an educator and boys soccer coach.
“I wanted to give back to the community that gave me a life in the United States,” he said.
Some of his former teachers are still in the district, and their lessons continue to influence his classroom and coaching style.
“I hope they remember that I loved them and cared about them while they were my students and players,” Luna Lopez said. “I care about them being Life Ready and learning to be better students and athletes ready for college or work.”
His definition of “Once a Rock, Always a Rock” captures the spirit shared by so many alumni coaches:
“Giving back to the community that raised you in whatever way you can.”
38 Stories. One Shared Home.
Westfield looks different than it did when many of these graduates walked its halls. Schools are larger, facilities have grown and programs have expanded.
But ask the alumni who have returned what hasn’t changed, and the answers sound remarkably similar: pride, relationships, community and belonging.
Wachtel describes Westfield as having “the resources of a big city, but the community of a small town.” Denton points to the Westfield gear still worn proudly throughout the community. Hubbard says, “Courage is always rewarded.” And for Sam Carnes, a 2010 graduate who returned to coach football, it came down to “Wanting to give back to the community that was so special for me.”
These alumni returned to the people, programs and traditions that helped shape who they became. Now they are the coaches offering encouragement, the teachers setting high expectations and the mentors helping students through a difficult season.
Perhaps, among the students they coach today, is a future Westfield coach who will one day find their own way home.
Because at Westfield, being a Shamrock doesn’t end at graduation.
Once a Rock, Always a Rock.
WHS Alumni Coaching the Rocks
Cross Country & Track: Josh Wachtel — Boys Cross Country & Track; Kyle Duval — Boys Cross Country & Track; Corey Phillips — Boys Cross Country & Track; Thomas Wachtel — Boys Cross Country & Track; Shelby Wilson — Girls Cross Country; Jada Caldwell — Track; Emily Robertson — Track; Stephen Curry — Track; Karen Hubbard — Track; Addie-Mei Gipe — Unified Track
Football: Mike Reece; Dustin Shoe; Jacob Crabtree; Zane Burtron; Sam Carnes; Luke Peters
Basketball: Austin Brengle — Boys Basketball; Ava Henson — Girls Basketball
Soccer: Rianna Evans — Girls Soccer; Grace Reynolds — Girls Soccer; Erick Luna Lopez — Boys Soccer; David Green — Boys Soccer; Connor McLaren — Boys Soccer; Thomas Beck — Boys Soccer
Tennis: Olivia Denton — Girls & Boys Tennis; Harrison Sindelar — Girls Tennis
Wrestling: Justin Miller; John Floor
Baseball: Austin Wessel; Josh Stegner
Softball: Dorothy Thompson; Ashley Swartout
Lacrosse: Anisaa Weber — Girls Lacrosse; Byron Weber — Boys Lacrosse; Tanner Gurin — Boys Lacrosse
Cheerleading & Gymnastics: Rylea Bishop — Cheerleading; Ally Dunkin — Gymnastics
Athletic Department: Kari Lienerth — Assistant Athletic Director
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