INDIANAPOLIS, IN (January 20, 2026) — Twenty-four high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2024-25 National Coaches of the Year by the NFHS Coaches Association.
The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in two “other” sports – one for boys and one for girls – that are not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a spirit coach and an Adapted/Allied/Unified coach in separate award categories. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award. This year’s awards recognize coaches for the 2024-25 school year.
Recipients of the 2024-25 national awards for boys sports are: Eric Filipek, baseball, Asheville (North Carolina) T. C. Roberson High School; David Marshall, basketball, Bridgeport (West Virginia) High School; Steve Sheehy, cross country, Union (Oregon) High School; Jim Stanton, football, Billings (Montana) Central High School; Jamie White, golf, Haleyville (Alabama) High School; Jay Anderson, soccer, Missoula (Montana) Hellgate High School; Dan Bledsoe, swimming and diving, Crozet (Virginia) Western Albemarle High School; John Neal, tennis, Charlottesville (Virginia) High School; Mike Reed, track and field, Gordon (Texas) High School; and Tim Kaczmarek, wrestling, Worden (Montana) Huntley Project High School.
The recipients of the 2024-25 national awards for girls sports are: Christina Hart, basketball, Kettering (Ohio) Archbishop Alter High School; Cindy Farmer, cross country, Hardin (Montana) High School; Mikey Eaves, golf, Marlow (Oklahoma) High School; Katy Kelley, lacrosse, Annapolis (Maryland) Broadneck High School; Laurie Updike-Kaup, soccer, Marcellus (New York) High School; Carol Mitchell, softball, Corryton (Tennessee) Gibbs High School; Linda Wiginton, swimming and diving, Altus (Oklahoma) High School; Larry Parpart, tennis, Henrico (Virginia) Douglas Freeman High School; Kevin Ryan, track and field, Bellingham (Washington) Sehome High School; and Jamey Spartz, volleyball, Phoenix (Arizona) Sandra Day O’Connor High School.
The recipient of the National Coach of the Year for spirit is Eugenia Scavone of Lombard (Illinois) Montini Catholic High School. The recipient of the National Coach of the Year for Adapted/Allied/Unified sports is Meg Bowman of Mesa (Arizona) Westwood High School. Anthony Halford, water polo coach at League City (Texas) Clear Creek High School, was chosen in the “Others” category for boys sports, and Hillary Sanders, girls gymnastics coach at Bogart (Georgia) North Oconee High School, was chosen in the “Others” category for girls sports.
The NFHS receives nominations from its member state associations, which often works with the state coaches’ association in its respective state. The state association then contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.
The next award level after state coach of the year is sectional coach of the year. The NFHS is divided into eight geographical sections. They are as follows: Section 1 – Northeast (CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT); Section 2 – Mideast (DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, VA, WV); Section 3 – South (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN); Section 4 – Central (IL, IN, IA, MI, WI); Section 5 – Midwest (KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD); Section 6 – Southwest (AR, CO, NM, OK, TX); Section 7 – West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT); and Section 8 – Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY).
Caitlyn Brinker of Union Pines High School has been selected as Section 3 Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year.
The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category, the Adapted/Allied/Unified category and two “other” categories.
For the 2024-25 academic year, 997 coaches are being recognized with state, sectional and national awards.
Eric Filipek
Asheville, North Carolina
Eric Filipek has led T. C. Roberson High School to four North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 4A State Baseball Championships in his 15 years at the school, including the past three years. It is the first time in state history that a school has won three straight 4A state baseball titles. Filipek has a career record of 313-87 at T. C. Roberson and has claimed 12 conference titles. Filipek organized the Ted E. Tourist Adapted Baseball League at T. C. Roberson more than 10 years ago. Every spring for six weeks, players organize the teams and games, handle the public-address announcing and play music to create an incredible experience for special-needs players. Filipek’s foundation message is “Teammates First, Respect for Details and Condition.” The focus is built into the RAMS mascot: Respect the Journey, Accountability, Mission, Perseverance. He strives to teach kids how to respond well in uncomfortable situations and tell them what they “need” to hear not what they “want” to hear.
The North Carolina State Coaches of the Year are listed below:
| Sport | School | Coach |
| Baseball | TC Roberson | Eric Filipek |
| Mens Basketball | Reidsville | Jason Ross |
| Mens Golf | Pinecrest | Rich Wainwright |
| Mens Indoor Track | Mallard Creek | Samuel Willoughby |
| Mens Lacrosse | Croatan | George Benson |
| Mens Track | Corvian Community | Phill Bush |
| Mens Soccer | Western Alamance | Camden Brooks |
| Mens Tennis | Elkin | Junior Huffman |
| Mens Wrestling | Union Pines | Brian Gray |
| Football | Grimsley | Darryl Brown |
| Womens Basketball | Cherokee | Miranda Long Stamper |
| Mens Cross Country | Lejeune | Bradley Helsel |
| Womens Cross Country | North Lincoln | Jerry Castro |
| Womens Golf | South Point | Steve Hudgins |
| Womens Indoor Track | Cummings | Donald Davis Jr |
| Womens Lacrosse | Union Pines | Caitlyn Brinker |
| Womens Track | Dudley | TeQuille Jackson |
| Womens soccer | Pine Lake Prep | Paul Ebenhoeh |
| Mens Swim | Raleigh Charter | Jason Cole |
| Womens Swim | Myers Park | David K. Smith |
| Womens Tennis | Terry Sanford | Christopher Goodman |
| Womens Wrestling | Jack Britt | Casey Malloy |
| Softball | South Caldwell | Casey Justice |
| Volleyball | West Henderson | Tiffany Lowrance |
| Cheer | South Rowan | Katelyn Nesbitt |
