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Alumni Athletes Give Back Once an Eagle – ALWAYS an Eagle 2014-15 Alumni Coaches and Volunteers
Leadership. Impact. Family. Blessing. Influence. These are the words our Alumni used when asked why they choose to give back to SBA Athletics. Every year, there are SBA alumni who volunteer their time or are after-‐‑school coaches for the sport that they loved so much when they were students here. That has never changed. But what does seem to have changed is the NUMBER of alumni coaches. This year there are TWENTY-‐‑FOUR alumni giving back to the athletes of SBA. What a wonderful testament to their character AND to our school! Here are a few of their stories…
Austin Aeschilman 'ʹ08 – Soccer Michael Allen 'ʹ08 – Basketball Bret Bilbrey 'ʹ01 – Trap Tom Davis 'ʹ02 – Soccer Paul Frierott 'ʹ10 – Basketball John Hyden 'ʹ93 – Team Doctor Sara Ann Jeffrey 'ʹ09 – Basketball Ben Johnson 'ʹ09 – Wrestling Ben Kurtz 'ʹ13 – Wrestling Jeff Lamer 'ʹ12 – Wrestling Brad Linehan 'ʹ13 – Wrestling Ethan Livingston 'ʹ09 – Basketball Ryan McKenzie 'ʹ08 – Wrestling Kelsey Miles 'ʹ09 – Volleyball Meagan Nichols 'ʹ10 – Track Lynn Jennings Park 'ʹ01 – Basketball Cody Quon 'ʹ12 – Football Houston Russell 'ʹ07 – Wrestling Kaitlyn Stoddard 'ʹ10 – Cross Country Samantha Thompson 'ʹ07 – Lacrosse Kyle Treece 'ʹ10 – Cross Country Philip Valle 'ʹ07 – Football/Wrestling/Track Jennifer Watts 'ʹ07 – Volleyball Garrett Wimberly 'ʹ07 -‐‑ Lacrosse
“Playing multiple sports at SBA in high school taught me so much about life. There'ʹs no better place to learn things like selflessness and leadership than on a sports team. I wanted to be able to instill those lessons in others that were instilled in me during my time at SBA.”
-‐‑ Lynn Jennings Park ‘01
"ʺIt really is an honor being able to come back and coach at the same school that coached me. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle!"ʺ
“Having been my first year coaching at SBA, it was one of the best experiences I have had so far. Having the opportunity to come back and give knowledge of the game as well as life experiences, to the young men and women of the future, just gives me a feeling that I cant explain. Watching individuals grow and work together on the field to reach a certain goal is one of the main tools that they need when they enter the workforce, being able to communicate through different obstacles and get to the end goal. Ever since graduation, I knew that I wanted to help out in some way whether it was helping the special teams on the football team or helping the soccer program. I was able to play with one of my younger brothers in high school but was not able to with the other due to age difference, so the next best thing to playing is standing on the sidelines watching and coaching him on the field. I appreciate those that allowed me the opportunity to become part of the family of which I was once part.” -‐‑ Austin Aeschilman ‘08
-‐‑ Cody Quon ‘12
“I coach at St. Benedict because it gives me the opportunity to give back to a school/community that gave so much to me as a student.” -‐‑ Houston Russell ‘07
“The coaches when I was playing impacted my life so I wanted to give back to the girls in the same way.”
-‐‑ Sara Ann Jeffrey ‘09
“Why I love coaching at SBA: I think its a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I get to influence the guys and help them become better athletes, as well as men. Also, I have an opportunity to give back to the school that did so much for me and made me a better person! “ -‐‑ Philip Valle ‘07
"ʺI have had the privilege of having a few coaches throughout my volleyball career who not only taught me volleyball but taught me lessons that have proved to be vital throughout life. I wanted to come back and be a positive influence on these girls like these coaches were for me along the way."ʺ -‐‑ Kelsey Miles ‘09
“For me, cross country has always been about so much more than just running. The great thing about this sport is that anyone can do it if they are willing to put the time and effort into it, and that carries over into other areas of life as well. There have been so many times where the things I have learned from cross country have been applicable outside of running. That’s what I want most to share with our runners. State Championships are awesome, but in the grand scheme of things it’s the discipline, determination and faith and trust in your teammates that you learn that gets you where you need to go.” -‐‑ Kaitlyn Stoddard ‘10
“I enjoy coaching at SBA because I enjoyed my time playing sports here and it feels good to do everything I can to make sure current SBA athletes can have the same sort of positive experience.” -‐‑ Paul Frierott ‘10
“Coaching the trap team is another way for me to mentor the students and help them transition into the world outside of SBA. I had teachers who I considered to be mentors while I was a student, so I hope I can pass the knowledge I learned from them to our current students and future alumni.” -‐‑ Bret Bilbrey ‘01
“Coaching the girls lacrosse team has been an honor and a blessing. The girls on the team know what dedication, hard work, and teamwork takes; but they also know how to have fun and are very close to one another. I am very proud to be their coach and very proud of them for all of their dedication and hard work. It’s not easy learning a new sport during high school. I wanted to give back to St. Benedict by coaching because this is where I fell in love with the sport and without St. Benedict I don'ʹt think I would have ever found lacrosse. I also want more generations of St. Benedict girls to fall in love with such an unique sport.” -‐‑ Samantha Thompson ‘07
“I decided to return to SBA and coach because I wanted to somehow say thank you to Coach Cervetti. She had a tremendous impact on my life and it is because of her coaching that I was able to run at the collegiate level. I also absolutely love track and field, so it is a privilege to teach others about this amazing sport. Last track season, every one of my hurdlers achieved a personal best time and I could not have been more proud of their accomplishments!” -‐‑ Meagan Nichols ‘10
“I came back to coach at SBA to “SCHAPE” young men for the next step in their lives both on and off the court.” -‐‑ Michael Allen ‘08
“One of the most rewarding parts of my job as a Sports Medicine Physician is taking care of athletes and covering games. Being a former SBA athlete myself, I enjoy taking care of kids that were like me in high school. SBA was a big part of my life and still is. I learned a lot from being an athlete including how to handle success, how to handle adversity, and how to be a leader. Every time I cover a game it takes me back to my days of playing and reminds me how much I enjoyed those times. I feel it is very important to give back to the people and places that helped me get to the place I am at in life today. That is a big reason why I volunteer my time to be the Team Physician for SBA.” -‐‑ Dr. John Hyden ’93