Leadership & Coaches

List of 17 items.

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  Joe Volk

  Joe Volk has coached St. Mary's Track & Field and Cross Country since 1988. Joe Volk's early athletic endeavors included Little League baseball, elementary school flag football, elementary school basketball and Golden Gloves boxing. It wasn't until high school that he took up running and has been doing so ever since. After modest high school and collegiate careers at St. Bernard HS and Loyola Marymount University in CA, he returned to his alma mater to begin his coaching career, which has spanned 41 years.

   
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  Katie Miller

  Katie Miller has coached St. Mary's Girls Volleyball since 2014. 
  Coach Miller is a St. Mary's alumna and collegiate volleyball and softball player.  She has coached for the past 24 years at various ages, ranging from 7 to 18 years old, and levels, from beginner to varsity high school.  In addition to leading the high school program, Katie is the director of a local volleyball club program, coaching two of its nine teams, one of which is a 16u boys team - the only boys team in the southern half of the state. Coach Miller is also the head coach of the state champion Boys Volleyball team. 

   
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  Luke DeCoste

  Luke DeCoste has coached St. Mary’s Boys Varsity Basketball since 2021 and was named head coach of the team in 2025. Luke grew up playing for the South Medford basketball program while also playing for various travel teams along the West Coast. He graduated from South Medford High School, where he played for Coach Dennis Murphy. After a successful playing career, Luke made his coaching debut in 2016, coaching South Medford AAU boys’ basketball. In his first three seasons, he amassed a record of 70-21. Coaching has given Luke the opportunity to teach the game he loves, but to also be a positive role model who inspires our athletes. In addition to Crusader basketball, Coach DeCoste is also the league director for the Southern Oregon AAU Boys’ Basketball League (SOYCL).
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  Kevin McMann

  Coach Kevin McMann joined St. Mary's as the Varsity Girls Basketball head coach and Middle School Cross Country assistant coach in 2024. He brings over 20 years of coaching experience across various levels, from elementary school to collegiate basketball and other sports.
  
  

  Coach McMann's coaching philosophy centers on hard work, trust, relationships, and teamwork. He emphasizes creating a supportive yet competitive environment where athletes can grow not only athletically but also academically and personally. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Physical Education, Coach McMann is committed to integrating strategic planning, player development, and a supportive team culture. Coach McMann has two students attending St.Marys and is also involved in the school's Dads' Club. 
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  Lauren Huizinga

  Lauren Huizinga has coached club soccer at varying age levels since 2010. In 2024, Lauren took over as the head coach of the St. Mary's Girls Soccer team, having been the assistant the year prior. A lifelong soccer player herself, Lauren cannot wait to continue the tradition of excellence and hard work the girls' soccer program is known for. As an alumna of both St. Mary's and the school's girls soccer program, Lauren is excited to add to the running total of league conference titles and state play-off runs.
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  Charlie Stringer

  Charlie Stringer is the head coach for St. Mary's Boys Soccer. He grew up in Southern Oregon, playing soccer for Rogue Valley Timbers and South Medford High School. He played four years of college soccer at Wheaton College, MA, where he gained a solid foundation in the game's technical and tactical aspects.  Coach Stringer believes in the importance of creating a supportive yet challenging environment where players can grow their skills and confidence. He enjoys motivating students for success on and off the field. Coach Stringer also coaches with the Rogue Valley Timbers, managing U19 and U12 teams.
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  Shane Grimm

  Shane Grimm is St. Mary's Varsity Baseball coach starting his 5th year leading our program. His focus is on developing players' fundamentals, passion, and understanding for the game of baseball. He strongly believes in the ability of sports, specifically baseball, to promote growth in many areas, including leadership, teamwork, character, academics, and discipline. Shane started coaching baseball in 2010, with most of his prior experience coming at the high school level. In addition to coaching baseball, Shane has coached wrestling for nine years, the last five being at Crater High School. He is the father of a 4-year-old (Sophia) and a 1-year-old (Carson).
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  Nicki Ford

  Coach Nicki Ford has been an assistant Cross Country and Track & Field coach (sprint group) at St. Mary’s since 2021. She began her professional career as a Registered Dietitian in 1997 and became a certified personal trainer in 2013, holding specializations in Speed & Performance Enhancement, Corrective Exercise, and Sports Nutrition.  She is also a USATF LEVEL 1 track and field coach. 
  “My philosophy as a coach is to meet the athletes I work with where they are at and teach them skills they can utilize long after high school. I am very competitive, and without a doubt, the athletes I coach know this! I’m also a firm believer that success does not always look like first place. Sometimes it’s helping an athlete find pride and satisfaction outside of winning - knowing they’re fully supported by their coach in that journey.”
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  Kimika Rozier

  Kimika Rozier brings over 20 years of competitive volleyball experience to St. Mary's JV Girls Basketball, including collegiate play at Washington State University and the University of South Florida, as well as a professional career in 10 countries. She is passionate about mentoring young athletes, helping them build confidence, resilience, and teamwork while growing both on and off the court.
  
  

  This season, Coach Rozier is excited to guide a wonderful group of young women and support a dedicated volleyball staff. Outside of volleyball, she enjoys spending time at the park with her son Malakai, cooking, and listening to a wide variety of music.
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  Chris George

  Chris George specializes in horizontal jumps for both the High School Track & Field and the Middle School Track & Field programs. He started his coaching career as an assistant swim coach back in 1985. Since then, he has been coaching something, somewhere, for 38 years. Following a head coaching position for another T&F program, Coach George joined St. M and narrowed his focus to work specifically with horizontal jumpers, and it has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding periods along his coaching path.  Chris has been involved in sports his whole life from playing baseball at the age of 8 to completing more than a dozen marathons as an adult.
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  Stephen Thomas

  Coach Stephen Thomas is a long-time multi-sport coach. He currently serves as the defensive coordinator for High School Football, throws coach for both High School & Middle School Track & Field, and he is a Middle School Boys and MS Girls Basketball coach.  He has coached HS football for 18 years, spending four years at North Medford before moving to St. Mary's 14 years ago.  For the past seven years, he has coached basketball, first with the HS, and is now entering his 3rd year coaching both MS Boys and Girls Basketball. Since starting at St. Mary's, Coach Thomas has spent his the spring sports season leading our shot put and discus athletes in both HS and MS teams. He also teaches PE and Strength and Agility for both the HS and MS at St. Marys. Coach Thomas was a SOU football player from 2000-2004.

   

   

   

   
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  Ryan Kukula

  Ryan Kukula coaches St. Mary's Boys Golf. He joined the school in 2023 after his father, Jon Kukula, PGA, introduced him and his two younger brothers to the game at a very young age. Ryan was part of multiple State Championship teams in high school from 2007-2011. Ryan then attended Willamette University in Salem, OR, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and helped turn the Willamette Mens golf program into a top 25 program in the country. After graduating, Ryan played 16 professional events from 2017-2018 before returning to Oregon to pursue a PGA teaching/coaching profession. Since 2019, Ryan has won multiple Oregon PGA events and has helped coach juniors to multiple OGA junior tournament wins.
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  Jessica Young

  Jessica Young has coached St. Mary's Girls Golf since 2022. Jessica grew up in Gold Beach, OR and started playing golf when she was 14 years old at Cedar Bend Golf Course. In 2018, she became the assistant coach at UC Davis, where her love for teaching the game of golf began. From 2021 on, she has taught golf as a PGA associate for West Coast Golf Academy. Teaching the game of golf to students of all ages is where she is the happiest. 
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  Chris Johnson

  Chris has coached St. Mary's Middle School Basketball since 1996. He began his coaching career at Shady Hill School (Massachusetts) in 1995 in basketball and track and field. He is an enthusiastic student of the game with interests in team culture, player development, and a constraints-led approach to training.
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  Troy Babbitt

  Troy Babbitt is in his first year as head coach of the St. Mary’s Middle School Cross Country team, bringing a lifelong passion for running and a deep understanding of the sport. Before joining St. Mary’s, he spent ten years teaching students from middle school through adulthood in Vientiane, Laos, for the Australian government, at a St. Mary’s-sponsored school in Chongqing, China, and at Southern Oregon University. During that time, he organized events that challenged students to discover who they are beyond the classroom—a mission he now carries onto the trails. Coach Babbitt looks forward to building a program where athletes push themselves, grow together, and find joy in the journey.
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  Adam Miller

  Coach Miller is entering his 3rd year as head coach for St. Mary's Middle School Football.  He started playing football at 7 and continued to play until his senior year at Winston Churchill High School in Eugene.  Coach Miller graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Architecture after serving eight years in the infantry.  In 2023 Coach Miller led the Crusaders to an undefeated season bringing his total win/loss record to 10-2.
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  Kevin Bendaw

  Kevin Bendaw is an assistant Middle School Football coach focusing on wide receivers and running backs and taking on the defensive coordinator role. Coach Bendaw previously worked with St. M's high school team specializing in cornerbacks and wide receivers. His football career started at age seven with his local Pop Warner team. His team won a championship his first year playing and followed that with two state titles in high school, cementing his love for the sport. He played running back and was a linebacker during high school while earning an all-state honorable mention in the latter.   Kevin has a daughter attending St. Mary's (class of '26), and he loves to spend time with his family. He has lived in the Rogue Valley for over 28 years and is an active volunteer with local organizations.