Eliassen assumes AD role for Cardinals who have new football, v-ball coaches
Dawn Eliassen, longtime tennis coach at Medical Lake, will become the Cardinals' new athletics director.
The heat of summer will soon give way for the sights and sounds of fall sports where preparation kicks off Aug. 17 for football at both Cheney and Medical Lake.
And while Cheney's programs, which compete in the Greater Spokane League, will have familiar faces guiding their programs, Medical Lake, a member of the Northeast A League, sees quite a few changes.
The Cardinals will have a new athletics director in Dawn Eliassen, the long-time tennis coach, taking over for Justin Blayne who has a new role as Career and Technical Education Director. Blayne served as the AD for the past six years and will still carry the title of assistant principal.
That meant that Blayne would give up the athletic and activities director portion. Eliassen thought it would be a good fit for her after nearly a quarter-century as a coach. She will still teach second year Spanish.
"After 23 years (coaching), I'm not sure that I will know what to do with myself," Eliassen said with a laugh, adding, "I am still definitely learning the ropes; thank goodness, Justin is still in the building."
As for other new faces on the sidelines, football will be led by Nick Puzycki who comes from Sunnyside and replaces Jeremy Bahr who stepped away after four seasons. According to MLHS principal, Chris Spring, Bahr took another fulltime position in the district and the time commitment of football would not work out.
Former assistant Hailey Van Soest has moved into the volleyball coaching spot replacing Darci Mock who was hired in 2021. Mock gave up the job for what Spring termed "personal reasons" and Van Soest filled in and was elevated to lead the program.
Cheerleading also features a new face in Siara Rodrigues
Dan Collins returns as girls soccer coach for his third season while Gene Blankenship, hired in 2010, is back for another season as head cross country coach.
The head coaching landscape in Cheney is unchanged going into 2022 where turnouts for other sports besides football begin Aug. 22 in preparation for early September start of play.
Bobby Byrd is back as the Blackhawks' head football coach as is volleyball's Heather Zorrozua. Derek Slaughter will once again guide boys' cross country with Camille Mosley leading the girls. Nels Radtke will be girls soccer coach and Gary Blake runs slow pitch softball.
Jennifer Hochwalt returns swim coach - both girls in the fall and boys in winter - with a new wrinkle in the program according to athletics director Tim Kennedy.
"One thing with swimming is we are going to try and add diving for the first time," Kennedy explained. "Now that we are at the 3-A level, a lot more of the competition here uses diving and so that means when we didn't have diving, we were leaving points off the board from the git-go."
While fall sports registration commenced in Medical Lake Aug. 3, it has been ongoing since spring in Cheney, and part of some regular programs where coaches are allowed to worth with athletes, Kennedy said. That interaction ended July 31.
"We've had some great summer practices and training sessions getting kids ready," Kennedy said.
Paul Delaney is a retired Free Press Publishing reporter and can be reached at [email protected].
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