It's been a busy summer for Siloam Springs athletic director Kevin Downing.
The school district has made several coaching hires in June and July, shuffled some other positions and said good-bye to other coaches as well.
"We have hired coaches this summer from inside and outside the district that will help several sports moving forward," Downing said. "Our district added a great mix of coaches that will fit perfectly with our returning staff. We are looking forward to a great year."
The last of the summer moves happened at the school board meeting on July 16 when the school board accepted the resignation of seventh- and eighth-grade girls basketball coach Kelly Waters.
Waters, who's been an assistant coach at the varsity and junior high level for five years at Siloam Springs, is taking a teaching and coaching position at Springdale Hellstern.
"The Siloam Springs student athletes I've had the privilege to coach mean so much to me," Waters said. "I will continue to stay in touch with them and follow them over the years. It's really special when you maintain relationships and get to see them marry and have children of their own."
Waters was on staff in 2015 when the Lady Panthers advanced to the Class 6A state finals and finished state runner-up.
"We are grateful for the contributions that Coach Waters has made to our program the last five years," said Siloam Springs head coach Tim Rippy. "She helped create culture within our program, helped develop character and integrity within our student athletes."
The district has hired former Mena basketball standout Brittany Fields to replace Waters as head seventh- and eighth-grade coach. Fields will teach math at the middle school.
Softball
Emily Grace Ruggeri has been named the head varsity softball coach, Downing said.
Ruggeri was an assistant junior high volleyball and basketball coach the last two seasons.
Ruggeri will remain in volleyball as head seventh- and eighth-grade coach in the fall and be in charge of softball in the spring.
"I am very excited for the opportunity," Ruggeri said. "Softball is the sport I'm most passionate about. I'm excited about the opportunity to get to coach."
Ruggeri, a former White Hall standout, will be assisted in softball and volleyball by Haylee (Zimmerman) Hall, a former Rogers High standout pitcher in softball who went to play collegiately at Oklahoma Baptist.
Ruggeri replaces Scott Wright, who was head softball coach for the last five seasons. Wright and the Lady Panthers won 16 games in 2016 and advanced to the Class 6A playoffs, but the program has struggled with just six wins in the last three seasons. Wright will still remain head tennis coach, Downing said.
Volleyball
Jessica (Wade) Merrill has been promoted from ninth-grade head volleyball coach to the varsity assistant.
A former Lady Panther standout and state champion, Merrill's promotion reunites her with head coach Joellen Wright, who was assistant coach during Merrill's playing days under Rose Cheek-Willis.
Wright and Merrill did team up to lead the Lady Panthers in 2013 to a 22-10-2 record while Cheek-Willis was out on medical leave fighting cancer.
"It's great to be back together again with Jessie," Wright said. "We made a great pair during the 2013 season. I'm thankful for her contributions to develop our younger kids, and now she'll reap some of those benefits as a senior high coach."
Leigha (Norden) Towell, who was head eighth-grade volleyball coach, moves into the role of head ninth-grade volleyball coach. She will also be assistant seventh- and eighth-grade basketball coach and is no longer coaching softball, which she did for the last two seasons.
Girls Soccer
Former Cabot head girls coach Kerry Castillo has been hired as the new assistant girls soccer coach. Castillo also will be the assistant swim coach in the winter.
Castillo is a 17-year coaching veteran, who has also coached at Sheridan and Greenbrier. He's received several coaching honors, including the 2016 and 2017 AHSCA Girls Soccer Coach of the Year award. Twice his Cabot teams finished as Class 7A State Runner-up in girls soccer along with multiple conference titles.
"I'm looking forward to this year and am excited to be in Siloam Springs and am honored to be a part of the wonderful staff at Siloam Springs Middle School, the athletic department at Siloam Springs High School," Castillo said in an email.
Bowling
After 34 years of coaching, including 22 in the Siloam Springs School District, Ken Bolinger has retired as bowling coach and teacher in the Siloam Springs School District.
Bolinger coached at Crossett for 12 years before coming to Siloam Springs as head eighth- and ninth-grade football coach in 1997.
He also coached volleyball as an assistant, was head track coach for several years and has been the head bowling coach for 12 years.
Bolinger led the Panthers to state championships in 2011 and 2012.
Jami Pierce, who was a volunteer assistant this past year, will be the head bowling coach, Downing said.
Sports on 07/21/2019