POULSBO — With fall sports practice for football and volleyball in full swing and four other varsity sports just under way, vacant assistant coach positions have all been filled, North Kitsap High School Athletic Director Al Gleich reported last Thursday.
North Kitsap’s boys’ and girls’ swim teams will have a head coach and assistant coach for the upcoming year. Shawndelle Jones has been hired as the assistant to existing head coach Greg Braun.
The change comes as long-time swimming coach Marilyn Grindrod resigned from her co-head coaching position with Braun for both swim teams.
New volleyball coach Tim French isn’t the only new face for the Viking spikers this year; Jessica Harney has accepted the assistant coach position for the team. French replaces Clay Blackwood while Harney replaces Kaelea Makaiwi-Barreith.
Both Harney and Jones still await final approval by the North Kitsap School Board of Directors at its next meeting, 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the school district’s administration center.
In other new fall athletic hires, Head boys’ tennis coach Jay DeVries will be joined on the court by newly hired assistant coach Chad Gillespie.
For the winter season, assistant coaching positions have been filled in both boys’ basketball and wrestling. Duane Petzoldt, formerly of Chimacum High School, will come on board as Aaron Nations’ assistant for boys’ basketball. Petzoldt replaces Jack Simonson, who left after last season. Troy Reynolds has been hired as Jon Cooke’s assistant coach for the wrestling team. Reynolds replaces Mike Derda, who also left after the last season.
In other new athletic hires around the district:
• The NKHS athletic medicine department hired Julie Leslie as new assistant trainer
• Kingston Junior High School teacher Bob Good has been hired as the athletic director
• Diane Naples is the new athletic secretary at North Kitsap High School
Two head coaching positions remain open at NKHS — head girls’ golf and head boys’ track. Golf coach Brian Bignold resigned at the end of the school year, as did track coach Tim Adams.
