Avid logo

New HS Coaches

Head Football Coach: Travis Peeples

Peeples

Coach Peeples has 25 years of football coaching and teaching experience. He is a life-long educator and coach. His goal is to develop every player to their fullest potential on the field, in the classroom, and in the community as leaders. He has a 12-month comprehensive football program, where players are able to develop every aspect of the student-athlete. The last five years, Peeples has worked at Frederick High School as their Head Football Coach and Weight Training Teacher. Under his leadership, the varsity team had a 35-16 record. They were 2019 CHSAA semifinaliasts, 2021 CHSAA quarterfinalists, 2021 Conference Champions, and Channel 9 Game of the Week four times. He was named Conference Coach of the year and Denver Broncos Coach of the Week. In his five years at FHS, 18 players signed with colleges for football (Juco to D1).

Coach Peeples started his coaching career at Miami Killian and spent 12 years at Pine Ridge High in central Florida. He spent time at Greeley West and Cheyenne South, helping to lead both programs to CHSAA Playoffs. He was the head coach at Aurora Central (8-3) and led the program to their first playoff appearance in 25 years.

Peeples was born and raised in Miami, Florida. In 1989, he graduated from Miami Columbus HS, where he was the varsity quarterback earning All-City recognition, and his team was Conference Champions. He played in the early 1990s at University of Central Florida on a full scholarship. He was a member of the 1990 semifinalist team and a UCF letterman. He and his wife, Lori, recently moved to Wellington. Lori is a principal at Sandborn Elementary in Longmont. His sons, Brad, Darren, and Andrew are all students at CU Boulder.

He looks forward to meeting staff, students and parents soon! Travis is very excited to build a program from the ground up right in his backyard! We know that Coach Peeples will be an integral part of building great things at Wellington Middle High School!

 

Head Boy's Wrestling Coach: Cole Zempel

Coach Cole Zempel

“I am very excited to be hired as the head coach of the Wellington High School wrestling program. I look forward to leading this program and investing in this community. My wife and I have one child and have been living in the Wellington area for the last 6 years. We enjoy getting outside and home improvement projects.

I have been a police officer for 11 years. I currently work for the Fort Collins Police Department and am a School Resource Officer. As a resource officer I have worked at both the high school and middle school level.

I’ve spent my entire life involved in the sport of wrestling. I grew up in Iowa and wrestled at the University of Northern Iowa. I graduated in 2010 and moved west a few days later.

I started my coaching career at Cheyenne Central High and then Rocky Mountain High. I have been coaching at GRIT Athletics in Northern Colorado for the last 8 years. I have gotten to learn from some great coaches in my time. I have found great opportunities in getting to travel around the country while coaching at GRIT.

With the help of school staff, assistant coaches, and families, I am excited to build something this community can be proud of!”

Head Baseball Coach: Alvin (Lewis) Hastings II

Lewis Hastings

Coach Hastings was born and raised in Colorado.  He attended Roosevelt High School in Johnstown where he was a 4-year letterman in baseball and received All Conference honors as a catcher.  After high school he received a scholarship to play at Highland Community College in Highland, KS.  He returned to Johnstown to coach the Rough Riders JV Baseball team before going on to the Police Academy.  He returned again to Roosevelt as a volunteer catching coach, working with the State Championship team.  That same year he met his wife and they have since started a family with two amazing kids.  Moving from Loveland to the Wellington community was an easy transition because of the people they met.  They built their own home and have run multiple businesses together, including starting the NoCo Grinders Baseball program as well as volunteer coached several seasons of Wellington youth recreation. After so many opportunities to coach locally, he has decided to fulfill a lifelong dream to head coach at the high school level.  With so many years developing his own style, mixed with influence from his past coaches, he will create an unwavering culture on and off the field.  One of his goals is to mold and influence young men and women into the amazing adults they are meant to become.

Head Boy's & Girl's Soccer Coach: Julio Martinez

Coach Julio Martinez

"My coaching career was ignited in 2018. I started off coaching rec sports like basketball to football, starting from grades 4th to 12th grade seniors. For the past two seasons now I have made the transition to a passion sport of mine, the wonderful world of soccer. I come from a Head JV coach/Varsity assistant coach from Northridge High School out of Greeley. Where I managed to end last season with an undefeated record and the title of Coach of the Year voted by my peers. I also was part of the coaching organization which took the Varsity squad to the State qualifying competition. 

I played soccer in all of my four years of school at Greeley West High School. My team was unfortunate to reach state contention during that time but have always cherished the memories. Soccer has always taught me about discipline, dedication and the drive to push myself to be better, not only out on the field but in life. My goal is to instill these principles into student-athletes. 

I am a born and raised native here from Northern Colorado. I have lived most of my adult life in Fort Collins with my wife Amelia and our three children Aiden, Sophia and Noah but just last year we made the move to Wellington. Our plan is to make this place our home. I am excited to meet with the faculty and team of the school. Eager and ecstatic to start building this program from the ground up. Let's Go Eagles!

 

Head Boy's Basketball Coach: Dante Roberts

Coach Dante Roberts

Coach Roberts started his coaching career at Poudre High School in 2010. As a longtime coach for the boys basketball program and an alumni himself, Dante held many roles during his 10 years, including heading up the Jr. Impalas program, the Freshman and Sophomore coach and Varsity Assistant. 

Dante is also a Certified Personal Trainer, Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist. He has a strong passion for health and fitness and has trained many groups and athletes in Northern Colorado. 

Dante loves being outdoors and enjoys life in Wellington with his wife Ashliia and two dogs Stella and Penny.

Head Girl's Basketball: Olivia Curran

Olivia Curran

“My name is Olivia Curran and I have played basketball all my life. I'm an Eastern Washington Eagle, now coaching basketball for the Wellington Eagles! I started out coaching basketball for Rocky Mountain Fever Club Team. After two years of that, I got hired on as the JV coach, then C Team Coach at Fort Collins High School. This past season I was the Girls Varsity Assistant and have been coaching at Fort Collins High School for the past 5 years. 

My goal is to create a competitive program at the new Wellington Middle-High School that is built on character, work ethic and love for the game of basketball. I'm really looking forward to building new Eagle traditions! 

Outside of coaching basketball, I'm a mother of three and I live in Severance. My husband is a teacher and unified soccer coach in PSD. We love family time and playing in cornhole tournaments. I feel so grateful for this opportunity and look forward to getting to work!”

Head Boy's Tennis Coach: Tim Dolan

Coach Tim Dolan

Tim Dolan has spent the last 20 years coaching tennis at Kinard, Lincoln, Blevins, & Fort Collins High School. He is also an instructor at Lewis Tennis School in Fort Collins!

Head Girl's Tennis Coach: Kim Bender

Kim Bender

Kim Bender is a USPTA certified elite tennis professional and is academically prepared at the Ph.D. level.  He has recent experience coaching a girl’s high school team in Loveland.  For the past four years he has developed and operated the tennis programming for juniors and adults with the City of Wellington Recreation Department.  He has management experience as a head professional of a twelve-court public tennis center in Oklahoma City, including pro shop and racket stringing operation, instructional programming for juniors and adults, as well as the development and operation of USTA sectional tournaments for juniors.  In addition, he has instructed tennis at two higher education institutions in Oklahoma and Florida.  Kim has continuously played competitively in USTA league tennis in Colorado for twenty years.

Kim recently retired from higher education administration and is looking forward to making high school coaching at Wellington a central career interest.  Kim seeks to develop student athletes who achieve competitive success through engaging in fun and focused skill-developing experiences on the court that reinforce teamwork values, a consistent work ethic, and positive attitudes towards shaping lifelong health and wellness behaviors.  He encourages athletes to use tennis activities to strengthen future workplace skills such as leadership, collaboration, critical thinking and emotion management.

Head Boy's Golf Coach: Grant Gaalema

Grant Gaalema

Turned Pro in 1999.  Taught and coached golf at Sea Palms Golf& Tennis Resort, St. Simons Island, Georgia; Lake Spivey Golf Club, Jonesboro, Georgia; Harbor Club, Greensboro, Georgia; White Columns Country Club, Roswell, Georgia; and Ft. Benning Golf Course, Columbus, Georgia.

I love teaching and coaching.  My goal is to create relationships with players based on trust and integrity.  By sharing my knowledge of the  game of golf, I encourage players to have fun learning and playing the game.  My approach is to communicate clearly with simple words and ideas to accelerate the learning process.  The creation of a partnership with the player allows us to unlock his potential as a player.

Awards & Certificates:

  • Certified PGA class A member 2004-2018.
  • Awarded 2004 Acushnet PGA Apprentice Scholarship.
  • Recognized 2005-2008 PGA President’s Council on Growth of the Game.
  • Recognized 2009-2011 PGA “Play Golf America” top 100 Facility.

Playing Experience:

  • Georgia Section PGA Championship 2010
  • Georgia PGA Senior Classics 2002-2010
  • Georgia Senior Open 2002-2008
  • Georgia Section Pro-Ams 1999-2016

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana; graduated North Central High School, National Honor Society, All-County football, elected team captain football, basketball, & baseball ; Senior  Athlete of the Year.

Graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and minor in Social Studies; Dean’s List; elected captain of Hoosier baseball team; recognized by NCAA “Outstanding Sophomore”.

Signed a free agent contract with Cincinnati Reds minor league organization; All-star catcher Gulf Coast League.

 

Head Cross Country Coach: Mike Callor

Coach Mike Callor

Mike has been coaching high school cross-country and track for the last 20 years, most recently at Thompson Valley High School, where he has been the Head XC and Assistant Track (Distance) coach for the last 5 years.  He has been blessed to have coached multiple State Champion individuals and teams as well as All-Americans in XC and Track, but those have all been the result of focusing on process with an emphasis on character.

Mike competed in XC and track in both High School (Arapahoe) and College (Colorado Chrisitan University) and still enjoys running every day!  Outside of coaching, he manages a running store in Fort Collins (Altitude Running), and enjoys any events that allow him to hang out with his amazing wife, Sara and their energetic son, Nathan.

Head Cheer Coach: Emily Mitchell

Emily Mitchell

Coach Mitchell recently moved to Colorado from Houston, Texas. She grew up competing in both cheer and dance. Emily continued to follow that passion through college while getting her degree. After graduating from Sam Houston State University with a bachelors in interdisciplinary studies, Coach Mitchell taught elementary school for five years. Over the last few years, she’s found her way back to her passion through coaching cross-country and track & field. However, Emily’s true roots lie on the sidelines of a football game! She is beyond excited to be coaching the Wellington Cheerleaders for the upcoming year. She’s ready to make this a spirit program that supports our school, community, and each other!

Head Girl's Volleyball Coach: Haley Unruh

Haley Unruh

Haley grew up in a rural, ranching community in southern Kansas. She helped lead her high school volleyball team to the state tournament during her senior year. After graduating from South Central High School in Coldwater, KS, Haley continued her volleyball career as a team captain at Hesston College while completing her Associates Degree in Early and Elementary education. She continued to play volleyball at Kansas Wesleyan University, then transferred to Kansas State University to finish her Bachelor's Degree. She is currently teaching 4th grade in Cimarron, Kansas where she is the high school varsity volleyball coach. She also assists with Jr. High girls' basketball.

Head Softball Coach: Catherine Foster-Cody

Catherine Foster Cody

Coach Catherine was pretty much born with a mit on her hand, thanks to her dad's huge love of the game.  She grew up playing competitive ball with her girlfriends, while also playing pick up games all summer with friends whenever possible before scheduled practices and tournaments.  She was a catcher the majority of her career and loved every minute of it.  Catherine was blessed to grow up and play alongside the same group of girls from youth through high school, where they created friendships that have carried them through to today.  She is super excited to see our ladies transition from middle into high school softball fluidly and together, building their bonds and deepening their skills.  Catherine has a combined 7 years coaching experience and is excited to bring her knowledge and love of the game, positive energy,  along with her expertise in team building and personal development to the Eagles program.  Her coaching philosophy was adopted from coach Lou Holtz: "Do right, do your best, treat people well."  The ladies of Wellington Softball are going to soar!

Catherine grew up in Illinois and moved to Wellington, Colorado 16 years ago.  She and her husband Tom have 4 kids, 2 of them already out of school, 1 currently in middle school, and 1 who is going to be a freshman.  After having 2 that were transported to Fort Collins for high school, they are super excited to have a high school right here in Wellington and plan on being at all the things!  Catherine loves to adventure and will try anything once.   She hikes, kayaks, paddle boards, loves to camp, and loves roller coasters.   Her dream is to surf the big waves off the coast of Hawaii. She is an avid runner and loves to box.  Catherine is involved in the community, sitting on different committees and mentoring young ladies and women who are struggling.  She works in revenue integrity for Banner Health and is also the Women's Ministry Director for her church.  Catherine can’t wait to pour her heart into this program and the ladies who will be a part of it!

Head Track Coach: Josephine Abbey

Josephine Abbey

I have always loved running, jumping, and everything track and field. I grew up in Telluride, Colorado and was lucky enough to have the most committed track coaches—Keith and Alicia Hamption, as well as the Ludwig brothers. Growing up in a small town meant we did track workouts around our 240 meter parking lot, and once a week our coach would drive us an hour and a half to a real track. Throughout high school I competed in cross country and soccer in the fall, basketball and ski racing in the winter, and track and field in the spring. Competing year round with dedicated coaches supporting me gave me life long skills that I so look forward to passing on to my students and athletes. In high school I competed in the long jump and sprints and in 2012, I finished my high school career as the  2A 400 meter state champion. I ran cross country and track at Colorado State University where I transitioned to competing in the longer distances. At CSU I met some of the greatest people in my life including my husband, an All-American, who maybe lets me beat him in the occasional 5k road race. I still love running and competing today. I regularly race half marathons across the country and local 5ks whenever I can. I got my first coaching job at Empire High School in Vail, Arizona in 2018 and greatly enjoyed helping my athletes grow and accomplish their goals. I am so honored to build the Wellington Track and Field program from the ground up—where there is great opportunity, there is great responsibility, and it is my privilege to start the Wellington High School's Track and Field Team with the help of some very experienced coaches and volunteers. 

Head Girl's Golf: Kayla Garey

Kayla Garey

Please help us welcome our Head High School Girls Golf Coach, Kayla Garey. Kayla was born and raised in Fort Collins. She was a four year varsity

letter recipient for the Fossil Ridge/Fort Collins Girls Golf Team. Along with playing on varsity for four years, she was a regional and state qualifier all four years and received First Team All-Conference three out of the four years. After High School she went on to play college golf at Chadron State College, holding multiple records for their golf program.

Kayla is looking forward to leading the new golf program and helping the girls grow their passion for the game of golf.

Excited to have you, Coach Garey!

Barb Andrews, Athletic Trainer

Barb

Barb is a Certified Athletic Trainer and allied health care professional that specializes in the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions. 

Barb received her degree from Northern Illinois University and recently has been working in Northern Colorado as a concussion management specialist with Orthopedic & Spine Center of the Rockies.  Prior to her move to Northern Colorado, she was the head athletic trainer for West Chicago High School, a 5A school with 5 levels of sport, where she managed the athletic training room and cared for over 700 athletes.

Barb is an avid runner and cyclist and former competitive swimmer.  She currently enjoys hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding and camping with her husband and 90-pound black lab mix rescue. She has 4 adult children and claims to literally have the globe covered as her children reside in Hawaii, North Carolina, California and Australia.

Barb is very excited to be returning to the high school arena and part of the Wellington High School athletic team.

Olivia Becker, Assistant Cross Country Coach

Olivia Becker

Olivia teaches Spanish, Psychology, and Health at Wellington Middle High School. She has coached Cross Country at Blevins and Track & Field at Wellington Middle School. She ran Cross Country and Track in high school (at Rocky) and college. She has run two marathons, including Boston in 2022. She loves coaching athletes to be stronger, faster, and more confident. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling and reading.

Kaitlynn Schmurr, Assistant Volleyball Coach

Schmurr

My name is Kaitlynn Schmurr and I am so excited to be the Assistant Coach for the brand-new WMHS Women's Volleyball team! 

I have been a fan of playing sports and competing in games my entire life, but volleyball has always held a special place in my heart. I remember the rush of playing on the court with my team and celebrating together as we pushed the ball back over the net time and time again. 

Volleyball is unique in the way is shows how communication and teamwork truly work together both on the court and in everyday life.

I cannot wait to build our team of reputable and communicative athletes who not only have the drive to succeed together but who also will have fun developing the WMHS volleyball program! Go Eagles! 🦅🤍🏐♥

Elija Ostin, A️ssistant Girl's Soccer Coach

elija ostin

Elija Ostin is a paraprofessional in the Integrated Learning Supports program at Wellington-Middle High school. She attended Wellington's very own Eyestone Elementary and Wellington Junior High School, graduating from Poudre High School in 2014. Elija went on to play collegiate soccer at Otero Junior College, earning her Associate of Arts degree in 2017, graduating Magna Cum Laude and Academic All-Region. Coach Ostin (soon to be Coach Collum) is currently attending Western Governors University to earn her bachelor's in Special Education K-12 with an Elementary Education endorsement. Coach Ostin has worked at WMS since 2020 as a paraprofessional and a Unified Basketball Assistant Coach. She is excited to bring her lengthy soccer experience to a brand new program and encourage kids to be the best people, students, and athletes they can be through the idea that "excellence is a habit". Outside of school, Coach Ostin is reading, doing homework, or planning her wedding.

Emily Moulton, Assistant Softball Coach

emily moulton

Emily Moulton is the School Psychologist at Wellington Middle High School and is excited to help develop the Eagles’ HS softball program as an assistant coach! Emily grew up in New Hampshire, went to Brigham Young University in Utah for college and a masters degree, then recently earned a doctoral degree from UNC in Greeley. She has worked for the district for over ten years at various elementary and middle schools and looks forward to the unique opportunity working at a combined middle-high school, including additional sports and other activities for students. “Coach M” has previously coached softball at the middle school level, including at WMS and in the community, along with often running the scoreboard/clock for other WMS sports like football, volleyball, and basketball. Other interests include playing/watching sports (especially baseball/softball, basketball, and football), hanging out with her several nieces and nephews, cross-stitching, and reading.  She is passionate about the game of softball, especially the opportunities for growth and learning for all players, no matter their level of experience and skill.

Colleen Slane, Assistant Cheer Coach

colleen slane

Hi! My name is Colleen. I grew up in Fort Collins and recently moved to Wellington with my fiancé! When I was younger, my passions were ballet and horseback riding. Once starting high school, I decided to try out for the cheerleading team and instantly fell in love. Tumbling quickly followed, and my obsession for the sport was unmatched. Performing on the sidelines of football and basketball games and hyping up the students and families gave me an unparalleled feeling of happiness. I loved Cheerleading so much in high school, I joined an All-Star team and competed in Florida at the NCA All-Star Championship. I am so excited to be the assistant coach for the Wellington Eagles and help foster this passion in our cheerleaders! 

David Jimenez, Assistant Baseball Coach

david jimenez

Coach Jimenez was born and raised in Fort Collins and has an attachment to the Wellington community as he spent a lot of time with family there growing up. Baseball has been an unhealthy obsession of his for as long as he can remember, even to this day getting himself in trouble with his family by spending too much time consumed by the game. Becoming a parent in his freshman year of high school, and other poor decisions, derailed his plans to play sports there after. Fortunately as his kids grew up he was given an opportunity to coach his kids. Through that journey of coaching over the last 6 years he has spent the last several years coaching different levels of youth travel baseball as well as assistanting at Resurrection Christian High School. He has also spent the last few years traveling the country, as a tag along to his son, developing and networking with high level travel, high school, college and developmental coaches attaining a wealth of knowledge of the game and teaching. His biggest accomplishment though is returning to college several years after those previous mentioned mistakes, and working towards his masters in psychology. Utilizing those mistakes, life lessons, knowledge of the game and relationships to develop a culture based around full human growth. Bringing a correlation of life skills and baseball skills to create great individuals that will first and foremost succeed in a life outside of sports and hopefully play baseball as long as they can. He is extremely excited to be a Wellington Eagle!! Go 🦅 

Brooke Coates, Assistant Softball Coach

brooke coates

Coach B (Brooke), moved to Wellington from Fresno California in 2021. She graduated from Fresno State University where she competed as a division 1 softball player from 2014-2018. During her 4 year career at Fresno State they won 2 Mountain West Championships and competed in 3 NCAA regional tournaments . After college shebegan to coach competitive travel softball,where she has helped players achieve their goals of competing in college. Coach B also coached High school softball at Washington Union High School where she helped lead the team to win a Valley Championship in 2018. Coach B is excited to be apart of the Eagles team and is looking forward to developing strong, confident, independent athletes and ensuring they reach their full potential on and off the field. Go Eagles! 

Thomas Blehm, Assistant Baseball Coach

thomas blehm

I grew up right here in Wellington, Colorado! I have played baseball for a long as I can remember. In high school, I was a 3 year varsity lettermen at Poudre High School. My main position was catching, but I pitched and played the infield throughout my time playing. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to play in college due to an arm injury pitching. During my time playing high school baseball, I developed a passion for coaching. I assisted my dad here in Wellington with an intermediate team and just found a new love for the game. In that time I also became a baseball instructor for Fort Collins Baseball Club. And right out of high school I got the opportunity to coach at Poudre. I coached there for 2 years at the C and JV level. I am so excited to be apart of Wellington Middle High School coaching staff. Can't wait to be apart of a up and coming program!

Andy Altschwager, Assistant Wrestling Coach

andy altschwager

Born & raised in Wisconsin, Andy has since been a resident of Northern Colorado for the past 20 years. He was a 4 year varsity wrestling letter earner & three time state qualifier. He also wrestled Greco & Freestyle, winning a Greco state championship. He's been a farrier for the last 17 years & spent the last two years coaching wrestling at the Wellington Middle School. He's looking forward to this next step in his coaching career & helping create confident, well rounded young athletes.

Robert Garza, Assistant Baseball Coach & Assistant Wrestling Coach

robert garza

Hi everyone I am Coach Garza, growing up playing baseball in Colorado I was a four year varsity letterman for Clear Creek High School. In college I was a relief pitcher for four years with Colorado State University. During my time there we made appearances in four regional tournaments on the road to being two time Mid America Champions with two World Series appearances. In those four years, I was named an all conference reliever during my third year of play. 

I first started coaching while in college, my first experience being with little league as an assistant for a 14 and under team in 2012. From there I went on to coach fundamental baseball and softball skills with Colorado State University’s Youth Sport Camps (ages 5-13) in the summer of 2014. After graduating, I began pursuing my masters degree and while student teaching, I was a JV pitching coach for Windsor high school during the spring 2017 season. After coaching with Windsor I began teaching and coaching at Highland High School in Ault Colorado. During my three years with Highland I spent time each season as both a Varsity and JV assistant.

Currently I am coaching at the College level as a pitching coach for the Fort Collins Force Collegiate summer team. The program is geared towards helping players get more reps and reach their goals that they have for their current college, while also helping recent high school graduates get experience before entering the college baseball world or get on with a college somewhere.  

I am looking forward to working with the baseball program and teaching with Wellington this upcoming school year. 

Henrik Andersen, Head Swim Coach 

henrik andersen

 

 

 

 

Coach Henrik was raised in Greensboro, North Carolina and was thrown into a pool at the age of four, joining a summer swim team at the age of five.  Swimming has been a lifelong passion of his, and his goal is to share that passion with others through coaching.  Henrik has been a swimmer for 19 years, was a varsity swimmer for 5 years, competed on a travel swim team for 8 years, and played travel club water polo for 4 years.  Besides swimming and water polo, Henrik enjoys spending time coaching his esports team, hanging with his dogs, and playing video games. 

PSD does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, age or disability in access or admission to, or treatment or employment in, its programs or activities. A lack of English speaking skills will not be a barrier to admission or participation.