By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The National Federation of State High School Associations has announced that nine high school coaches from Kansas, including longtime Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids, have been named National Coaches Association Sectional Coaches of the Year for the 2021-22 school year.
Davids was named the boys tennis coach of the year for Section 5 (Midwest), which includes Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids, who was named the Kansas Coaching Association boys tennis coach of the year earlier this summer, has been named the Section 5 boys tennis coach of the year and is now eligible for the national award. [File photo/TSN]
Topeka West tennis coach Kurt Davids (right) received his Kansas Coaching Association state coach of the year award in August from the KCA's Stan Boggs. [File photo/TSN]
Davids was earlier named the Kansas state boys tennis coach of the year, making him eligible for the sectional and national coach of the year awards.
Davids, who has coached West's boys for 29 seasons, led the Chagers to a second-place finish in the Class 5A state tournament this past season while also winning a regional team championship, sharing the city team title with Washburn Rural and finishing second in the Centennial League meet.
West also won the city boys title in 2021 and Davids' teams (boys and girls combined) have posted five top-four state team finishes. He has coached Class 5A state singles and doubles champs.
The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers) and in one “other” sport that is not included in the top 10 listings. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association works with the Kansas Coaches Association to nominate Kansas coaches.
The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category.
The sectional winners will now be put in consideration for National Coach of the Year, to be announced sometime in January.
NFHS Sectional Coaches of the Year (2021-22)
Jay Myers (Girls Track and Field) Lindsborg-Smoky Valley HS
Cheryl Kucharik (Girls Tennis) Scott Community HS
Kurt Davids (Boys Tennis) Topeka West HS
Bethany Bastian (Girls Swimming and Diving) Andover HS
Tara Trear (Girls Spirit) Emporia HS
Tate Thompson (Girls Wrestling) Pratt HS
Bryan Luetters (8-Player Football) Meade HS (Current Coach at Liberal HS)
Jill Rowland (Girls Basketball) Sterling HS
Brandon Terry (Boys Wrestling) Augusta HS
State Coaches of the Year (2021-22)
Heath Gerstner (Boys Baseball) McPherson HS
Chris Schmidt (Boys Basketball) Olpe HS
Curtis Morgan (Boys Cross Country) Buhler HS
Clint Rider (Boys Football 11-Player) Blue Valley Northwest HS
Erik Jones (Boys Soccer) Blue Valley Southwest HS
Dave Youker (Boys Swimming and Diving) Olathe East HS
Kurt Davids (Boys Tennis) Topeka West HS
Brandon Terry (Boys Wrestling) Augusta HS
Bryan Luetters (Boys Football 8-player) Meade HS
Jody Miller (Boys Middle School Sports) Rock Creek Middle School
Jill Rowland (Girls Basketball) Sterling HS
Kelsey Carbajo (Girls Cross Country) Olathe West HS
Aaron Anderson (Girls Golf) Blue Valley West HS
Bill Finucane (Girls Softball) Eudora HS
Chery Kucharik (Girls Tennis) Scott Community HS
Jay Myers (Girls Track and Field) Lindsborg-Smoky Valley HS
Alex Aiman (Girls Soccer) Blue Valley West HS
Jaymes Dickinson (Girls Spirit) Blue Valley Southwest HS
Bethany Bastian (Girls Swimming and Diving) Andover HS
Kaylie Bergkamp (Girls Volleyball) Andale HS
Tate Thompson (Girls Wrestling) Pratt HS
Nate Clevenger (Girls Middle School Sports) Girard Middle School
Tara Trear (Girls Spirit) Emporia HS
