Summer is usually hiring season for high school athletic departments filling out their coaching rosters for the upcoming school year. Missoula’s Big 3 – Big Sky, Hellgate and Sentinel – have already seen their share of coaching turnover and school has been out for less than a month.
The Knights and Spartans have added open positions to the market now after the resignation of a pair of coaches.
Sentinel tennis coach Jeanne Veteto retired from her position leading the Spartans’ girls and boys tennis squads. Hellgate girls’ basketball coach Sean Beddow has done the same.
Both jobs are still open and likely won’t be filled in the near future. It’s quite early on in the hiring process said Lynn Farmer, Hellgate athletic director.
“It’s open right now. We’ll probably get started screening the applicants about next week to see where they’re at,” Farmer said. “We’re not in a huge rush because it’s winter sports.”
Basically, Farmer and Knights athletics have some time to fill Beddow’s shoes with basketball season still far off. Spring and the tennis season are even farther down the road for Sentinel.
Veteto’s Spartans qualified three individual competitors for the State AA meet this past spring – including a pair of her offspring in Lucas and Katie Veteto – along with one girls’ doubles team. The Sentinel girls were divisional champions.
Beddow’s three-year tenure with Hellgate was marked by bad breaks and dreadful winning percentages. His Lady Knights finished 1-20 last winter and his mark was just 2-61 overall.
The Big Sky girls’ basketball program is also searching for a new leader after long-time coach Marti Leibenguth recently retired after 18 seasons with the Eagles.
Other new coaches in Missoula include Big Sky’s cross country coach, a still yet-to-be-confirmed Jo Ruby and Sentinel’s volleyball coach Erin Keffeler.
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