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Jerry English

AATL gets new softball coach

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Coming off back-to-back state titles, the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats varsity softball team will have a new face leading the successful program.

Wildcats coach Diane Stephenson stepped down after the 2019 season to accept a position closer to her home at St. Petersburg’s Admiral Farragut Academy. A two-time Class 2A Softball Coach of the Year, Stephenson posted a 65-14 mark in three seasons with the Wildcats —steering the program to three straight district titles, three straight region finals and two state championships, respectively.

Academy at the Lakes’ new softball coach Elizabeth Munn (Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes Athletics)

Replacing her is Elizabeth Munn, a veteran prep coach from the Midwest who also boasts NCAA Division I coaching experience.

The 36-year-old Munn spent the past three years as head coach at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She posted a combined 54-41-1, including a 28-14-1 mark and Illinois High School Association state semifinals appearance in 2018.

Prior to her stint at York, Munn held assistant coaching gigs at Division I Stanford, North Carolina State and Northwestern universities, respectively, primarily working with outfielders, and strength and conditioning. She also was a head coach at South Suburban College, a junior college in South Holland, Illinois.

Her college playing career likewise has taken a windy path, to multiple countries, in fact.

Beginning at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, Munn transferred to Queensland, Australia’s James Cook University, then finished her playing career as a walk-on at Indiana University.

The blend of high school and college experience makes Munn an ideal fit for Academy at the Lakes, said Tom Haslam, the school’s athletic director.

“Her resume is outstanding,” he said. “She’s done well, had success at a rather large suburban Chicago high school, and just all that good looked.

“We think she’s going to do an excellent job.” he said.

Munn arrived on Haslam’s radar after her York teams faced Academy at the Lakes in Florida  spring break tournaments the past two seasons. Munn also was recommended as suitable replacement by Stephenson herself, Haslam said.

Moreover, the Wildcats athletic director said Munn’s coaching philosophy aligns similarly with the private school’s culture.

Haslam said Munn embraced the school’s no-cut policy and its philosophy of encouraging players to participate in multiple sports and extracurricular activities.

By the same token, Munn brings a winning mindset, the athletic director said.

“She’s certainly not daunted about taking over a successful program. I think she’s ready for it,” Haslam said.

“I think she’s structured and I think she’s organized, and I think she’s going to hold their feet to the fire about hard work and showing up and things like that…but, she also understands that it’s not a school where you’re going to have 75 kids go out and you cut all but 20 of them; it’s just not that way here.”

Munn, meanwhile, is poised to take the reins of a Wildcats program that has tallied eight straight winning seasons between Stephenson and former coach Jerry English (2011-2016).

She recalled being impressed by the Wildcats program when her York team visited on March 27 —  even though Gatorade Florida Player of the Year (and current University of Alabama freshman) Lexi Kilfoyl wasn’t pitching that day.

Munn’s team ended up winning that game 15-2. Her team lost the previous year to the Wildcats, 3-1.

The Academy at the Lakes Wildcats varsity softball team won back-to-back Class 2A state titles under former head coach Diane Stephenson, who stepped down to accept a position at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg.

She described the Wildcats program as “phenomenal” and “a powerhouse.”

“They were a great team all-around, so I’m really looking forward looking to developing and seeing these girls play together again,” Munn said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Munn likewise was impressed by Academy at the Lakes upon flying down for an in-person on-campus visit, meeting with various faculty and students. Munn will be teaching health/physical education at the school.

“I felt like right at home, right away,” she said, “just because everyone makes you feel so welcome and that you’re a part of what they’re building there in that community.”

Munn, naturally, is eager to trade in blistery northern Illinois winters for Central Florida sunshine.

“Oh yeah, you have no idea,” Munn said with a laugh. “I’m excited to leave it in the past for sure. I see myself not moving back.”

Munn said her initial focus in her first year will be building camaraderie and goal-setting, noting she’s been given some beneficial pointers from Stephenson along the way.

“It’s not just one person, it’s the team,” Munn said. “You can have all the talents in the world, but unless everybody comes together to have that bond and team chemistry — that’s what really helps with building a team to win state championships.

“Just bringing everybody together so everybody understands each other and communicates with each other, I think those things are really essential,” she said.

That being said, Academy at the Lakes is headed for some rebuilding in 2020.

Besides the graduations of Kilfoyl and outfielder Tristen Gittens, the program also could be without other names on last year’s 15-player varsity roster.

Even so, Munn said she expects to be competitive, “being over .500, maybe more, depending on the talent we have coming in.”

Published August 28, 2019

Academy at the Lakes hires new softball coach

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The Academy at the Lakes athletics department moved swiftly to hire a new varsity softball coach — one who happens to have decades of Division I collegiate coaching experience.

Diane Stephenson was named the new head varsity coach on July 27, just one week after legendary coach Jerry English announced his retirement.

Diane Stephenson
Diane Stephenson

Stephenson, who operates the Positive Force Fastpitch Academy in St. Petersburg, served as the head softball coach at Indiana University from 1987 to 2002. She was also an assistant softball coach at both the University of Iowa (2008-2010) and Purdue University (2010-2013). Most recently, Stephenson was the head softball coach at Division II Saint Joseph’s College (2014-2015) in Renssalaer, Indiana.

“She performed…at the highest level for many years, and her enthusiasm for coaching, and her passion for leading student-athletes to reach their full potential, is contagious,” Academy at the Lakes athletic director Tom Haslam said, in a release. “There’s no doubt that coach Stephenson will be the person who will take our softball program to another level.”

Starting this school year, Academy will compete in the 3A division of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The school was awarded as the state’s top 2A private school athletic program in 2015.

Upon hearing about the coaching vacancy, Stephenson reached out to the school, and met with Haslam and the independent school’s headmaster Mark Heller.

The coaching veteran came away impressed by the pair’s enthusiasm, as well as the school’s academic and athletic achievements.

“The things that Tom and Mark have accomplished in their athletic department is incredible,” Stephenson said. “The idea of working with so many students that aspire to go on and be college educated is great.”

Over the past five seasons under coach English, the varsity softball program combined for a 64-25 record, winning four district championships and one regional title.

“I think the former coach…laid a lot of really great groundwork, so it’s really a matter of just continuing what he had going on there,” Stephenson said.

Academy finished 11-6 last season, and expects to return 10 underclassman players, including rising sophomore Alexis Kilfoyl, who’s already committed to play softball at the University of Alabama.

As a freshman in 2016, Kilfoyl proved to be one of the top hitters (.562 avg., three home runs and 20 RBIs) and pitchers (1.36 ERA, 163 strikeouts in 103 innings) in Tampa.

“It sounds like we have a pretty good nucleus of kids to play softball,” Stephenson said. “Hopefully we can get the kids who played last year to get one more person each to come and play this year; I wouldn’t mind having a roster of 15 or 18 players.”

While having a bevy of skilled players is important, Stephenson said one of the main keys to the program’s success is ensuring the roster is chock full of teammates that are respectable and helpful to one another.

“The most valuable thing for all the girls that play softball is to learn to be a good teammate,” she said. “Teammates are really hard to find — be a good teammate and work on being the best you can be; work on having a great self-esteem and a positive influence on everyone around you.”

Moreover, Stephenson said she’ll use positive reinforcement to instill the game’s fundamentals to her players.

“I’m going to just do what I’ve always done: be a good teacher and work on fundamental skills,” she said. “There’s no secrets to softball — you just have to be the best thrower, be the best catcher and be the best fielder. I think the most important thing at every level is having a solid skillset and being able to count on it, so that it’s routine, and you’re relaxed when you play in a game.”

In addition to her softball coaching acumen, Stephenson comes to her new role equipped with hundreds of college recruiting contacts. Her Rolodex contains the names of about 80 percent of Division I head softball coaches, which may help more softball players receive college looks.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for the kids not only in my program, but the other kids that I see playing, because I’m in constant contact with my former peers and colleagues,” Stephenson explained. “It’s one of the things that we do, we reach out and say, ‘Hey, I got a kid that might be worth looking at.’ It just comes with some kind of credibility since I’ve been at that level for 30 years.”

Stephenson still plans to operate the Fastpitch Academy in St. Petersburg, within the guidelines of the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Published August 3, 2016

Land O’ Lakes’ Hall of Fame adds members

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The Land O’ Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation inducted five new members to the school’s athletics Hall of Fame during a dinner ceremony on May 24.

The inductees for the 2016 class were: the 2002-2003 girls soccer team, which won a state title; Jerry English, a longtime varsity softball coach; Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier, a standout dual-sport athlete; Dianne McClendon, a key member of the Land O’ Lakes softball team during the late ‘70s; and Phil Teston, the school’s first player drafted in to the Major League Baseball.

About 180 people attended the induction ceremony. Approximately $12,000 to $15,000 was raised — most of which will go toward the construction of an athletic field house. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
About 180 people attended the induction ceremony. Approximately $12,000 to $15,000 was raised — most of which will go toward the construction of an athletic field house.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

The ceremony marked the school’s fourth Hall of Fame induction class, which began in 2013 after the Gators Athletics Foundation was established as a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

The foundation’s purpose is to “raise funds through donations and fundraising events for the direct benefit of the athletic programs at Land O’ Lakes High School.”

Antonio Tarver, a former World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion, was the keynote speaker for the ceremony, which drew about 180 people.

Jerry Brewster, vice president of the Gators Athletics Foundation, estimates that $12,000 to $15,000 was raised, several thousand dollars less than in previous years.

“The first three years we raised about $20,000 per year and so now the foundation has over $60,000 in there, but this past year, we just didn’t get as many sponsors as we had in prior years so…it was a little light from what we would’ve liked to have,” Brewster said.

Funds raised through the foundation are currently being allocated to build an athletic field house at the school, perhaps within the next five years.

From left: Dianne McClendon, Jerry English, Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier and Phil Teston. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation)
From left: Dianne McClendon, Jerry English, Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier and Phil Teston.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes Gators Athletics Foundation)

Likely a $1 million to $1.5 million project, a field house would be the first step in upgrading the school’s athletic facilities in an effort to put it on par with other large schools throughout Tampa area. Ideally, features inside the field house could include boys and girls locker rooms, coaches’ rooms and a training area, Brewster said.

“We’ve got a vision of what we’d want it to look like,” the foundation’s vice president said. “We want to put an actual Hall of Fame (in) the field house, so when kids walk to the gym everyday, they have to go through the Hall of Fame; we want it to be something where kids can be inspired.”

In addition to nearly $70,000 in the foundation’s coffers, there’s an additional $150,000 commitment from a few of the foundation’s board members to help facilitate a field house project.

The organization also is in discussions with the Pasco County School Board to possibly create a joint partnership to spearhead a new athletic facility.

Meanwhile, in the next few months, the athletics foundation will deliberate candidates for next year’s Hall of Fame class. Typically, each class features a coach or administrator, a lifetime achievement award, one female athlete and two male athletes.

Both athletic prowess and the individual’s character are taken into account in evaluating Hall of Fame candidates, Brewster said.

Hall of Fame bios
2002-2003 Girls Soccer team
The Lady Gators capped off a 26-3 record in 2003 by winning the Class 2A state championship after they defeated Riviera Beach Suncoast High School 1-0. The Gators’ Stacy Bishop became the county’s all-time leading scorer during that season, while goalkeeper Shannon Aitken set the county’s career shutout mark. After the season, longtime girls soccer coach Vicki King was awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association coach of the year award.

Jerry English
Jerry English was the Land O’ Lakes varsity softball coach for 26 years, and also spent many years as the school’s assistant and head JV football coach before his retirement in 2003. During his tenure, English amassed 462 wins, 11 district championships, five regional championships, three sectional championships, three state final four appearances and two state runner-ups. He was also a two-time Florida Coach of the Year.
English taught PE, Social Studies and Diversified Career Technology (DCT) throughout his coaching career.

Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier
Lt. Col. Rhett Hierlmeier (Class of ’95) lettered in both football and baseball at Land O’ Lakes High. In 1994, he captained the football team, where he was an all-conference quarterback and defensive back.
Hierlmeier earned a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship and completed his private pilot’s license before attending the University of Florida. Upon being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, Hierlmeier attended Joint Undergraduate Pilot Training, where he was a distinguished graduate earning the Air Education and Training Command commander’s trophy. He also earned two master’s degrees and served as an Air Officer Commanding at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Diane McClendon
Diane McClendon (Class of ’79) was an integral part of the Land O’ Lakes softball team in the late ‘70s; her stellar play helped the Lady Gators finish state runner-up in both 1977 and in 1979. After graduation from high school, McClendon enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.

Phil Teston
Phil Teston (Class of ’78) was a dual-sport athlete at Land O’ Lakes, excelling at both baseball and football. He was nominated to the all-area baseball team three consecutive years, and was a member of the Gators’ first district champion baseball team. In his senior season, the right-handed pitcher compiled a 0.86 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 87 innings. His performance on the baseball diamond caught the eyes of pro baseball scouts, as he was drafted in the 25th round by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978—making him the school’s first Major League Baseball draft pick. Following a brief minor league stint, Teston became a registered cardiovascular invasive specialist, where he’s performed over 3,000 abdominal and thoracic endografts.

2016 Land O’ Lakes Athletic Hall of Fame class

  • 2002-2003 girls soccer team
  • Jerry English—coach/administrator
  • Col. Rhett Hierlmeier—Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Dianne McClendon-female athlete
  • Phil Teston-male athlete

Published June 8, 2016