Regis Jesuit volleyball will have a new coach in 2016. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Regis Jesuit has turned to Ellen Miks, a former assistant coach at Doherty, Mountain Vista and Columbine, as its next volleyball coach. This follows the retirement of Laura Dunston who had been in charge of the program for more than a decade.
The coaching change was announced by athletic director John Koslosky in a release Friday morning.
Dunston has been Regis Jesuit’s coach for the past 11 seasons. She is retiring to spend more time with her family, and to focus on her career as the owner of The Rock, a restaurant in Aurora, Koslosky said.
Dunston led the girls to three semifinal appearances, and reached the state tournament four times.
Dunston also coached the school’s boys club volleyball team, and won six state championships with them in nine seasons.
Miks played her high school volleyball at Chatfield and Columbine before heading to New Mexico State. After returning to Colorado she joined the coaching staff at Doherty under Tara Hittle.
Taking over the Raiders will be Miks’ first head coaching position.
“It’s very exciting,” Miks said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of such a traditional program that has such a great reputation.”
Miks, who will be the third coach in the 13-year history of Regis Jesuit’s girls team, played outside and as a libero for New Mexico State.
Miks’s brother Joe is a guard for Chatfield’s basketball team, a No. 2 seed in the Class 5A state playoffs.
She’ll take over a program that went 15-12 and reached the state tournament in Class 5A last season. The Raiders also went to state in 2014.
Regis Jesuit also announced it had hired Ryan Ammerman as its boys volleyball club coach.