Two Coaches Honored for Continued Accomplishments

Head Athletic Director of Sumner School District Tim Thomsen presented the 2010-2011 Coach of the Year award to two outstanding people who have proven themselves over and over again: Shirley Baker and JD Rushton.

Shirley Baker has been the head volleyball coach and head girls track and field coach at since it opened in 2005, where she also teaches advanced placement English literature.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011, girls she has coached (Tiara Kilmer and Adara Winder) have been the state champions in girls’ shot put.

Baker herself was a shot put champion, qualifying for the Olympic trials and achieving NCAA D1 All-American status not once, but twice.

This year will be Baker’s 22nd year coaching and teaching.

JD Rushton is currently the head boys golf coach at Bonney Lake High School, and the head boys basketball coach at . He has coached a total of 23 seasons in Sumner School District, at elementary, middle and high school levels.

Rushton has coached track and field, boys’ and girls’ basketball, and golf.

Coach Rushton also attained All-American status two times throughout his own golfing career at Western Washington. In addition, he won a golfing championship at the Tacoma Amateur in 1997.

Both coaches’ names were engraved on a plaque, and were honored at a luncheon on August 16 and the Board of Directors’ meeting on August 17.

The other nominees were Sara Jackson, who coaches fastpitch and girls basketball at Sumner Middle School; Kristin Martin, who coaches cross country and track and field at Sumner High School; and Cleo Reed, who coaches girls’ basketball and baseball at Lakeridge Middle School.