(Audubon) A four sport athlete at LeMars, Molly Lange, says a ‘hard work pays off’ mentality has served her well throughout her coaching career. The former Audubon volleyball coach is this week’s Why I Coach guest.
After a few years away, Lange has gotten back into the swing of things at Carroll High School. She outlines some of her core philosophies. “I’m pretty intense. I have very high expectations for the kids. I believe in making memories, but competing is fun, winning as fun so that’s always been the focus. I’m deliberate about how I set up my culture–team first, hard work, and the investment that it takes to compete at a high level.”
One of the most notable achievements of her six year run leading the Wheelers was a 2016 state tournament appearance. “Offseason stuff is really important to me and the kids really bought in and were competitive. Those last three seasons that group started as sophomores and you could see the confidence building. It really wasn’t until their senior year that they believed they were a state tournament quality team.” Lange refers to seniors Kaitlin Schultes, Sydney Obermeier, Taylor Nielsen, and Claire Olsen as the golden girls of that special group.
After taking some time to raise her young family she got back into it this season as head coach at Carroll. “I really jumped on that chance to get back on the sidelines. It’s in my blood, it’s in my soul. I love it.” Carroll finished the season ranked 13th with a record of 23-11.
Previous Coaches
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
