2018 Coach of the Year Finalists

Dayna Powell

Synonymous with swimming in Cape Girardeau, Powell shepherded both the boys and girls swimming teams to standout seasons — the most recent of many. In the fall, she led the boys to a second straight team state championship, and in the winter helped the girls to a second consecutive conference championship and an 11th-place result at state behind a talented, young core.

Carmen Morgan

Morgan helmed the Bearcats volleyball program to another excellent season in the fall, posting a 27-5-2 record and a sectional berth. Dexter won its second straight district championship and its third in four years. Those accomplishments came despite the fact the team lost reigning Semoball Awards Volleyball Player of the Year Krysten Garrison to injury for the entirety of the season.

Becky Hale

It was a dream season for the Tigers, as they went 26-4 and won the Class 2 state championship — the first in school history — this past winter, in the process exorcising the frustrations of the past two years. En route to lifting the trophy, Neelyville defeated five of the top seven teams in Class 2, hurtling through the gauntlet with seeming ease for a historic run.

Tim Harmon

Entering the spring, few would have picked Malden baseball to turn many heads, but Harmon galvanized the Green Wave and the group charted out a miraculous run to a Class 3 state title. The coach set the tone for a group that came together, took advantage of opportunities and finished the season 26-5, culminating in a 9-8 win over Strafford to lift the trophy.

Justin McMullen

Laying the foundation threw the years, McMullen oversaw a historic breakthrough for the Indians this spring, as the program won its first sectional game in 15 years, and then one-upped itself by earning its first-ever final four berth. That came despite a squad that had graduated important talent and experience and deployed a number of young players. McMullen helped Jackson overcome that and finish fourth in Class 4 with a record of 19-6.