MACON, Ga. – FPD will have a familiar face as its new varsity girls cross country coach in the fall of 2016.
Walker Middlebrooks, a 2009 graduate from FPD, has accepted the position, announced Monday, March 7 in a team meeting.
Former head coach Holly Scott will continue her role as Community Service Director at the school as well as coach the middle school squad.
“Holly has just been super! She desires a little more time to oversee her Community Service office duties, so I’m glad we’ve been able to work it out for her to remain a big part of our program as the new Middle School coach,” FPD Athletic Director Greg Moore said.
Meanwhile, Middlebrooks, the son of former longtime Track and Field coach and current faculty member Ed Middlebrooks (’75), has quite the resume and drive to assume the position.
Along with his current role as varsity girls track and field head coach, Middlebrooks serves as the head eighth grade boys basketball coach. He was also an assistant coach on the Chestatee High School varsity boys basketball team for the 2014-15 season before coming back to FPD. He is a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach.
“Having been part of the FPD cross country team in my high school years, I wanted to help continue the great tradition of distance running we have at FPD,” Middlebrooks said, who also serves as head girls track and field coach.
Middlebrooks says he wants to go through the running process with the team on a daily basis and teach what true commitment is.
“My goals right now are to gain interest in girls running cross country and to teach them the commitment they will need to be great distance runners,” Middlebrooks said. “All of our other goals of winning races and championships are a byproduct of having a great work ethic.”
Moore knows that Middlebrooks will be a perfect fit for the positon.
“Walker will do a tremendous job,” Moore said. “He’s very passionate about running competitively, and he will bring a great perspective to our girls as they prepare for the challenges of the season. I just don’t think we could have asked for a better person to take over.”
As an athlete at FPD, Middlebrooks earned All-State in Cross Country when the Vikings won the GISA AAA State Championship in 2008. He also played basketball, soccer, tennis and was a member of the track and field squad.
“Cross country is a very unique sport because of how individual the competition is, but we hope to be a great group of individuals pushing and motivating each other to collectively form a great team,” Middlebrooks said.
The Lady Vikings have advanced to the GHSA Class-A Private State Meet each year of competition since moving to the league in 2010. FPD has won the Area-1 Private Championship four times in the school’s GHSA era.
Check www.fpdvikings.com in the spring and summer months leading up to the 2016 season for updates on the varsity girls cross country team.
The First Presbyterian Day School Department of Athletics strives to build the student athlete both in the playing arena and the classroom while upholding the school’s mission statement to educate and equip students to change the world for God’s glory. For more information, visit www.fpdvikings.com and sign up for up-to-the-minute news and scores by following the Vikings on Twitter at @FPDVikingSports and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fpdathletics.
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