La Cueva swim coach Sanchez found dead
One of the state’s most senior varsity swimming coaches has died.
La Cueva High’s Vince Sanchez, believed to be 42, was found dead on Tuesday. La Cueva’s student body learned en masse about the news on Wednesday.
“It’s been a very difficult day, for sure,” La Cueva principal Dana Lee said. “He had a total commitment to La Cueva, a total commitment to these (swimming) kids. It’s been a tough one.”
Sanchez, a 1994 La Cueva graduate, recently completed his 15th season coaching the Bears. He led the school to girls state championships in 2008 and 2016.
“He was amiable, awesome … he was one of those guys,”
said La Cueva’s longtime diving coach, Kevin Balder. “The thing I remember the most was the connection he had with his athletes.”
Grief counselors were at La Cueva on Wednesday; La Cueva administrators and most of the swim athletes learned of his death Tuesday night.
“Very shocked,” said Bears athletic director LeeAnn Moores. “(The athletes) all loved Vince. (Wednesday), they were just telling Vince stories, him joking around with them, telling stories about whether it was the best swimmer or the worst swimmer, he made a point of having a relationship with each kid.”
All of the city’s extended prep swimming family was feeling the pain of Sanchez’s loss.
“It’s a great shock. We’ll miss him in so many ways,” said legendary Albuquerque Academy coach Dave Barney.
“I had occasion, almost a month ago, to see him. … We had a 45-minute conversation. In retrospect, my feeling then was that something was amiss. He seemed a little more distant, a little less conversational, and I never thought it would come to this. I feel badly, not picking up on that,” Barney said.
The amiable Sanchez also in recent years was the public address announcer at prep football games at Nusenda Community Stadium. By all accounts, he was a popular, easygoing man and coach.
“We’re dealing with teenagers who have a lot of questions, as do adults,” Moores said. “It’s difficult to convey to kids (that) you will never know the reason why.”
Sanchez was a contract coach at La Cueva, and therefore not on campus during the day. He previously was a teacher and athletic director at McKinley Middle School.
The man who hired Sanchez, former La Cueva AD Larry Waters, was, like many, trying to wrap his head around his death.
“I don’t think any of us ever really truly know and understand what’s going through somebody’s mind unless they want to share it with us,” Waters said. “It was a real shock.”
Moores said Sanchez had been working the last couple of years at Streamline Athletics, formerly known as Streamline Swimming. The business is a vendor for athletic equipment. He also was a mentor to many younger coaches in town, Moores said.
“Utter disbelief,” said La Cueva girls soccer coach Amber Ashcraft, a friend of Sanchez. The two also sat on La Cueva’s Hall of Fame committee. “He was super nice and welcoming, just as sweet as can be, extremely intelligent.”
Sanchez swam for La Cueva and collegiately at TCU. A couple of years after finishing college, he reached out to his coach at La Cueva, Quint Seckler, and asked to be an assistant coach with the Bears.
™™Sanchez served as an assistant to Seckler for a few years and eventually succeeded Seckler at La Cueva.
“He was very much of a giving person,” Seckler said. “He gave a lot of time to people. He was always willing to drop everything and help people.”
Said Waters: “He was always pushing for excellence. But he was more concerned with the individual athletes than he was with winning titles.”
Sanchez is survived by his parents and a young daughter.
“It’s just so sad how this went down,” Balder said. “Processing it is really difficult.”
Funeral services are pending.
HE SEEMED A LITTLE MORE DISTANT, A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATIONAL, AND I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD COME TO THIS. I FEEL BADLY, NOT PICKING UP ON THAT. DAVE BARNEY ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY SWIM COACH, ON A RECENT CONVERSATION WITH VINCE SANCHEZ