OUTSTANDING COACHES OF THE YEAR:

GIRLS SOCCER CHRIS OWEN Pulaski Academy

Owen got his first state title at Pulaski Academy last season, but he went out and led the team to yet another one in 2022. The Lady Bruins took down Valley View to claim the Class 4A championship in what was Owen’s eighth finals appearance. Pulaski Academy also hasn’t been beaten in its past 44 games, dating back to last year.

BOYS TRACK BRIAN GLASS Prescott

The roster may have changed some, but Prescott’s longtime coach still did what he has grown accustomed to doing with his team. Glass led the Curley Wolves to their fifth consecutive title May 3 in the Class 3A state championships at Lincoln High School. Prescott, which has won 10 titles under Glass, lost just one track meet this season and outscored its closest competitor, Ashdown, by a whopping 43 points during the state meet.

SOFTBALL HEIDI COX Benton

Cox has built a powerhouse since she’s been at Benton, and the 2022 season proved her team in every way imaginable. The University of Arkansas at Monticello alum led the Lady Panthers to a 32-0 record, which was capped by a 3-2 victory over Greene County Tech in the Class 5A championship game. The win gave Benton, which also finished ranked No. 3 in the nation by USA Today, its fifth state title overall, including its second in a row, and ran Benton’s winning streak to 64 games.

GIRLS TRACK DREW YOAKUM Fayetteville

Yoakum got plenty out of his Lady Bulldogs, resulting in yet another championship. Fayetteville steered clear of its opposition to capture a state title in Arkansas’ largest classification for the third time since 2016. Under Yoakum’s guidance, the Lady Bulldogs won with 191½ points, which was 34 points more than rival Bentonville had. Fayetteville’s win also snapped the Lady Tigers’ three-year run of state titles.

SWIMMING/DIVING MARY JO HEYE-TOWNSELL Little Rock Central

Heye-Townsell led the Tigers to their third Class 6A state boys championship in the past five years. She also coached the Central girls to a third-place finish in this year’s state meet. Heye-Townsell has coached swim and dive teams at Central since 2012.

BOYS WRESTLING JOHN PETREE Van Buren

Petree led the Pointers to the Class 5A state team title — the first in school history. Van Buren, which also won the 5A dual state championship, edged Lake Hamilton 191-187.5 to claim the team title. The Sallisaw, Oklahoma, native wrestled and played football at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He’s in his fifth season at Van Buren. The team’s best finish before this year was fifth.

TENNIS BILL TOPICH Pulaski Academy

Topich has transformed Pulaski Academy into the state’s most dominating tennis program, a force which began almost immediately when he took over the varsity teams during the 2007-08 school year. Under his watch, the Bruins have won 10 state titles, with seven in a row from 2015-21, while the Lady Bruins have hauled in six crowns during that span, including the past three seasons.

GIRLS WRESTLING JERRY EVANS Searcy

Evans led the Lady Lions to their second state title in three seasons, with a tournament-best 225 points and nine medalists. Searcy finished 31 points ahead of state runner-up Fayetteville, despite not having an individual state champion.