Haines named MCA Coach of the Year for a third time

SEELEY LAKE - The Montana Coaches Association (MCA) voted Seeley-Swan High School Track and Field Coach Mike Haines "Coach of the Year" for Class C Girls Track and Field after the team won the Class C state title this year. This is his third time receiving the award. He was recognized in 2014 and 2019 when the girls track team won the Class C state title.

Haines described receiving the award again as humbling.

"I'm blessed with having coached really good athletes and I have really good assistant coaches underneath me," he said. "We just work well together and each and every time is kind of special. It's just always different."

Going into this year, Haines felt his biggest challenge was restarting the teams' momentum since the students had to take a year off due to COVID-19.

"The unknown of taking the whole year off and being rusty with [training] was kind of the [frustrating] part of it," he said. "It was like having two freshmen classes that hadn't experienced track. ... All my younger kids kind of missed out being under [the older] kids. I can only imagine ... the momentum we would have had built up from 2019."

Despite the adversity of having the team pick themselves up after a year-long break, Haines was proud of his students' ability to "bounce back."

"[The kids] battled through some adversity and injuries so it was an awesome year," he said. "It could have been better but it certainly turned out pretty good."

Haines was proud of the girls' team for winning against teams at State that had previously beaten them. He also felt that the boys' team could have gotten second place like they did in 2019 if it were not for an injury.

"We lost third place by three points, ... second place was only seven points away," he said. "They were close in battle for the boys. That was my highlight, them just sticking around and ... doing their best."

While he is sad to see some of his senior athletes graduate from the team, he looks forward to what team members old and new will bring next season.

"I got a good bunch coming back and we got a good bunch coming in for boys and girls," he said. "The boys should be strong next year. ... [They] could win it next year, they really could if we can stay healthy and keep kids out. And the girls are going to be competitive again next year. It's going to be tougher."

In his youth, Haines participated in track and field. His father Kim coached him.

He began coaching in Hamilton in 1986 and has coached basketball and track ever since. He started coaching at SSHS in 2007, following in his father's footsteps after he started the track program.

Haines is one of several Montana coaches who were chosen for the title by a vote of member coaches. He was the only Class C coach to receive it for girls track and field. He and the other coaches will be honored at the 2021 MCA Awards Program at C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls at 11:30 a.m. July 29.

 

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