Longtime Wayne High softball coach Rob Sweetland is one of 11 Nebraska coaches who have been nominated for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s National coach of the Year award.
The award is a career award, based on longevity, success, service and honors at the local, state and national levels. Each coach was nominated by the Nebraska Coaches Association.
Sweetland has been the softball coach at Wayne High School for 20 years, taking Wayne to state 17 times and winning four state titles (2003, 2004, 2018, 2019) and three runner-up trophies (2007, 2009, 2013). In 2019, he became the first coach to win state titles in two different classes. The 2003 and 2018 champions were the first two undefeated state champions in state history. He has a career record of 546-118 (.822).
Two Nebraska coaches will be inducted into the NHSACA Hall of Fame this summer in Des Moines. They are volleyball coach Diane Rouse of Grand Island Northwest and girls basketball coach Russ Ninemire of Douglas County West.
Joining Sweetland as Nebraska NHSACA National Coach of the Year finalists are:
-- Greg Geary, Millard South (baseball)
-- Doug Goltz, Falls City Sacred Heart (boys basketball)
-- Michelle Kontor, Milford (boys cross country)
-- Tim Kassmeier, Norfolk Catholic (boys track and field)
-- Kim Dieckmann, Archbishop Bergan (girls assistant)
-- Rick Petri, Kearney Catholic (girls basketball)
-- Mimi Ramsbottom, Elkhorn South (girls golf)
-- B.J. Christiansen, Omaha Marian (swimming and diving)
-- Renee Saunders, Omaha Skutt (volleyball)
-- Alan Pokorny, Bennington (wrestling).
