The DMACC Bears athletic program has updated their coaching staff once again this year. Four new coaches have been added or promoted including: a new promotion for the volleyball program, two new assistant coaches for the reigning national champions in men’s basketball, and a new softball assistant coach. With three new faces and a promotion on campus, the Bear’s athletic programs are looking forward to their new seasons.
Danielle Lopez was named the new head coach of DMACC’s volleyball program on May 14, 2021. Lopez was a part of the staff for two years as an assistant prior to being promoted before the 2021 fall season. So far, Lopez has led the Bears to a 7-4 record overall this year, while being 1-2 in a youthful conference slate. Lopez was a huge part of the Bears’ success last year who were ranked as high as third in the country, and finished with a 17-5 record, including 15 three-match sweeps.
Before joining the Bears, Lopez had helped at an NCAA division one college at the University of Northern Colorado. There she gained experience, helped in camps, and coached many successful club teams as well. Lopez was also a very successful player for Longmont High School in Longmont, Colorado. She captured a district and regional title in each of her junior and senior years, as well as two state tournament appearances. Lopez is already making a statement in her first year in charge of the volleyball program.
The men’s basketball team added two new faces to their reigning national championship program. Taylor Tucker and Trevor Smith have both joined the program as assistant coaches for the new 2021-2022 season. Tucker is a native of Tyler, Texas, and was an assistant coach at Northern State University the past two seasons. While at NSU, Tucker was a part of two conference titles, and a 2021 NSU team who was ranked second nationally and made an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen.
Trevor Smith was born and raised in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where he graduated from Spirit Lake High. Smith was a four-year student manager for the basketball team at the University of Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports studies at the University of Iowa before attending the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) for two years as a graduate assistant. While at UNLV, Smith earned his masters degree in curriculum and instruction. Smith has a lot of experience with two winning basketball programs, and will be a huge benefit to the Bear’s coaching staff.
The softball program recently added a former Bear to their coaching staff: All-American catcher Bailey Richards. Richards will be an assistant coach for the softball team this year, and hopefully will bring similar success to when she was a player at DMACC. Richards led the 2017-2018 Bears team who would win the conference championship with an overall record of 48-2 and a 22-0 record in conference play. Richards took home many awards that year including: 1st team Academic All-Region, 1st team All-Region, NFCA West All-Region 1st team, NFCA 2nd team All-American, and 1st team All-American. Richards led the country in putouts at the catcher position, while hitting .377, with five home runs, and 29 runs batted in. With experience playing in the organization, Richards will be a huge asset to the decorated coaching staff.
Follow along with Banner News for more updates on this year’s athletics.