Sports Update
Volleyball: Coach Cristie Liles moving to LISD assistant athletic director position
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
Prior to last season, Marcus head volleyball coach Cristie Liles added a little more to her already-filled plate as she gained additional duties by taking over as girls athletic director for the Lady Marauders.
One year later, the experience has paid off as Liles is taking the next step and has been named as LISD's assistant athletic director replacing the recently-retired Steve Gaddis.
"I'm very excited," Liles said. "I get started Monday and I've already moved into my new office and everything. I can't wait."
The new position means Liles will no longer coach volleyball, creating yet another vacancy for Marcus to fill.
"The timing of the change wasn't optimal," Liles said. "It's kind of bittersweet. I've coached at Marcus for 10 years and really enjoyed my time. I'm going to miss it terribly but I'm really excited to get going in my new role. Like I told the girls, an assistant AD position like this opens up maybe once every 30 years. And being a female, it is even more rare. I feel blessed to have the opportunity and hopefully I can continue to bring energy to the district and help it out all around."
"Cristie did a great job here for 10 years and the experience she gained during that time was a deciding factor," added Randy Mayes, LISD athletic director. "She's worked with (assistant athletic director) Jan Lowrey and I in the past and I think it's going to be a great fit."
Liles said she earned a master's degree in administration last summer.
"I got the degree and I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it," she said. "I just knew that I wanted to stay in athletics, so when I saw the position opened in April, I applied. I think there were over 100 candidates and I didn't even interview until school was over. But I had a second interview 10 days later and 10 days after that I was hired."
Liles' duties include advising, coordinating and training middle school coaches, handling equipment and scheduling, among others. There are 15 middle schools and more than 150 coaching positions in LISD middle schools alone.
"I definitely feel like my time as girls AD at Marcus helped prepare me for the position," she said. "And I was an assistant coordinator at Round Rock Stony Point before I came to Marcus, which helped too."
Mayes said LISD has already begun interviewing for the volleyball coaching vacancy and hope to have the position filled by Monday.
"In public education, you have to be able to adapt quickly," Mayes said.
Liles led the volleyball team for 10 seasons, including appearances in the regional tournament in each of the past three seasons with trips to the Region I finals in 2010 and 2011.
"To make the regional tournament the last three years and the regional finals the last two was amazing," Liles said. "Of course we would have liked to go further and get to state, but at least we got to [regionals] each year. I got to coach wonderful kids and parents and they have been very supportive of my decision. It's such a great opportunity and everyone from principle (Gary) Schaferman and (head football) coach (Bryan) Erwin have been supportive. It's a big responsibility, but I'm looking forward to it."
"Cristie has had an amazing record the past 10 years," Mayes added. "The success, work ethic and character we thought she would have when we hired her away from Round Rock is exactly what she brought to the program. We know she is going to continue to work to that end as assistant athletic director."
One year later, the experience has paid off as Liles is taking the next step and has been named as LISD's assistant athletic director replacing the recently-retired Steve Gaddis.
"I'm very excited," Liles said. "I get started Monday and I've already moved into my new office and everything. I can't wait."
The new position means Liles will no longer coach volleyball, creating yet another vacancy for Marcus to fill.
"The timing of the change wasn't optimal," Liles said. "It's kind of bittersweet. I've coached at Marcus for 10 years and really enjoyed my time. I'm going to miss it terribly but I'm really excited to get going in my new role. Like I told the girls, an assistant AD position like this opens up maybe once every 30 years. And being a female, it is even more rare. I feel blessed to have the opportunity and hopefully I can continue to bring energy to the district and help it out all around."
"Cristie did a great job here for 10 years and the experience she gained during that time was a deciding factor," added Randy Mayes, LISD athletic director. "She's worked with (assistant athletic director) Jan Lowrey and I in the past and I think it's going to be a great fit."
Liles said she earned a master's degree in administration last summer.
"I got the degree and I didn't really know what I wanted to do with it," she said. "I just knew that I wanted to stay in athletics, so when I saw the position opened in April, I applied. I think there were over 100 candidates and I didn't even interview until school was over. But I had a second interview 10 days later and 10 days after that I was hired."
Liles' duties include advising, coordinating and training middle school coaches, handling equipment and scheduling, among others. There are 15 middle schools and more than 150 coaching positions in LISD middle schools alone.
"I definitely feel like my time as girls AD at Marcus helped prepare me for the position," she said. "And I was an assistant coordinator at Round Rock Stony Point before I came to Marcus, which helped too."
Mayes said LISD has already begun interviewing for the volleyball coaching vacancy and hope to have the position filled by Monday.
"In public education, you have to be able to adapt quickly," Mayes said.
Liles led the volleyball team for 10 seasons, including appearances in the regional tournament in each of the past three seasons with trips to the Region I finals in 2010 and 2011.
"To make the regional tournament the last three years and the regional finals the last two was amazing," Liles said. "Of course we would have liked to go further and get to state, but at least we got to [regionals] each year. I got to coach wonderful kids and parents and they have been very supportive of my decision. It's such a great opportunity and everyone from principle (Gary) Schaferman and (head football) coach (Bryan) Erwin have been supportive. It's a big responsibility, but I'm looking forward to it."
"Cristie has had an amazing record the past 10 years," Mayes added. "The success, work ethic and character we thought she would have when we hired her away from Round Rock is exactly what she brought to the program. We know she is going to continue to work to that end as assistant athletic director."
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