Two Marian Coaches are Finalists for National Coach of the Year

Marian coaches BJ Christiansen and Teresa DeGeorge have been named finalists for the 2026 National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in swimming and soccer. 

Eight finalists from across the nation will be honored during The National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet on the evening of July 1, 2026. One national coach of the year will be awarded in each of nineteen recognized sports categories.

Coaches Christiansen and DeGeorge were nominated for this national honor by their state’s high school coaches’ association. This selection was based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists are evaluated by experts in the field of coaching using a sport-specific rubric to assign points in each category. The National High School Athletic Coaches Association is the oldest in the nation, formed by coaches, and has been recognizing national coaches of the year since 1978.

Swimming and soccer reign at Marian as two of the most widely acclaimed programs. Marian Swimming is the winningest girls' swimming program in Nebraska history, with 17 state championships since becoming state-sanctioned for girls in 1973. Marian’s success in the pool spans over five decades, with a particularly legendary "decade of dominance" in the won eight out of ten titles between 1998 and 2007.

Marian Soccer has claimed 14 state titles since becoming state-sanctioned in 1988. The Crusaders are considered one of the premier high school soccer dynasties in Nebraska. The most dominant stretch occurred between 1998 and 2003, when they won six consecutive Class A championships.