Kinston High School recently found new leaders for three of its athletic programs.
The Bulldogs hired coaches for their softball, volleyball and girls basketball teams.
Kinston chose Daniel Hart as its softball coach. Hart was previously the softball coach at Geneva.
"(I) think that coach Hart was the best fit for our softball program," Kinston principal Gary Glass said. "We're on solid ground with our softball program."
Hart replaces former Lady Bulldogs coach Janie Wiggins, who became the volleyball coach at Enterprise after leading Kinston to a third-place finish at the Class 1A state tournament.
"We finished third in the state the last two years, and (we were) really looking for somebody (who) can really take us to that next level," Glass said. "We just feel like coach Hart is that coach to really take our softball program to the next level. We're glad to have him on board on our coaching staff."
The Lady Bulldogs will also have a new volleyball coach this fall.
Suzanne Elmore has close ties to the Kinston program.
"She is a graduate of Kinston," Glass said. "She was on the '97 state championship volleyball team here at Kinston."
Elmore's mother, Amelia Rhoades, coached the Lady Bulldogs to the state title that season.
Elmore has coaching experience at Samson. She also replaces Wiggins, who led Kinston to a 17-13 record and a trip to the state tournament last season, and Glass is happy with the Kinston graduate's hire.
"We feel like she will be an asset to our volleyball program," he said. "She's definitely happy to be home."
Kinston hired Pleasant Home alum Jessica Johns as its girls basketball coach.
"She's got a basketball background," Glass said, "and we were looking really for someone young and energetic to step in and really build our program."
The Lady Bulldogs finished last season with a loss in the area tournament, and Glass is looking to Johns to help the program reach new heights.
"What we were looking for is someone to step in with our girls basketball program, not be afraid of a challenge and really take it," he said.
With the hiring of Johns, Glass believes the Lady Bulldogs are prepared to take the next step.
"We've got some girls in our basketball program. We're ready to make that turn around the corner, I really believe," he said. "We needed somebody (who) was coming in and willing to put forth that hard work. Coach Johns I think is that person for us."
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