President Doug Darling and Athletic Director Danny Mertens are pleased to announce the hiring of Steve Waddell as the new Lake Region State College Head Volleyball Coach.
Waddell comes to LRSC from Minnesota where he grew up in Rockford. With a career record of 202-163, Steve has spent the past 15 years around the game of volleyball in the state, coaching or playing. This past year, he was the head coach at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa High School where they went 24-10, won the Central Minnesota Conference and finished 6th at state. The year before, Waddell's team achieved a 4th place state finish. He was named Central Minnesota Conference Head Coach of the year in 2019.
"The experience to take over this program is a dream for me," Steve said, "Since I began coaching volleyball I have wanted to work in the collegiate system. The opportunity to be a part of Lake Region State College and become a Royal is extremely exciting for me." He continued, "I can't wait to get into the gym and begin working with the team!"
Before coaching at Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, he spent six years at Melrose Area High School, and two years each coaching volleyball at Milaca, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, and St. Cloud Tech High Schools. He also spent three years as a club volleyball coach.
At St. Cloud State Waddell played for the University's Club Volleyball Team where he was a 3x All-Conference Selection. He was also awarded Honorable Mention All-Tournament Team at the NIVC—spell out National Tournament.
Athletic Director Danny Mertens on the new hire, "Steve established himself as the leader for the job very quickly. His confidence, his energy and his knowledge of the game stood out to me. When I made a list of everything I was looking for in a Coach, Steve checked all those boxes. I know he will do a great job representing our program. He has an ability to connect with people and I think that is going to help him get the most out of his team."
On top of his coaching duties, Steve will be an English faculty member at LRSC. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Cloud State University in Communication Arts and Literature. He has a Master of Science in English Education, also from St. Cloud State University.
Go Royals!