By Jordon Lawrenz
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – For the second year in a row, Notre Dame girls basketball coach Sara Rohde has been named the Associated Press Wisconsin Coach of the Year.
This is Rohde’s third time winning the award.
The Tritons are coming off three straight Division 2 state championships.
With a 29-1 record this season, Notre Dame’s only loss was their first game of the year.
Pewaukee took down the Tritons, 68-67, but Notre Dame avenged that loss in the state championship game, 64-49.
In the past three seasons, coach Rohde has guided the Tritons to a combined 86-3 record.
Even after a three-peat, Sara Rohde knew winning the award wasn’t a guarantee “I was surprised mainly because it’s an award that’s tough to win in consecutive years.”
It was a record-breaking season for the Tritons, and they don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. Gracie Grzesk became the fifth player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 career points, while Trista Fayta set the all-time assist record.
Grzesk and Fayta are both juniors who will be returning for their final season next winter.
“All of our players and coaches are competitive and want to do well, so with that being said, they are always hungry. Keeping players engaged and excited about improvement with new drills, workouts, etc… is the main challenge as a coach” Rohde commented.
With the 2022-23 season behind her, Rohde is able to take some time to regroup. “I definitely feel like I’m able to take a slight break once the season ends until summer rolls around. There are always odds and ends to wrap up and dates to plan for heading into the summer, which keeps me busy.”
She continued, “Many of our players are multi-sport athletes and move onto their next sport, so I try to support them in their respective sport.”
When it comes down to it, Sara Rohde will forever be synonymous with Notre Dame Academy.
Coach Rohde left a bit of advice for aspiring coaches out there, “The best advice I can give to aspiring coaches is to be really good at teaching the fundamentals and building relationships.”