STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Mount Horeb Gymnastics Coach Martha Faust and 21 other high school coaches from across the country have been selected as 2016 National Coaches of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association.

In her 24 years of coaching, Faust has led the Vikings to the WIAA Division 2 team championship in 2015 and runner-up finishes in 1998, 1999, 2013 and 2014. She has also coached five State individual champions. Mount Horeb has won nine conference titles during her tenure and has the membership record for State Tournament team appearances with 29.

Faust has been honored as the Wisconsin High School Gymnastics Association Division 2 Coach of the Year five times and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2015.

The NFHS has a contact person in each state responsible for selecting deserving coach award recipients. This contact person often works with the state coaches’ association in his or her respective state. The state contact communicates with the potential state award recipient to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. 

To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, the profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner. A total of 530 coaches will be recognized this year with state, sectional and national awards.

The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 511 senior high schools and 38 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors 27 championship Tournament series for boys and girls in 2016-17. 

The NFHS is the national organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level.