Eisenhower High School, Yakima, Washington
2007 Track & Field Coaching Staff
Phil English is the head coach of the Eisenhower Track and Field team. He has been coaching track and field for 28 years, 7 at Carroll HS and 21 at Eisenhower.
Mr. English started competing in running events in Ireland at the age of 14. In 1971 he earned the title of Irish School's National Steeplechase Champion. In 1974 he was again honored with a title for the Irish Men’s Steeplechase Championship. In 1974 Phil received an athletic scholarship to attend Washington State University. He competed in 4 NCAA cross country meets from 1973 to 1977.
Mr. English was named the National High School Girls Coach of the Year in 2001. He has coached girl’s teams to 7 Cross Country State Championships as well as 2 State Championships for the boy’s teams. In 2000, as head coach, he led the girl’s team to win the State Championship for track and field. He has coached high school teams to many Regional, State and National meets, among the most memorable was the 2004 Nike Team Nationals where his Eisenhower boys team placed 9th in the nation.
Mr. English has fun working with the youth, once at a JV meet at Eisenhower ”I convinced a runner from another school that our starting blocks were voice activated, she then attempted to set her blocks by talking to them!”
Phil is married to Darcy and has two grown children Liza and Michael. Phil and Darcy have one granddaughter, Brennen. Phil teaches Honors Biology and Anatomy at Eisenhower.
Mr. Tegen has been coaching track for 30 years; 20 of them at Eisenhower High School. He works with the jumpers and the hurdlers.
Mr. Tegen attended Yakima Valley Community College and Central Washington University. Wayne ran relays and the hurdles for four years in college. As a member of the Central Washington University track team he twice earned the title of District Champion. During his senior year he served as captain of the team. He was honored to be a member of the Evergreen Conference Champions in 1973 and 1974.
Wayne was an assistant coach when the Eisenhower girls won the State Championship in 2000 and was thrilled to share in that experience. His most memorable track and field experience was when he “witnessed Jon Von Reenar of WSU, a world class discus thrower toss the discus inside Martin Stadium and hit a runner 230 or more feet away. The runner survived!” His favorite coaching experiences are working with the young men and women and helping them to achieve their athletic goals.
Mr. Tegen has been married for 30 years to Jude. They have 2 children, Matt and Marc. He is currently a math teacher at Franklin Middle School. After 32 years of teaching he is looking forward to his retirement.
Annette Menzia has 45 years of coaching experience. In track and field she works with the hurdlers and the sprinters. She has attended several colleges including Yakima Valley Community College, Washington State University, University of Oregon and Central Washington University.
Annette has sent many athletes to the Washington State Championship Meets. She assisted in coaching the girl’s track and field team to win the State Championship in 2000.
Annette is an assistant cross country coach as well and has coached many successful teams including the girl’s Washington State Champions in the years 1999 and 2000. She received two Summer Track Coaching Awards from the Yakima Quarterback club.
One of her most memorable coaching experiences was “when one of my 300m hurdlers, Anthony Stewart, led the state finals the whole race until he hit the last hurdle and finished in 2nd place by a photo finish”. Her favorite coaching experiences occur every year because”I’m amazed that I am still able to coach!” (And what an amazing coach she is).
Annette has been married to Ray Menzia for 46 years. They have four children; two boys and two girls, six grandchildren and one great grandson. She is a retired teacher and works as an assistant coach with her husband Ray.
Ray A. Menzia has 45 years of coaching experience. He works with the jumpers and throwers. He attended Yakima Valley Community College and Central Washington University. He played football for four years in college. His personal track experience includes running the high hurdles and throwing the javelin with a personal best of 185 feet.
Mr. Menzia helped to coach the Eisenhower girl’s track and field team to a Washington State Championship in the year 2000. He is an assistant coach for Cross Country and helped the girl’s Cross Country team win the Washington State Championship in 1999 and 2000.
Mr. Menzia has sent many individual athletes to the state championship meets. He has received two Summer Track Club Awards from the Yakima Quarterback Club for coaching. One of his most memorable track and field experiences was “on a relay (4x400) at Wenatchee, the second leg on the boys team dropped the baton and finished his leg without the baton and just touched the next runner with his hand, needless to say we were disqualified.” His favorite coaching experiences include “coaching our kids to the next level of competition; District, Regional and State Meets”.
Mr. Menzia has been married to Annette for 46 years. They have four children, 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandson. Ray is a retired teacher. He enjoys coaching Cross Country and Track and Field with Annette.
Arnie Tyler is the Head Throwing Coach. Arnie has 45 years of experience coaching Track and Field at the high school and college levels. Since retiring and moving to Yakima he has coached the last 9 years at Eisenhower.
Arnie graduated from Central Washington University and received his Master’s degree from Gonzaga University. At CWU he lettered 4 years in football and was named All-Conference Tackle. He was the team captain and was voted “Most Inspirational”. Of his Track and Field experience he says he was a Ballard High shot putter that needed lots of help!
Some personal achievements as a track coach include: While serving as Head Track & Field Coach at Whitworth College he was voted to officiate the N.A.I.A. National meets for 4 years which culminated in him being the Head Official. He was invited several times to bring outstanding high school and collegiate athletes to the Olympic Training Centers in Colorado and California because of their nationally significant performances in the Decathlon, Shot Put, Discuss, Hammer, and Javelin.
Some of the significant competitions he has been involved with include: As the Head Track and Field Coach for Men and Women at Whitworth College he produced 26 NAIA All-Americans from 1981 to 1989. Three of the 26 All-Americans were National Champions and two of them set 3 National records, 2 of them still standing today! His highest ranking team was 10th in the nation. He has assisted coaching women’s teams at Eisenhower and Mead to become team champions at the 4A level of competition.
Mr. Tyler loves “working with young personalities to help them find a way to have success and the realization that they feel more worthy because of what they personally have accomplished.” After 44 years of coaching he highlights the following: Doug Larson winning the NAIA Decathlon Championship and setting the record, Allison Beatty (Mead) and Sammie Freeman (Ike) earning two-time State Championships in the Javelin, being chosen by 3 of my Whitworth athletes to induct them into the Whitworth College Hall of Fame.
Arnie has been married to Alice for 45 years. They have 3 children; Arnie Jr., Lisa and Teresa as well as 11 grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 24. Arnie is retired, loving coaching and being a grandpa!
Robert Price has been coaching Cross Country and Track for 14 years. Mr. Price spent his first 7 years coaching and teaching at Ellensburg High School where he was the head Track & Field coach 7 years and head Cross Country coach for 2 years. At Eisenhower he has been an assistant coach for Cross Country and Track for the last 7 years.
Robert graduated from Carroll High School in 1986 where he ran Cross Country and Track for Mr. English. In high school Robert was an All-American in both Cross Country and Track and an 8-time State Champion (3 titles in Cross Country, 3 in the mile, and 2 in the 2 mile). Robert was also the first male in Washington State history to win 3 consecutive state Cross Country titles.
After high school Robert attended Washington State University where he competed in the Steeplechase. In 1987 he was a member of the United States National Junior Track & Field Team in the Steeplechase. In 1991 he was an All-American in the Steeplechase for Washington State University. In 1992 Robert qualified for the Olympic Trials in the Steeplechase. His Personal Bests include 8:38.10 3000m Steeplechase, 4:02.5 mile, and 14:56 for the Sunfair course in 1984.
While coaching at Ellensburg Robert coached Ja’Warren Hooker to a total of 8 State titles, one National 100m title, and state records for Washington in the 100m (10.27) and 200m (21.02) and a #2 All Time 400m in 46.23. In 1997 Robert coached the Bulldogs to the State 2A Track team title on the heels of Ja’Warren Hooker’s 3 state titles. In 1995 he coached the Bulldog women to a third place state trophy with the help of the “Quick Chicks from the Sticks” who won the 400m and 800m Relays. As an assistant coach at Ike Robert helped coach the Ike girls to the 2000 State Cross Country title and the 2001 1600m Relay State title in track.
Robert is married to Lisa and has two sons, Ronan and Jonas. He spends his days teaching Social Studies at Eisenhower.
Rick Alderson has been coaching the pole vault team for 5 years. He attended Washington State University. Rick’s personal experience in Track and Field include: Varsity team 4 years at Eisenhower High School, the freshman record in the pole vault 1991, the sophomore record in the pole vault in 1992, a record which still stands today. He was a member of the record holding 4x100m Relay team at Wenatchee Relays.
When asked to relate his most memorable track and field experiences (good, bad, funny), he says”: The good: Pole Vaulting, it’s the event few are able to do, but the one everyone wishes they could do. The bad: Stalling out and falling from 12’6” into the metal plant box at Pasco. The funny: Stalling out and falling from 12’6” into the metal plant box at Pasco.
Some of his memorable coaching experiences were coaching Doria Holbrook from a 10’6” to a 12’6” pole vaulter, who placed 3rd that year at the State Meet. He coached Davis’ second girl pole vaulter to a height of 9’6” in her first year, breaking the school record and finishing in the top 8 at the Regional Meet.
His favorite coaching experiences come from teaching an athlete an event and not just coaching them through it. “If I do my job correctly, I should become obsolete when finished, all the while, the athlete will continue to grow and understand the event on their own”.
Mr. Alderson has extensive experience in swimming as an athlete as well as a coach. As an athlete: 3-time District Champion, 50 Free & 100 fly, 1st Team All-Conference 50 Free 1992, 100Fly 1993 & 1994, State Competitor 1992-1994, member of school record 299 Free relay team. As a coach: District and League Championship teams boys/girls, voted 4-Time Big 9 coach of the Year for swim and dive, coached 2 Automatic All-Americans and 5 All-American Consideration Athletes.
Rick is married to Meghan Ann who is a psychologist at Hoover and Roosevelt elementary schools. They are the proud parents of 2 dogs, Kadie and Bailey, and 2 cats, Brahman and Kiera. Rick is a 6th grade teacher of Special Education at Lewis and Clark Middle School as well as Head Swim and Dive coach and assistant Track coach for Eisenhower.
Aleah Mickleson has been coaching the girls distance team in track and field for 3 years”under the best of the best distance coaches ever, Mr. English and Mr. Steinhilb”.
Aleah attended college for one year at the University of Portland and two years at the University of Washington.
She competed in track and cross country for four years at Eisenhower High School, one year on the varsity team at the University of Portland and two years on the varsity at the University of Washington.
When asked about significant personal achievements as an athlete she modestly responds,”a couple of State Titles but no records that stand today”. Her most memorable experience was meeting her husband Erik Mickleson the first day of Cross Country practice at the University of Washington.
Aleah and Erik have two children; Kara and Mary. She currently works hard at being a mother, coach and math tutor.
Eric Mickelson is in his second year as a volunteer coach at Eisenhower. Eric ran some with the boys team last year and also spent a year coaching his sister in the mile.
Eric Mickelson ran Cross Country and Track for four years for Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington where he won two State Track Titles in the 800 meter in 1994 and 1995. In his senior year Eric won the mile at the Arcadia Invitational. He also competed twice at Golden West where he placed 4th in his senior year. Eric attended the University of Nebraska and the University of Washington for two years each where he was on the Varsity Cross Country and Track teams all four years.
Eric's most significant personal achievement was coaching his sister to a 5:13 mile in her senior year. He lists his most memorable experience as "after winning the mile at Arcadia he immediately began throwing up. The first person he saw, mid heave in fact, was Phil English. It was a sign he was destined to coach at Ike some day."
Eric has been married to Aleah for 8 years. They have two daughters. Eric manages Howard's Medical Supply, a home healthcare supplier located in Selah.
Von Steinhilb coached distance runners for 27 years; 17 years at Eisenhower and 10 years at Lewis & Clark Middle School.
Mr. Steinhilb graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelors degree in Education in 1970 and obtained his Masters degree in 1975. He participated in track during junior high and high school when he was growing up.
Von was an assistant coach in 2000 when the girl’s team won the Washington State Track and Field Championship. Von has coached many successful cross country teams since 1970; some of the notable competitions were at, Iolana Honolulu, Charlotte NC, Great American Cross Country Race, and San Francisco. Mr. Steinhilb helped guide the Eisenhower girl’s team to win the Washington State Cross Country Title in 1994 and 1999. Von considers his most significant achievements as a coach to be “helping kids to be successful”. He has favorite memories of coaching from every season for different reasons and experiences.
Von is married to Chris and they have 2 sons. Both boys participated in Cross Country and Track and Field at Eisenhower. Von and Chris have 3 grandchildren. Von taught school for 32 years and is currently substitute teaching in the Yakima School District.