The Jensen Beach High School family is excited to share who will be taking over the Falcon Volleyball legacy as head coach after current longtime coach Mike Sawtelle retires.
Coach Sawtelle publicly announced his retirement in April during a School Board meeting. Mr. Sawtelle has served the Martin County School District for 35 years, with 20 of those years at Jensen Beach High School.
Under Coach Sawtelle’s leadership, the Falcon Girls Volleyball team soared, winning five state championships, competing in the finals eight times, and earning 16 District and 11 Regional titles. The volleyball team also performed well academically, earning high rankings in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Academic Team Champion program on numerous occasions.
After careful consideration, the Falcon family announced that Whitney Bailey, a Martin County School District alum, will be taking over the Falcon volleyball program.
“We have spent many days, weeks, trying to find the perfect and right person to take over here at Jensen Beach High School,” Coach Sawtelle shared. “I believe now we’ve found the person to take over...she will be very capable of continuing on the legacy.”
Whitney Bailey's volleyball journey began at Martin County High School and flourished as she continued her passion at Palm Beach Atlantic University. While there, PBA's team secured the NCCAA Division 1 Volleyball Championship, a testament to her exceptional leadership and skill on the court.
She also coached at Martin County High School under the leadership of Marty Bielicki when the team won the state championship in 2009.
“I'm here to not only grow {our volleyball players} as future athletes, as stellar volleyball players who might have future careers playing volleyball, but also go ahead and grow them as individuals, because at the end of the day, we are shaping leaders.”
As Coach Sawtelle prepares for retirement, Coach Bailey will work alongside him to help ensure a smooth transition and prepare for the upcoming season.
Watch a video introducing Coach Bailey here: