MORROW -- Pending Board of Education approval, the search for the 2022-23 coach staff for Little Miami's swimming program was finalized on Thursday afternoon at LMHS as The Athletic Department announced the promotion of four-year assistant coach Mark Loftin to the head coaching position, and the addition of two new assistant coaches to the program, too. Joining Loftin, will be two highly experienced former swimmers as assistant coaches. New LMHS teacher Abigail Downs will join the program as a High School assistant coach, and newcomer Kari Nofziger will also join the coaching staff as the Middle School head coach in addition to High School assistant coaching duties.

Loftin, is a 1990 graduate of Ohio University where he earned a bachelor of science in communication systems management while also participating in the Army ROTC. Following graduation, Loftin enlisted as a member of the Ohio Army National Guard and served there from 1986 until 2006 (retired). He's also held roles professionally for the Department of Defense, Honda and General Electric prior to joining the Fidelity Investments team in 2004 where he's remained since. Loftin's coaching background consists of four years as an assistant coach with Little Miami High School since 2019. Loftin is also an avid swimmer himself. As a youth, Loftin competed for four years on a local club team, and for the past decade he's trained and competed in Ironman competitions.

"I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead the Little Miami swimming program," Loftin said. "During my time as an assistant coach, I believe we've truly established a competitive foundation for the program. Our objective will be to build on those positives, while also infusing our preparation and execution with analytical data to support our training."

Joining Loftin, will be incoming teacher Abigail Downs. Downs is a Miami University graduate who earned a BA in social studies and a master's degree in special education. Downs' swimming resume consists of experience as a prep swimmer at Lakota East High School, a member of the Lakota Stingrays club team, and the Cincinnati Marlins organization. Downs' considers her coaching specialty the butterfly, breast stroke, and IM events.

Also new to the coaching staff, will be newcomer Kari Nofziger. Nofziger will lead the Middle School team as the head coach and will also assist with the High School teams. A native of northeastern Ohio, Nofziger earned a BS of social psychology with an emphasis on sign language from Park University in Parkville, Missouri in 2014, and is currently working professionally for a nonprofit that supports families fighting various cancers. In addition, she's also working to complete a master of education in child life studies from Missouri State University. The Nofziger's are a Military family that has been stationed at numerous places around The Country and The World. However, one theme has remained a constant, is her love for teaching and coaching, along with her interest in swimming. Nofziger's coaching career began as an assistant swimming coach at Avon Lake High School in Avon Lake, Ohio in 2004. She is also a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach.

"The athletic department could not be more excited about the future of the swimming program," said athletic director Matt Louis. "We've built a swim staff with three great people who all have unique resumes and skill sets. We also believe they'll be a great complement to each other, while also providing the talent we need to lead the student-athletes of our swim team into the future."

The 2022-23 swim season kicks off in November and future information will be released as we enter next school year. Until then, stay in touch with littlemiamipanthers.com for the latest Panther sports news.