Alderson-Broaddus Athletic Director Dennis Creehan was beaming with pride when he introduced six new athletic coaches. 

Earlier in 2011, the Battlers announced they'd be adding four more sports. The introduction of these coaches was the next step in the process, as they can now continue to piece together their first recruiting classes.

Creehan introduced Jesse Weiner as men's and women's cross country & track coach, Bob Bennett as men's lacrosse coach, Luke Harrigan as baseball coach, Michael Crane as men's volleyball coach, Emilia Ward as women's lacrosse coach, and Justin Martin as the women's tennis coach.

While Weiner and Harrigan both have established sports, they are not unlike the other newcomers in that they are excited to take Battler sports into a new direction and establish a winning tradition.

One of the most common themes of the morning was the talk about the challenges that each team will face in beginning a program from scratch. All of the coaches feel that their best recruiting pitch is that students will have an opportunity to be apart of something special. They all also touched on how the academics at the college make it a top destination.

All of the new sports will begin play in the 2012-2013 season. We will have much more on the individual coaches and teams in the coming weeks.