BLYTHEWOOD – Westwood High School took to Twitter on July 28 to announce four head coaching changes for the 2021-2022 school year to the wrestling, softball and soccer programs.
At the top of the list of changes is former Redhawk girls soccer coach Chelsea Pederson, who will now head the boys’ soccer team. The Redhawk boys finished the 2020-2021 soccer season with a 1-11 record.
Pederson took the girls’ soccer position in 2017 and built the team from the ground up. In her first two seasons as the girls’ coach, Pederson’s teams went 16-23, getting more wins in those two than the previous three seasons combined.
Pederson’s position will be filled by Kathryn Pautz. Pautz, a teacher at Longleaf Middle School, has coached at Longleaf for the past two years.
“We look forward to her building this program back to where it was before the Covid pandemic,” the news release stated.
Assistant football coach Lenard Hudnal will step into the head wrestling position. Hudnal was a state qualifier in high school and a North/South All-Star in his senior season.
“He is a hard worker,” the Redhawks press release stated, “and will excel in taking our wrestling program to new heights.”
Also new to Westwood is Tiffany Lee, who will head the softball program. Lee recently served as an assistant and head B-Team coach for the defending 4A State Champion Lugoff-Elgin Demons and coaches the Thunderhawks softball travel team.
“Lee brings a vast knowledge of the game to our program,” Westwood’s press release stated, “and has an infectious enthusiasm about her that is going to lead our program to great heights in the future. We are excited to have her leading our young ladies and look forward to watching her build this program into a top program in the state.”
