Meet our Head Coaches

Cottrell’s first year as program head coincides with what everyone hopes will be a return to “normal racing,” following a pandemic season that was limited mainly to time trials. Cottrell has been an assistant coach for track for four years, and assistant cross country coach for two years, having previously taught and coached at Cosby High School in Midlothian, VA. In addition to being the assistant track and field coach at Trinity, Cottrell also teaches biology and human anatomy and physiology.

Cottrell competed in both cross country and track and field in high school and at Gardner-Webb University. He transferred to Appalachian State and began racing triathlon and road cycling for ASU. Cottrell earned his B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Appalachian State. 

A two-time All-American Duathlete, Cottrell will represent Team USA in the Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Bermuda and the Duathlon World Championships in Spain.  “I've also qualified for the 2022 World Championships in Australia,” says Cottrell. “My coaching philosophy focuses on developing athletes’ enjoyment of running, appreciation for running as a competitive sport, and developing positive habits.”

Sam Mickens has been program head for Titan Football since 2012. Mickens is a former Division III college football player at Montclair State University and previously worked and coached at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, NJ. Under his direction, Titan Football has won two DII VISAA state championships (2014 and 2015); Mickens was named state coach of the year in those same seasons. Coach Mickens brings a wealth of knowledge about the sport and the college recruiting process.

Ellis Mumford is in her 3rd season as a Trinity coach, and first as the program head, and has also served as an assistant with the girls soccer team. As girls cross country coach, Mumford is a strong proponent of youth and amateur sports as it helps to develop the “whole person” and stresses resilience and community to her teams. 

Mumford is also a Trinity alumna who played soccer, indoor track, and cross country during her time at Trinity. She attended Randolph-Macon College where she was a member of the women's soccer team including winning the 2019 ODAC Championship. She is currently working towards her doctorate of occupational therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Brian Phillips has been at Trinity for over three decades. He has been the program head for boys soccer since 1996, during which time the team has earned a reputation for its strong character, earning the Prep League’s Sportsmanship Award in nearly every season. In 2018, he guided the boys to an unlikely VISAA State Tournament run, where the 11th-seeded Titans advanced to the semifinals. Coach Phillips also serves at the theatre director and head of campus life.

Alicia Raymond joined Trinity in the fall of 2019 as assistant athletic director. She holds a master’s degree in English from Longwood University, where she was also a Division I tennis player. She completed her educational licensure program at The University of Richmond. She has worked in independent schools since 2012 — teaching English and coaching tennis, swimming, cross country and track & field — including four years of athletic administration at St. Catherine’s School in Richmond and three years at Darlington School in Rome, GA. In addition to her role as program head of girls tennis, Raymond also teaches sections of English 8. 

Margie Snead graduated from William & Mary in 1989 and currently serves as Trinity’s director of admission and program head for both the girls lacrosse and field hockey teams. While at William & Mary, Snead was a four-year contributor to both the soccer and lacrosse teams and finished her senior season as a team captain in both sports. Snead was a two-time All-American lacrosse player (1988 and 1989) and earned a spot on the US National Team in 1989. Inducted into William & Mary’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012, Snead is one of 17 W&M lacrosse players to earn multiple All-American honors. 

Trinity Field Hockey has won five LIS Championships in a row along with VISAA state titles in 2015 and 2018  Coach Snead has several Coach of the Year accolades.

Steve VanHuss graduated from Bridgewater College in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education and has coached at Trinity for three years.  VanHuss has been involved with the sport of volleyball at the high school, club or USA volleyball level for over 30 years. His implementation of a rigorous off-season optional training program, including beach volleyball in the summers, has propelled Titan Volleyball to a higher level of performance.

Blazar comes to Trinity with a great deal of experience as the head coach of the boys basketball program at James River High School for the past five years with prior positions at The Steward School and Glen Allen High School. During his time at James River, Blazar led the Rapids to their first ever Regional Championship and two state tournament appearances. He was named Regional Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. 

 

Blazar graduated from the University of Richmond with a degree in finance while also serving as a student manager for the basketball team. He has also taught math for the past eleven years. Blazar currently lives in Midlothian with his wife, Kelsey, and their daughter, Isla Kate.

 

“I feel honored and privileged to have been selected as the seventh program head for boys basketball in the school’s history,” said Blazar. “The mission of the school aligns perfectly with my personal and professional values. I am committed to the school and its goals of running a first class program that performs both on the court, as well as in the classroom and in the community.”

Tim Johnson took over as Trinity swim and dive program head in 2018, following five years as an assistant coach to both Alice Phillips and Ashley Tremper. Coach Johnson has worked hard to implement and maintain the unique culture of the Trinity swim team that prides itself on fervent team spirit. He earned his BA at Virginia Military Institute and a master’s in education from Regent University. In the swimming world, he has served as Head Coach at Richmond Christian, Settlers Landing and, most recently, the Watermill Waveriders Swimming Club. He currently teaches Social Studies at Midlothian High School.

Trinity welcomes Damian Sancilio as the varsity men's tennis coach.  Damian is the current tennis director at Midlothian Athletic Club and founder and director of Sancilio Tennis Academy.  Sancilio has two boys who will play on the team and is committed to pursuing a state title for the school.  A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he played number two singles and was elected team captain.  He is also a two-time Richmond City Men's Singles Champion and has been inducted into the Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame and the Douglas Freeman High School Hall of Fame for his achievements. As a coach, he trained world ranked WTA player Sabine Hack who reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1994 and and was ranked #13 in the world under his guidance.  Sancilio also traveled the world for 6 years as the head coach for the Kuwait Davis Cup team before returning to Richmond to start a family and establish the Sancilio Tennis Academy where he has coached many national juniors who went on to play college tennis.