A Xavier College Preparatory head coach known for lifting student-athletes’ spirits has been recognized by a regional organization for her dedication to the school’s spiritline.

Monica Gaspar, on the far right on the end, head coach for Xavier College Preparatory’s Spiritline, recently was named 2019-20 West Section Girls Spirit Coach of the Year. Pictured here are the Spiritline, as well as Sister Lynn Winsor, Xavier vice principal for activities and athletic director, next to Gaspar, Sister Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, president of Xavier, on the end on the far left in the second row, and Dani Behrens, assistant coach, on the end on the far left in the front row (photo by Duke Photography).

Monica Gaspar, on the far right on the end, head coach for Xavier College Preparatory’s Spiritline, recently was named 2019-20 West Section Girls Spirit Coach of the Year. Pictured here are the Spiritline, as well as Sister Lynn Winsor, Xavier vice principal for activities and athletic director, next to Gaspar, Sister Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, president of Xavier, on the end on the far left in the second row, and Dani Behrens, assistant coach, on the end on the far left in the front row (photo by Duke Photography).

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association chose Xavier’s Monica Gaspar as the 2019-20 West Section Girls Spirit Coach of the Year. Gaspar, the head coach for Xavier’s Spiritline, was selected based on her performance last school year, as well as lifetime community involvement, major contributions to the school and her philosophy of coaching. The Arizona Interscholastic Association nominated Gaspar for the award and the NFHS Coaches Association confirmed her as the winner. Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah make up the West Section.

Gaspar, a 1992 graduate of Xavier, said the recognition is not for her but for “all the hard work of my students and coaches.”

“I am here after many years because these girls, my assistants, and administration have inspired me to push harder, to do better and to keep going,” she said.

Gaspar participated in Spiritline herself when she was a student at Xavier, before she graduated from the private, all-girls Catholic school in 1992. She has turned Xavier’s Spiritline into a “powerhouse program” over her 26 years with the team, said Sister Lynn Winsor, Xavier vice principal for activities and athletic director. Winsor added that the student-athletes love and admire Gaspar “as she runs a first class team.”

Xavier’s Spiritline cheers for Brophy College Preparatory’s varsity football team and also competes in various events. To learn more, visit xcp.org/athletics/team/spiritline-2020-21.

 

 

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