Barry Street, Athletics Director at Wake Technical Community College (WTCC), announces the hiring of coaches for Wake Tech’s new basketball and baseball programs. Van Williams will lead the Wake Tech men’s basketball team, and Chris Kiec will coach men’s baseball, next spring. Wake Tech is also launching a co-ed cheerleading squad that will be coached by adjunct instructor Wendi Huskins. Street will coach the women’s basketball team. He has experience coaching women’s basketball at Johnson C. Smith University, N.C. Central University and UNC-Greensboro.

—Van Williams comes to Wake Tech from Shaw University, where he served as assistant men’s basketball coach. Before that he was the assistant basketball coach at Cape Fear Community College and served in various high school coaching capacities. Williams himself was an accomplished player, leading Shaw University to its 2002 CIAA Championship. Williams is a Wake Tech alum and received his Bachelor of Science degree from UNC Wilmington.

—Chris Kiec coached junior varsity and varsity baseball at Cary High School. Originally from Ohio, Kiec was captain of the Division III Mount Union College baseball team, where he still holds two records – most home runs in a season and most doubles in a season. He is currently a math teacher at Reedy Creek Middle School and active in the Miracle League of the Triangle, which provides opportunities for children with special needs to play baseball.

—Wendi Huskins was a cheerleader from kindergarten through high school in her home town of Marion, North Carolina. She coached the junior varsity cheerleading squad at Jordan High School in Durham and has dance experience in tap, jazz, hip hop and Argentine tango. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education from Mount Olive College and currently works as an adjunct instructor in Wake Tech’s Early Childhood program.

Wake Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams begin play this fall. They will play their home games at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. An interest meeting for potential players will be held next week and the first tryout for current students is set for April 29. More details to come.

Men’s baseball and women’s softball start next spring. The women’s softball coach has not yet been announced. Home baseball and softball games will be played at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary.

Wake Tech started its athletics program last fall with men’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Men’s and women’s golf started this spring. Teams play as Region 10, Division I members of the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA). Additional information and team tryout schedules are available at http://athletics.waketech.edu.