Four new coaches have joined the athletic staff at Dunn School, Tim Weir, director of athletics announced.
Ivan Becerra is the boys soccer coach; Freddy Randall and Dunn alum Fifi Baiden take over the girls soccer program, and Glen Evans moves up to head varsity baseball coach after serving as an assistant for the last five years. Former head coach David Lawrence slides into the role of assistant.
Dunn is also bringing back a track and field program.
“It makes perfect sense based on the student-athletes we currently have at Dunn,” said Weir. “Track and field is a natural fit for many of our athletes as they come out of their winter sports.”
Dunn will be moving into the 12-team Tri-Counties Athletic Association, which includes the Tri-Valley and Frontier Leagues. The baseball team will play this spring in the Tri-Valley League. The rest of Dunn’s teams will play in the TCAA starting in the 2020-21 school year.
Currently, the TCAA is comprised of Cate School, La Reina, Laguna Blanca, Providence, Santa Clara, Thacher, Villanova Prep, Bishop Diego, Foothill Tech, Grace Brethren, and St. Bonaventure.
“We are excited to move our athletic program into such a competitive league. We have been a long-time member of the Condor League, but we feel that the TCAA is a better fit for Dunn athletics today,” Weir said.
Here is a look at the new coaches at Dunn.
Boys Soccer
Becerra played for UCSB and was a member of the NCAA runner-up squad in 2004. He played professionally from 2005-2010 and formerly coached at Bishop Diego.
He coached with the Santa Barbara Soccer Club from 2011-2018 and has directed summer camps with One Soccer School for over a decade. In 2016, Becerra launched a local soccer academy, IB1ON1, which focuses on fundamental skill development for youth players. He holds a Class C license from USA Soccer and is the strength and conditioning coach at Dunn during the fall.
Becerra will be assisted by former varsity coach Mark Geriak.
Girls Soccer
Randall served as an assistant coach on Dunn’s Condor League Championship team last season.
Randall fulfills several key roles at Dunn as he is also the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Outdoor Education.
Baiden attended Dunn from 2007 to 2011. He played at UCSB and was drafted by the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer in 2014. His pro career was cut short by injuries.
He returned to Santa Barbara and has been a coach for the Santa Barbara Soccer Club for the past five years.
Baiden oversees his foundation, Fifi Soccer Foundation, which supports academics and athletics in his native country of Ghana. He recently authored a book, “The Hope You Can Have,” and is pursuing a Masters degree from Pepperdine University in Social Entrepreneurship and Change.
Baseball
Evans has been coaching baseball for more than 29 years. Ten players he’s coached have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper. Another 50 of his players have played at the collegiate level.
Some of his coaching accomplishments include five American Legion Nevada State Championships, one American Legion Western District Championship, three Nevada High School State Championships and the 2003 Junior College National Championship.