WATERVILLE — In looking for a couple new head coaches for the upcoming fall season, Waterville Senior High School found one veteran and a newcomer.

Longtime Colby College soccer coach Mark Serdjenian is the new girls soccer coach at Waterville. Recent Thomas College graduate Chrissy Cunningham will coach the Purple Panthers field hockey team.

For Serdjenian, this is his first high school coaching job in more than 40 years.

“I started my career 43 years ago as an assistant with the Waterville boys,” Serdjenian said.

In between his high school coaching stints, Serdjenian enjoyed a long career coaching soccer at Colby College. Serdjenian was head men’s soccer coach at Colby from 1976 to 2013. In 2014, he was an assistant coach with the Mules’ women’s soccer team, and served as the women’s interim head coach last fall.

“It was 40 years even at Colby,” Serdjenian said. “That was a good run.”

The Waterville job was the perfect chance to stay in coaching, Serdjenian said.

“Having my own kids go through Waterville High, knowing the program, was important,” Serdjenian said.

Serdjenian said he’s had a few of the Waterville players come through his annual summer soccer camp at Colby.

“I think they’ll have to adjust to a new coach. Luckily, we have the summer to see what we need to do as far as formations to play,” Serdjenian said.

A midfielder, Cunningham started all 17 games for the Thomas College field hockey team last season. She scored a goal and an assist last season for the Terriers. A Dexter native, Cunningham was a member of the Tigers squad that won the Class C state title in 2009. Dexter reached the regional championship game in each of Cunningham’s four seasons with the team.

Cunningham said she began to consider coaching as she did her student teaching at Atwood Primary School in Oakland. Cunningham cited Margaret and Kristy Veazie, her coaches in Dexter, as well as Thomas coach Andrea Thebarge, as her influences.

“They taught me definitely, it doesn’t all take place on the field. That’s what people see, but there’s team building and chemistry you need to take into consideration,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham had her first summer league game with the Panthers on Monday, and had another game scheduled for Wednesday evening. Waterville had just two wins in the last two seasons combined.

“My main goal is to improve from the past few years,” Cunningham said. “You can measure improvement not only in record, but in skill, too. One of my goals is to make girls realize field hockey is a sport they can contribute to.”

Serdjenian replaces Christine Bright, who coached the Panthers to an 11-2-2 record in her only season. Cunningham takes over for Amie Dubois, who coached the Waterville field hockey team for 10 years, winning the Class B state title in 2007.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM

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