Freesmeier finalist for Coach of the Year

FORT MADISON – Three and a half decades of coaching has a polishing effect on a person, including humility.
Holy Trinity Head Coach Melissa Freesmeier who has “like,  1,000 wins or something” has not only perfected the culture of one of the most perennially prolific volleyball teams in the state, but she’s also perfected the humble approach. And the wins are closer to 1,101.
That was on full display Thursday after Freesmeier was named as one of eight finalists for the National High School Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year for volleyball.
Whether or not she’s chosen as the NHSCA’s Coach of the Year will be a cap on the honor of being nominated.
When asked about the honor, Freesmeier said it takes a village.
“Yeah, you can’t do it all. It takes a village,” she said.
“The support of the community, the parents, all of the fans, the players. It’s a culture and, year after year, the kids keep coming back and keep working hard.

“Without them and the coaches… I keep saying I have the best staff in the state. We’re a family, we have fun and, without that, I wouldn’t be where we are.”
The school district announced the association’s nomination on its website Thursday afternoon with the following statement:
“It is with great pleasure that the National High School Coaches Association announces the advancement of Melissa Freesmeier from Holy Trinity Catholic as a finalist for the 2025 National High School Athletic Coaches Association national coach of the year in the sport of Volleyball. Eight finalists from across the nation will be honored during the National Coach of the Year Awards Banquet which will take place at the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s national convention at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center in Rapid City, SD on the evening of June 25, 2025. The highlight of the banquet will be the naming of the NHSACA national coach of the year in nineteen recognized sports categories.”
The selected nominees were chosen based on longevity, service to high school athletics, honors, championship years, and winning percentage. The nominees and finalists are evaluated by experts in the field of coaching using a sport-specific rubric to assign points in each category.
Freesmeier started as an assistant coach at Marquette in 1989 and was promoted to head coach in 1992.
She said the growth of the sport is where the service factor comes from.
“The sport has grown so much since I started way back in the day. It’s nice to get recognized like that, but there are so many coaches in this area that have done a lot for the sport,” Freesmeier said.