Ottumwa High School Names Two New Head Coaches

Mark Hanson has been named as the new Ottumwa High School Head Tennis Coach. Mr. Hanson was hired by the Ottumwa Community School District in 2010 as Ottumwa High School Principal until 2017, then from 2017-2021 as the High School Tennis Coach.

Hanson was a two-time state qualifier for tennis and a graduate of Waterloo West High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State University where he was also a member of the ISU tennis team. Before coming to Ottumwa, Mr. Hanson was an English teacher at his alma mater in addition to coaching tennis at Waterloo West.

Throughout his career, his tennis team has won four Big 8 Team Titles as well as a State Team Title in the 90s. Hanson coached two high school All-Americans during his time in Waterloo. He has coached tennis in Ottumwa since 2017 as well as 8th grade boy's basketball, additionally working with middle and high school boys and girls to develop their tennis game. Coach Hanson created the Dan Staggs Classic Tennis Tournament in 2017 which has grown to be one of the biggest local tournaments in our area. He is a member of the Friends of Ottumwa Parts who worked diligently to get the new tennis courts complex. Most recently, Hanson was the Assistant Head Tennis Coach for Ottumwa High School.

Coach Hanson said, “This is a great opportunity to build something special in Ottumwa. I look forward to working with student-athletes and helping them develop into competitive players, but more importantly, great citizens and contributing members of our society.”

Hanson has begun his duties as the Ottumwa High School Head Tennis Coach and is looking forward to the season's official start in March.

John Jaeger has been named as the new Ottumwa High School Head Girls Wrestling Coach. Mr. Jaeger was hired by the Ottumwa Community School District in 2011 as a special education teacher at Ottumwa High School and began coaching in the district in 2012.

Jaeger was a four-sport athlete, All-State his senior year, and a graduate of Decorah High School. He graduated from Luther College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education/health. Jaeger was inducted into the Luther College Hall of Fame in 2020. Before coming to Ottumwa, Mr. Jaeger coached at Middleton High School in Wisconsin.

Throughout his career, Jaeger has coached baseball, junior high wrestling, and football, and most recently was the Assistant Girls Wrestling Coach for Ottumwa High School. Girls wrestling was sanctioned in Iowa in 2022. Since that time Ottumwa has crowned a two-time State Champion in Jasmine Luedtke and two qualifiers in Maravilha Vedina and Delilah Subsin. Coach Jaeger has been an assistant girls wrestling coach.

“I am eager to continue to move the program forward with what has been built before me,” Coach Jaeger said. “I am excited to give our girls the best chance possible to be successful in a sport that is still pretty new, and challenge them athletically and through life lessons.”

Jaeger has begun his duties as the Ottumwa High School Head Girls Wrestling Coach and is looking forward to the season's official start in November.