Posted February 14, 2023
Two veteran athletes and educators in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD will be taking on new roles to support student-athletes and coaches across the district and athletic community. EMS ISD is pleased to announce that Tricia Leavitt and John Abendschan are joining the district’s Athletic administration as Assistant Athletic Directors. These hires follow the retirement announcement of long-time EMS campus and district leader Steve Griffin, Associate Athletic Director.
In their new roles, Leavitt and Abendschan will help oversee daily operations for athletic programming at all grade levels throughout the district and further skill development opportunities for younger students as they prepare for high school athletics. The assistant directors also will help prepare athletic programming to accommodate continued growth with the addition of Hatley Elementary in August 2023 and Eagle Mountain High School in August 2024.
EMS Athletic Director Brent Barker expressed his anticipation in welcoming Coach Leavitt and Coach Ab to the athletic administration team.
“Coach Leavitt brings a vast array of unparalleled experiences and achievements to this role, and Coach Ab comes with a winning mindset and a deep connection to the EMS ISD community,” Barker said. “I am excited about the different paths and perspectives each of these talented individuals bring to the families of EMS ISD and even more excited for what they will accomplish together. I look forward to serving alongside them for the benefit of our school and district communities.”
Tricia Leavitt
Tricia Leavitt has served EMS ISD since 2012, beginning at Saginaw High School as a teacher and assistant coach. She took over as Head Girls Basketball Coach for the Lady Rough Riders in 2013 before moving on to become the Assistant Principal of Prairie Vista Middle School from 2014-2018. Leavitt has served in EMS ISD administration as the Director of College, Career, Military Readiness, Assessment and Data since 2018.
Leavitt is an experienced athlete who holds two state titles in basketball and tennis at Duncan High School, where she is also a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame. She earned a scholarship to play basketball for the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs in 1998 and helped lead her team to its first bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and first conference tournament crown. She was named TCU’s Player of the Year in 2002.
Leavitt began her career in education at Fort Worth ISD in 2003 teaching and coaching girls’ basketball and softball. In 2004, she returned to her alma mater, TCU, as the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach. She helped lead the Lady Horned Frogs to reach the national tournament in three of her five seasons at TCU before coming to EMS ISD in 2012.
Leavitt holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in educational administration and liberal arts from TCU. Leavitt and her husband, Chad, have five children: Hannah, Brayden, Hayden, Bodie, and Berklee. She will transition to her new role later this spring.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to join the athletic department to work with the best coaches, student-athletes and administrators,” Leavitt said. “This career dream has come true for me and I am extremely excited to be a part of building our programs for the future of EMS ISD.”
John Abendschan
John Abendschan is also a familiar face around EMS ISD, having served at Boswell High School for the past 21 years. Since 2005, he has led athletic programming at BHS as the Head Varsity Football Coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator. He brings more than 25 years of coaching and education experience to his new role.
Abendschan, known around the community as “Coach Ab,” began his career in athletics in Lewisville ISD, where he helped coach Flower Mound Marcus High School to a state championship in 1997. From there, he coached at Flower Mound High School then South Grand Prairie HS before coming to Boswell HS. At BHS, he became the winningest football coach in school history, racking up a 91-47 overall record. He led the Pioneers to 11 state playoff appearances and was named Coach of the Year twice during his tenure at Boswell.
After earning a scholarship to play football, Abendschan received a bachelor’s degree in math from Texas Tech University, where he also played in the Alamo Bowl and Copper Bowl for the Red Raiders. He obtained his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of North Texas. John and his wife, Sherry, are the proud parents of three daughters: Zoe, Ali, and Lily. He will transition to his new role later this month.
“The opportunity to move into the Assistant Athletic Director role in the district I have called home for the last 21 years is a dream come true,” Abendschan said. “My desire is to provide every coach in the district with the resources and support to elevate each program as some of the best in the state and support athletic development from elementary to high school and beyond."
