Westwood High School's Meg Bowman and Sandra Day O'Connor's Jamey Spartz have been named the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National Coaches of the Year for Unified Sports and Girls Volleyball, respectively, for the 2024-25 school year. Both coaches beat out seven other national finalists representing their programs from around the country for this honor.

Over the past 10 years, O’Connor head beach volleyball coach Jamey Spartz has built a dynasty, as the Eagles are 133-10 overall under Spartz and have won four straight state titles. In 2025, the Eagles went a perfect 16-0 while winning the Division I championship. The Eagles have won 59 straight matches dating back to 2021, and Spartz was named Division I Section IV and state coach of the year in 2022, 2023 and 2025, as well as Arizona Central Coach of the Year during those same years.

While wins are nice, Spartz said her goal is to create a positive and supportive environment where players take ownership of their growth, strive for excellence on the court and in the classroom, and gain confidence through every challenge. “My coaching philosophy is rooted in helping athletes believe in themselves as athletes, students and individuals,” she said. “I am passionate about guiding young athletes to recognize their potential and develop essential life skills such as determination, discipline, passion, work ethic, teamwork, leadership and resilience.”

Bowman believes a coach’s most important task is to teach character and build relationships. As a Unified Sports coach in several sports at Westwood in Mesa, she has proven to have a lasting impact on her students. Under Bowman’s leadership, Westwood’s Unified Sports teams have state championships in girls track and field and basketball. However, her five years as the school’s Unified badminton coach have expanded her influence on her students. Bowman was selected as head coach of the Special Olympics Arizona team to compete in the Special Olymics USA Games in 2026. She also led five badminton teams to qualify for the state tournament, finishing as runner-up helping Westwood earn a spot on the ESPN Honor Roll for Unified Champion Schools in 2023. Bowman was named Westwood High School Coach of the Year in 2023 and Special Olympics Arizona Coach of the Year in 2025.

Bowman also serves on the AIA's Student Leadership Advisory Committee.

The NFHS, which has been recognizing coaches through an awards program since 1982, honors coaches in the top 10 girls sports and top 10 boys sports (by participation numbers), and in two “other” sports – one for boys and one for girls – that are not included in the top 10 listings. The NFHS also recognizes a spirit coach and an Adapted/Allied/Unified coach in separate award categories. Winners of NFHS awards must be active coaches during the year for which they receive their award.

The NFHS receives nominations from its member state associations, which often works with the state coaches’ association in its respective state. The state association then contacts the potential state award recipients to complete a coach profile form that requests information regarding the coach’s record, membership in and affiliation with coaching and other professional organizations, involvement with other school and community activities and programs, and coaching philosophy. To be approved as an award recipient and considered for sectional and national coach of the year consideration, this profile form must be completed by the coach or designee and then approved by the executive director (or designee) of the state athletic/activities association.

Arizona also had 11 other Section 7 winners from 2024-25 that were finalists for national coach of the year. They are Joseph Ortiz (Canyon View boys wrestling), Trina Painter (Flagstaff boys cross country), David Webb (Corona del Sol baseball), Adam Roberts (Washington boys soccer), Jason Jones (Pinnacle boys golf), Chris Crowl (Desert Vista softball), Matt Davis (AZ College Prep girls soccer), Kristin Pruett (Phoenix Country Day girls swimming & diving), Matt Hooten (Brophy Prep boys basketball), Airbin Justin (North Canyon girls track & field), and Kim Devers (Desert Mountain girls tennis).

The NFHS Coaches Association has an advisory committee composed of a chair and eight sectional representatives. The sectional committee representatives evaluate the state award recipients from the states in their respective sections and select the best candidates for the sectional award in each sport category. The NFHS Coaches Association Advisory Committee then considers the sectional candidates in each sport, ranks them according to a point system, and determines a national winner for each of the 20 sport categories, the spirit category, the Adapted/Allied/Unified category and two “other” categories. 

For the 2024-25 academic year, 997 coaches are being recognized with state, sectional and national awards.

Bowman and Spartz become the 15th and 16th national coaches of the year from Arizona since the 2016-17 school year, and the seventh consecutive year Arizona has sported at least one national winner. The others are:

Barb Chura, Xavier Prep, girls soccer (2023-24)
Tim Bech, Ironwood, boys soccer (2023-24)
Shawn Hardt, Queen Creek, girls track & field (2022-23)
Greg Haagsma, Valley Christian, boys basketball (2021-22)
Rickey Baker, Hopi, boys cross country (2021-22)
Sue Hysong, Westview, girls track & field (2021-22)
Steve Kanner, Hamilton, boys golf (2019-20)
Ed McQuade, Boulder Creek/Greenway, softball (2020-21)
Valorie McKenzie, Horizon, girls volleyball (2018-19)
Dave Van Sickle, Xavier Prep, girls cross country (2018-19)
Cherry Roberds, Miami, girls tennis (2018-19)
Lois Emshoff, Chandler, girls other sports-badminton (2018-19)
Karen Self, Seton Catholic, girls basketball (2016-17)
Kristie Stevens, Xavier Prep, girls tennis (2016-17)

For a complete list of the national winners click here to view the NFHS press release.