Ashley Hall has few changes in 2024

Charleston – There has not been a lot of turnover among the Ashley Hall coaching staff over the years but change is going to happen sometimes.

For many years, the athletic coaching roster at Ashley Hall was full of names that had been with the school for decades. Things have changed a bit in recent years as coaches have moved into retirement but there remains one constant.

Athletic director and volleyball coach Franny Slay is closing on 40 years at the school, and even more than that if you include her time as an athlete.

Slay is set to begin her 40th year as the volleyball coach at Ashley Hall in 2024, a tenure that includes 32 years as the athletic director. Slay’s importance to the volleyball program as well as the athletic program cannot be understated.

In volleyball, the coach has amassed a career record of 839-350 heading into the 2024 season. That record includes 12 SCISA state championships and 10 state runner-up trophies. She also led the school to four championships (1988. 1989, 1991, 1993) in the Palmetto Athletic Conference prior to the school joining SCISA.

But volleyball is far from the only successful sport at Ashley Hall. Under Slay’s guidance, Ashley Hall has won several state titles in cross country, track, and tennis while also competing at a state level in swimming, lacrosse, soccer, golf, sailing, archery and equestrian.

Slay recently a few coaching changes for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. While the spring sports coaching roster is still being finalized, Slay has her fall sports coaching staff in place for 2024.

Returning as the assistant athletic director is Christian Alcantara, who also coaches the soccer team in the spring.

A new coach in golf this fall is Paige Crafton, with Kevin Lyden serving as an assistant.

Cassidy Rindge returns for her second season as the swim coach and she is assisted by Missee Fox.

Charlotte Hartsock will again lead the tennis program. The Panthers won the state title in 2022 and was the state runner-up last fall. She is assisted by Catherine Owens. Samantha Schuster and Tyler Vasko will coach the junior varsity team.

Jeff Ward will head up cross country, assisted by Maret Elgren and Damian Cole. Cyndi Simpson returns as the equestrian coach while Kate O’Donnell and Sarah Schaill run the sailing program.

Slay returns as the volleyball head coach and also coaches the junior varsity team. She is assisted by Donya Amer. Lyric Scott coaches the eighth-grade team and Halee Van Poppel works with the seventh-grade team. Sallie Gray Clayton coaches the sixth-grade team and Marc Simpson and Kevin Lyden work with the fifth-graders.