Sam Skelton has been named Head Women's Volleyball Coach and Beach Volleyball Coach at St. Thomas University, announced
Laura Courtley-Todd, Director of Athletics.
Skelton, a veteran of the South Florida volleyball scene, most recently served as the Head Volleyball Coach at Jupiter Christian School after spending over 15 years as the Head Coach at Palm Beach State College.
"I am excited to join the St. Thomas University Athletics family," said Skelton. "I think that St. Thomas is poised for further greatness in volleyball and I have been very impressed with the character of the Bobcat student-athletes."
The new coach takes over a Bobcat team that won the regular-season Sun Conference championship in 2017 and finished runner up at the Sun Conference Championship Tournament.
"We'll push and strive to be champions which will be a by-product of our character and the training that we'll do," added Skelton. "I am excited about impacting the student-athletes at St. Thomas and seeing how they can develop to best represent themselves, their school and their families and in turn have a championship season through that commitment."
Skelton began his coaching career at Liberty University where he was the Men's Head Volleyball Coach and a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Women's team from 1989-1994. He later began his tenure as Head Coach at Palm Beach State College while also coaching at Lake Worth Christian High School where he made multiple state championship appearances. At Palm Beach State College, Skelton became the fifth winningest coach in the NJCAA while perennially leading Palm Beach State to nationally ranked seasons.
In 1997, Skelton became a founder of the Palm Beach Juniors club program which emerged as a top-50 youth club in the U.S. To this day, he has continued to assist young athletes as the President and Executive Director of the highly regarded club program.
A long-time board member of the Florida Region of USA Volleyball, Skelton currently serves as the Indoor Chair of the USA Volleyball Board on the state level as well as various other leadership roles with USA Volleyball.
Active in giving back to the community, Skelton has held leadership positions with organizations such as A.W.A.N.A. Youth Ministry, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and C.I.A. (Christians in Action) while also volunteering for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.
Skelton holds a Bachelor's of Science in Business Management from Liberty University and is completing a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University. In 2006, he earned an Honorary Doctorate in Divinity from Palm Beach Baptist Bible College.
A resident of Lantana, Fla., Skelton and his wife Kim have been married for 26 years and have three children - Austin (22), Tyler (20) and Elizabeth (9).
| 2018 |
11-15, Sun Conference Tournament appearance |
| Career Record |
11-15 |
