Crissy Leonhardt is no stranger to the Lewis-Palmer girls volleyball program. But now, she’s sitting in the driver’s seat.
After legendary coach Don Lash took the reins of the program this year, he stepped aside following the 2024 state tournament. The Rangers announced on Wednesday that Leonhardt will take over as the coach of the program. She previous served as the head girls volleyball coach at Coronado and her alma mater, Manitou Springs.
But her coaching career started at L-P and stepping in for Lash, one of several Rangers coaches who has influenced her, is a journey she’s excited to embark on.
“The entire L-P experience I’ve had through my coaching career, starting with Susan Odenbaugh first and then getting the opportunity to coach with Lash and Alexa [Strube] has been a dream come true,” Leonhardt said. “I know a lot of people don’t have that opportunity to be mentored by incredible coaches so I’m just excited to do my best to fill those shoes.”
Leonhardt was on staff with the Rangers when they were winning state titles in the mid-2010’s, so she’s more than aware of the program’s championship pedigree.
This past season, the Rangers won the competitive Pikes Peak Athletic Conference but fell a match shy of making the Class 4A semifinals when they lost to rival Cheyenne Mountain.
Along the way, she was on the bench when Lash won his 600th game as a coach, becoming the fifth coach in state history to hit that mark. Now she’ll step in and add a layer of continuity that she believes will keep L-P on the upward trajectory it has been on in the last few seasons.
“The athletes were incredible all last year,” she said. “I’m going to miss having a lot of those seniors that just graduated, but the kids that are coming up into the program are just as phenomenal. It makes my job that much easier and that much more exciting.”
