The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the leader and advocate for high school sports and activities in the United States. Since 1982 the NFHS has honored coaches across 10 boys and 10 girls sports. Coaches chosen for this honor demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct, moral character, and sportsmanship, with selection based on coaching success (wins/losses), contributions to the school/community, and positive impact on students.
Dan Bledsoe has been the WAHS swim coach during a period where the boys team won the regional and state titles 10 times out of 11 years, and the current season marks nine state titles in a row. He was recognized with the NFHS Coaches Award for boys swimming and diving for the 2024-2025 school year. On the road to the national recognition, Bledsoe was selected as the VHSL Swim Coach of the Year, and then went on to be selected as Swim Coach of the Year for the Mid-East section of the NHFS.
Bledsoe was named athletic director for Western last year and now oversees an athletic program of more than 20 sports teams. He has been head coach of the swim and dive team since 2009, leading the swim teams to 19 state titles. The sports program has also been awarded the prestigious National Guard Cup seven years in a row through the 2024-25 school year, 10 times overall…