Coach Zeitler is in his 28th year coaching Track & Field and X-Country. His first 6 years were spent at Mater Dei HS and the past 20 years here at Santa Margarita. Coach Zeitler comes from a family of track coaches as his dad coached XC and T & F for 34 years and his brother, who is still coaching, is his 42nd year. Coach Zeitler graduated from Holy Family DHS in New York, SUNY Cortland & recently earned his Masters degree from Azusa Pacific University. Coach Zeitler teaches in the science department at SMCHS.
Coach Zeitler is married to Colleen (30 years) and has 3 adult children and three beautiful granddaughters. Erin Zeitler Meserve, (the mom of the granddaughters), competed on the track team for all 4 of her high school years, graduated from SMCHS in ’99 & Cal State Fullerton in ’04. She and her huband own and operate The Bagel Shack in San Clemente.
Coach’s oldest son Sean (see below) also competed for SMCHS and will continue to work with the team this season.
Peter David (P.D.) is in the U.S. Marine Corps, served two Tours in Iraq, and currently works at the Pentagon.
P. D. ran for 3 years at SMCHS before transferring to Trabuco Hills HS for his senior year. His specialty is the 300IH. The family lives in Rancho Santa Margarita. Coach Zeitler can be reached at Zeitlerd@smhs.org
Assistant Track Coach: Sean Zeitler
Coach Sean Zeitler has been with team in various capacities for the past 12 years. In 2007, Sean took over the responsibility of Head Sprint coach. Sean competed on the SMHS track team from 1998 – 2001. He was captain of the team in 2000 and 2001, and helped lead the Eagles to their only Orange County Championship that year. Sean earned a CIF Championship in the 300IH in 2001, was part of 2 CIF Championship 4 x 400m relay teams, and competed at the California State Meet on 2 occasions, finishing 7th in 2000 and 5th in 2001.
Sean graduated from SMHS in 2001 and is currently working for ASICS America in the Sales department. Sean competed for 3 years at Cal Poly Pomona University, and was a captain for one of those years. Sean is very knowledgeable about the sport and brings great energy, enthusiasm and communication skills to the team.
Sean will tell you that he runs like a deer.
Long and Triple Jump Coach: Jim Poettgen
Coach Poettgen starts his 13th year as the horizontal jump coach at Santa Margarita. Coach Poettgen previously coached both Track & Field and football at Bishop Amat HS in La Puente. Coach Poettgen is an enthusiastic coach with many years of experience, known for his generosity and willingness to help any and all athletes. He’ll stay at the jump pits until the last athlete has packed it in for the night. Coach Poettgen is married to Diane and they have 4 daughters, 1 grandson - Ty Jameson and 2 granddaughters – Téa Monet and Alahna Jo Micah. Three of the girls have graduated from SMCHS; Cicely (Ty’ and Téa’s mom), T.J (Alahna’s mom, who competed on the track team for four years) and Brittany. Joelle will graduate SMCHS in 2012. Coach Poettgen owns and operates the popular post-meet eatery, Ball Park Pizza in Rancho Santa Margarita.
High Jump Coach: Peter Hlavin
Coach Hlavin is in his 4th year of coaching the high jump. A former 7-foot collegiate high jumper, Coach Hlavin competed in the Big Ten Conference while attending The University Iowa. While at Iowa, Coach Hlavin was fortunate to have been mentored by two nationally recognized high jump teammates (both jumped 7’ - 4”). In addition, Coach Hlavin was tutored in the science of high jump biomechanics by Dr. Jesus Dapena, widely recognized as the world’s leading authority on high jump kinesiology.
Coach Hlavin competes in Masters Track & Field high jump competitions on a local, national and international basis. In 2009, Coach Hlavin was ranked 3rd in the U.S. and 5th in the World.for his age group. He won the gold medal at the U.S. Senior Olympic Games and placed 4th at the World Championships.
Coach Hlavin is a business consultant specializing in the areas of corporate mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, and investment banking. He resides in Trabuco Canyon with his wife, Lee, and son, Bryan. Coach Hlavin also coaches high jump for the South Orange County Wildcats Youth Track Club.
Distance Coach:
Tony Herr
Tony Herr has been involved in Cross Country for a number of years. He is a four time All-American in Cross Country, as well as the 800meters and the 4 x 800 meter in Track and Field. Tony graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a degree in History, and began coaching for three years under Steve Scott. While at Cal State San Marcos, he helped take both the Men's and Women’s team's to NAIA Cross Country Nationals for three years.
Tony currently resides in Tustin and works in the Team Sales department at ASICS America. His interests include running along the beach, going to baseball games, and helping kids reach their potential and goals.
