Athletic Staff Biographies

Kacey Bingham was born in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Thunderbird High School in 2002.  During high school, she played with the Sereno Soccer Club and won four state championships.  Bingham also played within the Olympic Development Program. After high school, she went on to play soccer for Arizona State University.  In 2006, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Management.

Bingham became the Women's Head Coach at Paradise Valley Community College in 2006.  She served as the Assistant Coach for the Pumas during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.  During her first year as head coach, she led the Pumas to their first ACCAC Championship and was named ACCAC Coach of the Year.  Since 2006, the Pumas have been ranked in the top 15 in the nation by the NJCAA.  The Pumas attended their first NJCAA National Tournament in 2009, where they finished 3rd.   In 2010, the Pumas had a perfect season going 24-0.   The 2010 team was the ACCAC Conference Champions, NJCAA Region Champions, NJCAA District Champions, and NJCAA National Champions.  Two PVCC players were named to the All-Tournament Team and three players were named as the MVPs of the Tournament.   Bingham was named ACCAC Coach of the Year, NSCAA Region Coach of the Year, NSCAA Coach of the Year, and NJCAA Coach of the Year.  Bingham has also produced six NJCAA All-American in the past five seasons that she has coached.  Bingham’s record while coaching at PVCC is 87-12-6.

Since 2009, Bingham has also coached at Pinnacle High School.  Pinnacle High School won the 2010-2011 State Championship and had a perfect record of 21-0.  Bingham was named 2011 AIA Region Coach of the Year and AIA Arizona Big Schools Coach of the Year.  Bingham’s record while coaching at PHS is 36-6-2.
Kacey and her husband, Kyle, reside in Phoenix, AZ. They have two sons, Braxton and Jace.

Coach Bingham holds her USSF National “D” License.

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Nick Candrea was born in White Plains, New York, and then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where he lived until 1960 when he then made his new home in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon graduation from Sunnyslope High School, he then went to Glendale Community College on a baseball scholarship. After 2 years at GCC he spent 4 years in the United States Air Force. He then attended ASU and completed his degree in education. His first high school teaching was at Moon Valley High School where he spent one year as a member of the Physical Education Department as well as coaching football and baseball.

His past thirty years have been spent at Washington High School where he has been Head of the Physical Education Department and during those years he has coached football, has been the Head Baseball coach for 28 years, Head Softball coach and Head Golf coach.

He has coached two State Championship teams: 1986 Baseball Championship and 1988 Golf Championship. In Nick's tenure of teaching and coaching he has accomplished the following: Skyline Region Coach of the Year in baseball, softball, and golf. 1986 he was the Arizona Baseball Coach of the Year. He has been North All-Star Baseball Coach 4 times. He was inducted into the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008. Prior to taking over the Softball program he was the men’s Golf coach at PVCC.

Nick currently lives in Peoria, Arizona with his wife Staci. He has six children: Scott, Christy, Jeff, Whitney, Kelsey, and Cody. He retired after 35 years of teaching. He is an avid golfer and New York Yankee fan.

Adam Chrestman began his soccer career as a goalkeeper at Rochelle High School in northern Illinois, posting all conference honors in 2003 and 2004. His senior year was capped with a regional championship and 18-3-1 record in 2004. Adam attended Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois from 2004-2006. Chrestman compiled a 30-6 record at Kishwaukee, receiving all region honors and being named Kishwaukee College athlete of the year in 2006. Central College in Pella, Iowa was his next stop. Chrestman posted a .60 GAA in eight games at Central College. Adam finished his bachelor degree in psychology at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois in 2008.

His coaching career began in early 2008, working with Specture Soccer Club in Dekalb, Illinois. After moving to Phoenix to pursue a Masters degree in sport psychology, Chrestman began working with PVCC during the 2009 season. Adam has worked to develop strong leaders at the goalkeeper position since his arrival, working with Naomi Salizar and Bre Oddo in the last two seasons. Oddo finished the 2010 NJCAA National Tournament as MVP goalkeeper, allowing only a single goal on the season.

Adam also coaches girls soccer at Pinnacle High School during the winter season. The varsity lady Pioneers finished the 2010-2011 State Champions, with a 21-0 record with Kacey Bingham at the helm and Chrestman as an assistant. Adam continues to play in his off time in Arizona, as his love for the game has only grown over the years

Troy joined the PVCC Baseball program in 2008 serving as the hitting coach and catchers coach.  Troy spent summer 2010 as the head coach of the New York Collegiate Baseball League Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs.  He spent summer 2009 as assistant coach of the NYCBL Amsterdam Mohawks where they won the League Championship.  In summer 2011 Troy will return as the head coach of the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs in the newly named Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

Prior to joining the Pumas in 2009, he spent five seasons with the Arcadia High School Titans.  He began as an Assistant Coach at Arcadia (2004-2006) and was co-Head Coach for the 2007-2008 season.  Troy was honored as the East Sky Region Co-Coach of the Year in 2008 when the Titans, for the first time in school history, won the Regional Championship.

Since 2007, Troy has been the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Angels Arizona Scout team which went 23-7 in 2008.  The team played in the 2007 Connie Mack Regional Tournament where they placed third.  Troy has also coached for the Surprise Fighting Falcons (2005); St. John & Paul High School in Ohio (2002-2003) and for his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State University, (1999-2002).

Troy played two years at Pratt Community College in Kansas before transferring to Northwest Missouri State University where he played another two years.  Troy earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and his master’s degree in Athletic Administration from NMSU.  Troy currently teaches PE at Tavan Elementary School in Phoenix.  Troy and his wife, Terra, reside in Phoenix.

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Erik Kotheimer grew up in Boardman, Ohio. Erik received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering Technology with a minor in Quality Assurance from The University of Dayton in 2003. Shortly after, Erik relocated to Phoenix to pursue a career in the golf field. Erik has served as an assistant golf professional for over six years at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club. Prior to joining the PVCC staff, Erik was Head Golf Coach at Phoenix College. He coached Phoenix College to a seventh place finish in the 2010 Division II NJCAA National Championship. 

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Todd Lehman began coaching at Paradise Valley Community College in 1999 as an assistant track & field coach. In that time he has coached 24 individual national champions, 78 All-Americans and nine Academic All-Americans. His athletes have set NJCAA national records 11 times during his tenure.

Lehman was a former Arizona high school state champion and state record holder before attending the University of Southern California. While at USC he was a four-time letterman and co-captain of the track & field team. He began his collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant in 1992 at USC. He then came to PVCC after coaching stints at the US Air Force Academy (’93-’95) and Indiana State University (’95-’97). While coaching at USAFA and ISU, Lehman coached three NCAA All-Americans, five conference champions, and five school records.

In 1998, Lehman opened the Kiss the Sky Pole Vault Center in Phoenix, which he continues to operate out of PVCC. He gives instruction to pole vaulters of all levels and ages, including some of the best in the world.

A USA Track and Field Level II coach, Lehman was selected as the 2004 National Collegiate Pole Vault Coach of the Year in 2004 by the USATF Pole Vault Development Committee. He was also voted the 2005 Indoor Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year by the NJCAA Track Coaches Association. Lehman serves as the Canyon Region Chairman of the USATF Pole Vault Development Committee, overseeing the four corner states.

In addition to his coaching, Lehman holds down multiple duties in the PVCC athletic department, including his role as the coordinator for student-athlete academic success.

Lehman has two sons, Lucas and Maxwell.

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Jackie joins the PVCC Softball program after a career in both the collegiate and professional softball ranks.  She was an assistant coach at West Texas A & M University (2007-2008) and Shadow Mountain High School (2007).   
Before coaching, Jackie played professionally in the German Softball League for the Neunkirchen Nightmares (2008) and in the Italian Women's League with the New Bologna softball team (2006).  She also played with the Akron Racers of the National ProFastpitch League (2005).  
In college, Jackie was Miami University’s career leader in wins (63), strikeouts (672), innings pitched (793.0) appearances (148) and games started (106). She was twice named Mid-America Conference Tournament MVP (2003 & 2005) in addition to guiding the school to its first ever MAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance (2005).  She was named 2nd team NFCA All-Mideast Region and 1st team All-MAC (2005) after garnering 2nd team All-Conference accolades in both of the previous two seasons.

Silcox grew up in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and came to Phoenix in 1977. After two years at Glendale CC he transferred to and graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 1981 with a degree in Political Science. Silcox earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University West.

Silcox was the women’s basketball coach (18 years) and assistant athletics director (11years) at Glendale CC before moving to PVCC in August of 2002. Coach Silcox took 3 teams to NJCAA national basketball tournaments and remains proud of the numerous achievements by the student athletes and teams he coached.

He and wife Denise were married in 1987. They are the proud parents of two children, son Andrew (1990) and daughter Kaitlin (1992).

Samantha Smith began her playing career in Glendale, AZ playing for Cisco Soccer Club. She was also a member and four year starter for the Cactus Cobra High School varsity soccer program (Glendale, AZ). While playing for Cactus she posted multiple All-State and All-Region honors. Smith’s senior year was capped by serving as a Captain and leading the Cobras to a 3rd place finish in the 2006 State Tournament. In her four years at Cactus she contributed to three Region Titles and an appearance in the State Championship final game.

After high school, Smith continued her career at PVCC. As a freshman at PVCC, she helped lead the team to a conference championship, regional final, and top 15 national ranking. As a sophomore, and co-captain, she was a huge contributor to the success of the Pumas by leading the team with 32 points, 11 goals, and broke the school record with 10 assists. Her efforts helped the Pumas reach their program record 6th place national ranking in 2007. While at PVCC, Smith compiled a 26-7-3 record with 34 starts, 17 goals, and 18 assists. She was also NJCAA 2nd Team All-American, selected for the NSCAA/Adidas All-West Region Team, as well as a two time selection for the 1st Team All-ACCAC/ NJCAA Region I Team. Smith continued her college career at Fort Lewis College, a Division-2 school in Durango, CO. While at Fort Lewis, she helped lead the team an RMAC tournament championship win and was a huge contributor to a 2nd round NCAA tournament appearance, a program record. She tallied 45 game starts, 8 goals, and 5 assists in her two seasons at FLC.

Samantha has obtained her Bachelor Degree of Marketing from Fort Lewis College. She continues to stay very active and plays soccer in her free time in Arizona. She is looking forward to the opportunity to learn and develop her coaching knowledge by joining the coaching staff that has already found great success in Arizona, as well as nationally.

Jared is in his first year with the Puma Coaching staff as the catcher’s coach as well as providing hitting instruction.  Jared has been coaching in Arizona for the last 17 years.  He was in baseball for 13 years, first in city leagues in Phoenix, Glendale, and Surprise then moved on to Club Baseball.  Jared was named Coach of the year in 2004 by the AZ Mustang League.  In 2004 Jared coached for the Team USA 11 U program sweeping Team Mexico in a three game set in International competition.

In 2005 Jared’s team took 3rd place in the Cal Ripken Championship with a 15-2 overall record.  In 2006 his Cal Ripken Team won the City of Surprise Championship with a 19 -1 record.  In 2007 Jared was asked to be the JV baseball coach at Valley Vista High School in Surprise.  In 2008 he started his softball coaching career by winning the South West Valley Softball League Championship. Jared’s team since has been competing in misc. club events, taking 7th in the 2010 TCS World Series in Park City, Utah.
Jared currently lives in Surprise with his wife Zulema and their 2 teenage children, Yesenia and JJ, along with the family dog Petey.  He is in the process of obtaining his Teaching Degree.

Milos is a native of Serbia and has lived in Arizona for 15 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics for Engineers at Grand Canyon University, where he also played intercollegiate soccer, 1995-1998. He was a member of the team that won the Division II National Championship in 1996. After college, Milos played for WISL Arizona Thunder, 1999-2000.

After a couple of years of training youth soccer teams in Cisco he accepted a position as a pro-trainer at the prestigious Sereno Soccer Club where he spent 9 years, winning several State Championships as the head/assistant coach. Last year he joined Valparaiso United Futbol Club, the Club that has a mission to develop competitive soccer players and teams of excellence through top quality coaching and training. Valparaiso UFC is the Club that recognizes the importance of education as an indispensable compliment to the soccer experience.
Milos currently resides in Phoenix, AZ. He is very passionate about passing on his soccer knowledge and experience to youth soccer players. Milos holds his USSF National “C” License. 

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Jonathan Sang was born in Torrance, CA and spent most of his life growing up in The Woodlands, TX and Scottsdale, AZ. As a youth club player he played for Scottsdale Soccer Club and Paradise Valley Soccer Club.  He also played high school soccer at Desert Mountain High School here in AZ. His sophomore year he helped lead the team to a 3rd place state finish as well as received multiple All-Region Honors throughout his 4-year career at DMHS (1998-2002).

Sang went on to play for California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA from 2002-2004, unable to play his last two years due to severe injuries.  He graduated from CLU majoring in Political Science and minoring in Religion. He received his MBA from the University of Phoenix (2008) and completed his Master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Argosy University (2011) in Phoenix, AZ.

This is Sang’s second year working with the PVCC Men’s Soccer Program and first year serving as Assistant Coach. Sang has coached at numerous clubs throughout the valley and currently trains and coaches at Christ’s Church of the Valley as well as serves as head varsity coach at Bourgade Catholic High School (3rd Season). He currently holds his “D” and “E” coaching licenses.

Rick came to the Pumas in 2007 from Chandler-Gilbert CC where he was the Assistant Athletic Trainer. He earned his bachelor's degree in Athletic Training at Vanguard University, where he also played intercollegiate soccer. He graduated from A.T. Still University in 2007 with a master’s degree in Sports Healthcare.

Rick manages over 150 athletes in 12 sports at PVCC. He is also adjunct faculty teaching health and exercise science classes. In Fall 2008 he became an Approved Clinical Instructor (ACI) for athletic training students from Grand Canyon University.  The GCU students are enrolled in an athletic training program and each semester are assigned to different levels of athletic training competencies.  In 2009 his master's thesis was accepted for poster presentation at the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) annual meeting in San Antonio, TX. The presentation was titled “Evidence-Based and Critical Appraisal Characteristics of Athletic Training Literature/JAT: between 2002-2006”.

Rick is a native of Southern California and has lived in Arizona for 4 years. He continues to play soccer and enjoys hiking the many trails in and around Phoenix with his wife, Danelle. 

Manny joined the Puma Baseball program in 2010 as the pitching coach.   Manny was born and raised in Arizona and attended Thunderbird High School.   After high school, he played baseball at Glendale Community College and McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

After his college career, Manny came back to Arizona and was an associate scout with the Atlanta Braves 2004-2010.  He has coached the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim summer and fall teams for the past eight years and also coached in the Arizona Summer Collegiate League. 

In summer 2011 Manny will coach the Albany Dutchman in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.  Manny is the Sports Director at two Valley YMCA locations.

Sean joins the Puma Baseball program this season as the outfielders and hitting coach.  Sean was born and raised in Richland, WA and attended Richland High School.  

After High School he played two years of baseball at Lower Columbia Community College in Longview, WA.  He then transferred to Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, HI where he graduated with a degree in Business Management.  At HPU Sean was a 1st team All-Pac-West conference player two years in a row.

After playing, Sean started coaching in Spokane, WA with an 18u select baseball team called the Spokane Heat.  This summer he will be an assistant coach in the West Coast League for the Wenatchee Applesox.