Milligan welcomes Rachel Sianez as women’s flag football head coach

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Sept. 23, 2020) – Milligan University has hired Rachel Sianez to serve as head coach of its recently announced women's flag football program. Sianez, who goes by Coach Mac in reference to her middle name, is a graduate of Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, and comes most recently from Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We are excited to add Coach Mac as our first head coach for women's flag football," said Mark Fox, Milligan vice president for athletics and student development. "She is coming from an area, Las Vegas, which is at the forefront of women's flag football, and hopefully this will provide dividends during the initial recruiting process and team development."

Sianez, a native of Manteca, California, has spent the last nine months working for Orangetheory Fitness in Las Vegas, where she served as an operations manager and member consultant.

Sianez previously served as assistant coach during the 2019-20 season for the San Joaquin Delta College women's soccer program in Stockton, California. Sianez created practice plans for daily training, managed the team's budget, performed game day protocols and developed travel plans. While Sianez served on the coaching staff, the team won the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Big 8 Conference championship with a season record of 23-1-2 (15-0-1 Big 8) and finished No. 3 in the state.

Prior to San Joaquin Delta College, Sianez held an internship with her alma mater where she worked directly for Dan Pavlovich, athletics director at Bethany College.

"I am excited and blessed for the opportunity to be able to assist Milligan University making history in women's sports," said Sianez. "It has always been my goal and life mission to help young women continue playing the sport that they love. It's an honor to help make a footprint in this growing sport."

Sianez graduated from Bethany in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in exercise science and minors in nutrition and business. She also holds an associate degree from San Joaquin Delta College (2016) and is working toward a Master of Science in kinesiology from California Baptist University in Riverside, California (2021).

Sianez is a certified personal trainer through National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a certified strength and conditioning specialist through National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Sianez noted some of her plans for Milligan women's flag football: "I intend for the team to keep up with the standard of Milligan University, as well as be an example of servant-leadership for years to come. My goal is to set a great foundation for the program right off the bat to help make these women successful on and off the field. I aim to make Milligan's flag football program stand out throughout the country."

For more information on Milligan's first-year women's flag football program, please visit milliganbuffs.com.