Sports

Dunrud new volleyball coach as Bullinger steps down

By Tyler Ohmann

04/03/2012

A new coach will be on the bench come next fall for the Bottineau Stars volleyball team.

Steve Dunrud, a mathematics teacher at BHS has accepted the position of head volleyball coach after Sienna Bullinger stepped down recently.

Bullinger, who has been the head coach for two seasons, has been working on getting her masters degree in English as a second language online. The workload became too much, which is why she is stepping down.

“I thought that doing it online I’d be able to pull off a class in season, but last season was just too much for me,” Bullinger said. “I never want to do a mediocre job, be a mediocre coach, teacher or student, and I didn’t want to do a disservice to the girls.”

Dunrud has had experience as he was a head coach in Rolla prior to coming to Bottineau.

“I have had experience being a head coach, since I did it in Rolla for 18 years,” Dunrud said. “Looking at our school there wasn’t a lot of people with that experience, and with Sienna having less time, I thought, ‘well, that puts me at the top of the list.’”

Several other reasons prompted Dunrud to say yes after BHS Athletic Director David Hoff offered him the job.

“I also enjoy being a head coach, so an opportunity for a head coaching position is definitely something that I’m happy doing,” Dunrud said. “I was in Rolla when we started the program, and was the coach a long time, so the sport of volleyball is special to me also.”

Dunrud will be the second new coach for BHS in 2012-13. Longtime head girls basketball coach Mike Forsberg is retiring at the end of the school year, and will also retire from his coaching position.

With accepting the volleyball position Dunrud will have to step down as an assistant football coach.
He knows he will miss it.

“I’ll miss football, it has been my first love since junior high, when I was playing the game,” Dunrud said. “And I’ve been around it for a long time as well.”

“I won’t miss the wet grass and mosquitos though,” Dunrud joked. “But Friday night in the fall is pretty special because of football, so I’ll miss that.”

Bullinger said the decision to step down was not easy, but she is glad that Dunrud will be there to take over. Bullinger plans on staying on as an assistant.

“With him being willing to do it I feel really comfortable handing it over to him,” Bullinger said. “The girls deserve somebody who will be 100 percent in, and I am confident he will be.”

Dunrud is familiar with many of the girls who will be on the court next year, as he knows them from the classroom.

“I think they were surprised at the beginning that Sienna was stepping down, but I think they are excited,” Dunrud said. “They know that I’ve coached volleyball before, and I’ve had a lot of the girls in class either last year or this year.”

“So, I know them, and they know me, so I just hope I can bring a little extra to the plate,” Dunrud added. “I’m excited for it.”

Dunrud was also the head football coach at Rolla for 19 seasons. He began teaching in Bottineau in 2010.
As a volleyball coach Dunrud was named Region Coach of the year six times, and took Rolla-Rock Lake to state in 2000-2001.

Bottineau loses four seniors to graduation for next year’s team. They have taken runner-up in Region 6 two years in a row to Kenmare.