Physical education teacher and previous junior varsity coach Shannon Yancey has been named the new head varsity coach for the Patriots' girls water polo program.

Yancey served as the head junior varsity coach in each of the last three seasons, and brings a diverse athletic background to the position.  She is also an on-campus teacher at Heritage, and has two daughters, Malia and Makeila, at the school.

Yancey takes over for Jeff Lapum, who led the Patriots for the past six seasons, elevating the program to one of elite status.  Heritage posted a winning record in league play during all six of Lapum's seasons at the helm, including the program's first-ever league title in 2016.  That was the first of three straight unbeaten league seasons for the Patriots, who posted a 32-1 mark in league play over the final four years of Lapum's tenure.

"We are excited to see the program maintain its recent strong tradition, and even continue to grow with Shannon taking over, with her having already had a positive impact in the past few years," said athletic director Nate Smith.  "At the same time, a ton of credit has to be given to Jeff (Lapum) for the way he built this program and is able to transition a team with such potential to a new head coach.  The current expectations of this program and team would not be possible without his efforts over the past six seasons."

Lapum's tenure as head coach will forever be marked by the program's dramatic come-from-behind 9-6 victory over College Park in the 2018 North Coast Section Division I championship match.  That win brought home the program's first section title and just the third section title in school history for all sports.

The Patriots have started summer workouts as allowed by current county health guidelines.