Coaches Convention

Heath Eslinger

Co-Founder and Chief Education Officer, A Better Way

Heath Eslinger the Co-Founder and Chief Education Office of A Better Way Athletics. Heath is a dynamic leader and communicator who has been changing lives for over two decades. His passion for individuals and organizations to simply evaluate their circumstances and do things “a better way” has become contagious. His experience as a successful Division I wrestling coach has given him a training ground to see what it really takes to get an organization to believe in a system, buy into a philosophy, and perform at a high level. This experience, coupled with a passionate ability to communicate, makes him a speaker that listeners love to hear.

In athletics specifically, Heath realized as a coach that many athletes, parents, coaches, and organizations were missing out on the true joy of the journey. Society has become so consumed with an immediate outcome that we have lost sight of the life lessons our journey teaches. “A Better Way” was developed to help parents, coaches, athletes, teams, and organizations get the most out of their journey by focusing on developing intrinsic qualities that will last a lifetime and carry you through some of life’s most difficult times.

John Shondell

Former Associate Head Coach, Purdue University

Steve Florio

Head Coach, Purdue Fort Wayne

Steve Florio came to Purdue Fort Wayne in 2003 after spending four years at Hofstra. He joined the staff as an assistant coach at that time under head coach Kelley Hartley Hutton, and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2007. After Hartley Hutton was named the Athletic Director in 2014, Florio was named the eighth head coach of the Purdue Fort Wayne women’s volleyball program.

Florio received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from St. Francis (Pa.) in 1998 and a master’s degree in secondary education from Dowling College in 2002.

He lives in Fort Wayne with his wife, Katie.

Ashlee Pritchard

Head Coach, Indiana State University

Ashlee Pritchard enters her second season as the head volleyball coach at Indiana State and was announced as the 10th head volleyball coach in program history. history on April 14, 2022.

“I couldn’t be happier to have Ashlee lead our program,” Sycamore Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales said. “Her competitive success and proven leadership in developing student-athletes into productive citizens will continue to be the mantra of our program.  I look forward to working with Ashlee in bringing an MVC championship to Terre Haute.”

Pritchard’s first season at the helm saw the Sycamores emerge as a strong defensive team, as Indiana State ranked second in the MVC in both digs per set and blocks per set. Jamie Brown and Storm Suhre both ranked in the top 10 in the conference in blocks per set, making Indiana State one of only two MVC schools with multiple athletes ranked in the top 10 in blocks. Karinna Gall became the first Sycamore since 2017 with a 20-kill, 20-dig match, while Melina Tedrow became the first player in program history to surpass 2,000 career digs.

Pritchard comes to Terre Haute after spending 10 seasons as the head coach at Marian (Ind.), turning the Knights into an NAIA power. She compiled a 222-103 record during her time on the sidelines at Marian, including a 161-37 mark over the last six seasons and a 75-9 record in conference play over the last five seasons. Marian posted the only 30-win seasons in program history under Pritchard. She had three in the past five years. The Knights have finished either first or second in the Crossroads League each of the last five seasons.
 
Marian won four Crossroads League regular season titles and two conference tournament titles during her tenure, including a sweep of the conference championships last season. The Knights made the NAIA Tournament in each of the last five seasons, going 15-8 in the postseason and winning the first national championship in program history in 2019.
 
Pritchard developed 11 NAIA All-Americans and 42 All-Crossroads League selections during her time at Marian. Her coaching ability has been recognized on multiple occasions at the conference, regional and national level. Pritchard was named Crossroads League Coach of the Year four times, while also earning four AVCA Midcentral Region Coach of the Year honors. She was also named the 2019 NAIA/AVCA National Coach of the Year and was twice an AVCA “Thirty Under 30” Award winner.
  
In her final season on the sidelines in Indianapolis, Pritchard led Marian to a 35-3 record during the 2021 season, including a 17-1 mark in conference play. It was the third 30-win season for Marian during Pritchard’s tenure, all coming since 2018. The Knights won the Crossroads League regular season and tournament titles, while also reaching the semifinals of the NAIA Tournament and finishing the season ranked fourth in the nation.
 
Pritchard turned the Knights into one of the premier programs of the Crossroads Leagues over the course of the last five seasons. Marian advanced to the NAIA Tournament every season from 2017-21, including a historic run to the national championship in 2019. Her 2019 team went 38-2, including seven wins in postseason play to claim the first volleyball national title in school history and finish the season ranked first in the nation. The 2019 season saw Pritchard named the NAIA National Coach of the Year and the National Tournament Coach of the Year.
 
Pritchard also led the Knights to their first 30-win season in program history in 2018 with a 30-7 record. Marian won the Crossroads League regular season title in four of the last five seasons, while also winning conference tournament titles in 2018 and 2021. Marian was ranked in each of the last 26 national polls to close Pritchard’s tenure, a streak that dated back to midway through the 2018 season and was among the NAIA’s top 10 active streaks.
 
During Pritchard’s tenure, Marian was one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to defending its home court. The Knights went 98-26 at home in her 10 years as head coach, including a 74-7 mark on their home court over the last six seasons.
 
Prior to her time at Marian, Pritchard spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Taylor University, where she helped lead the Trojans to a 103-24 record. Taylor won the Mid-Central Conference championship in all three seasons Pritchard was on the bench, amassing a 41-1 record in conference play. The Trojans won at least 30 games in each of Pritchard’s three seasons on staff, making three trips to the NAIA Tournament.
 
Pritchard was a four-year player at Taylor, where she was a part of back-to-back conference titles for the Trojans. She was a team captain her senior season and finished her career ranked fourth in school history in digs.
 
Pritchard graduated from Taylor with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with a minor in management in 2009 and earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Liberty University in 2014. She and her husband, Nathan, have two children, Charlotte and Drummond.
 

Jasmine Fullove

Director, Boiler Juniors

Jasmine Fullove returned to Purdue Fort Wayne in March of 2014 as an assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team. Fullove is no stranger to the Purdue Fort Wayne program having previously serving as a graduate assistant coach from 2009-2011 before spending two seasons at Youngstown State.

Jasmine Fullove served as the assistant coach under Steve Florio since 2014, and has coached a multitude of All-League performers. This list includes Emily Spencer, who in Fullove’s first year at Purdue Fort Wayne was the Summit League Player of the Year.

While as the assistant coach, Fullove has coached three Mastodon squads that finished .500 or better in conference play and finished in the top half of the league. In 2018 and 2019, she led the ‘Dons to back-to-back wins in the Summit League Tournament quarterfinal. In 2019, Fullove coached the first Mastodon team to earn a berth to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

In 2013, Fullove helped the Penguins to a 16-15 record, their highest win total since 1999. In her first season at YSU, the 2012 program won more matches than in the previous three seasons combined, making a 10-win improvement from the previous season.

In her previous stint at Purdue Fort Wayne, Fullove served under then head coach Kelley Hartley-Hutton. During that time the Mastodons eclipsed 20 wins in each of the three seasons Fullove was on the bench. The ‘Dons won their first Summit League title in 2009 and advanced to their first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance.
 
As a student-athlete, Fullove helped the Tennessee Lady Vols to four straight seasons of at least 20 wins and a Final Four appearance her senior year. Tennessee won the SEC Tournament, won 32 matches and advanced to the Sweet 16 her Fullove’s junior year. The Lady Vols then beat No. 17 Minnesota, No. 2 Penn State and No. 8 Missouri to reach the Final Four in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Fullove was a two-time All-State selection (1998 and 2000) with the Panthers of Snider High School, while helping her Junior Olympic teams to Bronze Medals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, as she was named a Junior Olympic All-American in 2000.

Fullove earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Tennessee in 2006, and she earned a second bachelor’s in secondary education at Purdue Fort Wayne in 2010.

Sean Keeve

Director, Monon Select

Sean Keeve leads The Academy Monon Select with over 10 years of coaching experience at a variety of levels. He coached at Butler University for five years, two seasons as a Volunteer Assistant before being promoted to full-time Assistant Coach in 2019. At Butler, he was involved in all aspects of the program which included on court training, practice planning, opponent scout and match preparation, and recruiting.

Prior to coaching at Butler, Sean was an Assistant Coach at Division 2 School Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana. There, he was the primary on court trainer, assisted in recruiting, and was responsible for developing defensive game plans. Sean has also coached Elite teams for a number of clubs including Performance Point, Vision, and Munciana Indy.

Sean’s was an All-Conference outside hitter and captain for the Waubonsie Valley High School volleyball program in Aurora, IL. He played club ball for Cyclones Volleyball club for 4 years. At Purdue University, Sean played for the Men’s Club Team before getting involved in coaching at the club and school level.

In 2015, Sean graduated with a degree in accounting and management from Purdue University.

Sean is happily married to his wife Rachel where they first met at The Academy over 5 years ago at an adult league tournament. They reside in Fishers with their daughter, Baker and dog, Maggie.

Jason Thompson

Mental Performance Coach

Jason Thompson is the founder of The Mental Edge, a quickly growing mental performance training organization here in Indiana whose passion is to equip teams and athletes with the skills and strategies needed to overcome those mental roadblocks getting in the way of them reaching their potential.