Centerville High School announced this week that Katie Ziegert will assume the role of head coach for the varsity girls basketball program beginning with the 2026‑27 season.
A New Era for the Elks
Ziegert comes to the position after four years at the helm of the school’s girls lacrosse squad, where she earned two GWOC Coach of the Year honors and guided the Elks to their first regional semifinal appearance in 2026.
A native of Rochester, New York, Ziegert played collegiate lacrosse at Penn State before turning to coaching, a background that she says informs her approach to building disciplined, high‑energy teams.
In her introductory remarks, Ziegert said she plans to build on the foundation set by her predecessor, Adam Priefer, and to implement an uptempo system that emphasizes speed, pressure defense and relentless intensity.
To prepare her players for the faster pace, the new coach will incorporate a shot‑clock drill during practice sessions, a tactic designed to sharpen decision‑making under time constraints.
Adam Priefer, who led the program for more than two decades, compiled a career record of 420 wins and collected numerous Coach of the Year awards, leaving a legacy of consistency and community pride.
Centerville finished the 2025‑26 season with a 12‑10 overall record and a 6‑8 mark in GWOC play, a performance that included a recent GWOC championship in 2022. Ziegert believes the program’s recent momentum can be leveraged to restore the Elks to the top tier of Ohio high school basketball.