Meet our Coaches!
Coach Miterko
“Focusing on the fun parts of the journey always makes the ending more enjoyable!”
Coach Miterko is our Volleyball Coach. He has been coaching at West Millbrook for 21 years. He is also a first responder for the athletic teams and drives the bus.
He is a huge asset to our athletic department. He teaches Physical Education and Sports Management. He is from Island Park (Long Island), NY and attended Queens College in NY. While in High School, he loves playing for his school basketball team.
He loves being outside and working with his hands on projects. He has 3 children, two at West Millbrook. Coach Miterko says his favorite part of coaching is the relationships he builds with his athletes.
You're awesome, Coach Miterko!
Coach Walters
"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Walt Disney
Coach Walters has coached Track and Field at West for the past 4 years, and has helped with Long Jump for the last 20!
As a young girl growing up, she excelled at sprinting during field days held each year, and in college she did sprint events and long jump in ECU's intramural Track and Field. Her Pirate blood runs deep, with her grandmother, both parents, and currently a son also all attending ECU!
Coach Walters teaches Library and Information Science, and of course loves to read in her free time. She is originally from Lillington NC, and she also enjoys sailing, traveling, quilting, playing with her grandchildren as well as "Rocky", her 5 lb Poodle Chihuahua. Her favorite part about coaching is watching her student athletes gain confidence and develop leadership skills, as well as building their athleticism.
Thank you, Coach Walters!
Coach Braem
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” -John Wooden
Coach Braem has 9 years of coaching experience but this is her first year coaching at West Millbrook. She started working with the softball team this year. She brings lots of softball experience to the team. She played all through school including college. Coach Braem also enjoys playing tennis and volleyball. She is from Glen Ellyn, IL and attended college at Wartburg College in Iowa.
Braem’s favorite part of coaching is “watching young ladies develop relationships with their teammates, leadership skills, work ethic plus some skill work that often leads them to more success on and off the field.”
For fun, she spends time with her 2 dogs, Charley Cheddar & Riley. She loves to travel and has visited many places such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Ireland, Belgium, London. She is also busy planning her wedding for Oct 2022.
Coach Braem spends her day as Sra Braem teaching Spanish. She is bilingual in English and Spanish! She is an amazing teacher who gives her students so much more than just the language skills they need.
West Millbrook is lucky to have Coach Braem on the field and in the classroom.
Coach Graffam
West Millbrook is lucky to have Jay Graffam as part of the coaching staff!
He brings a lot of coaching experience. He has coached baseball as head coach for 5 years. He has been the head coach of the football team for 1 year and assistant coach for 3. He coached travel baseball for 3 years as well.
He is currently the coach for Rawlings Prospects 2027. His favorite part of coaching is interacting with the players away from the classroom. He teaches Special Education ELA at West Millbrook.
Graffam is from Bridgton, Maine and attended Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. He has always loved sports and played both baseball and basketball in middle and high school.
He has been married to Shannon for 24 years. They have 3 boys Jordan, Connor, and Brady. Brady is currently a 7th grader at West Millbrook.
He enjoys anything involving time with his family. They spend a lot of time at the football or baseball field.
Thank you for all you do coach Graffam!
Coach Navin!!
Coach Navin brings a lot of experience to our softball team, having coached softball for 19 seasons, with 14 of them at West Millbrook!
Originally from New York and the youngest of four, he was a multi-sport athlete playing football, basketball and baseball in middle school and high school, and also running track in middle school. He played baseball at the collegiate level for one year.
What he loves most about coaching is being able to teach the kids something new and seeing them outside of the classroom. In addition to coaching, he teaches Math 8 and Math 1. For fun he enjoys playing golf.
Thank you for your leadership, Coach Navin!
Coach Navin brings a lot of experience to our softball team, having coached softball for 19 seasons, with 14 of them at West Millbrook!
Originally from New York and the youngest of four, he was a multi-sport athlete playing football, basketball and baseball in middle school and high school, and also running track in middle school. He played baseball at the collegiate level for one year.
What he loves most about coaching is being able to teach the kids something new and seeing them outside of the classroom. In addition to coaching, he teaches Math 8 and Math 1. For fun he enjoys playing golf.
Thank you for your leadership, Coach Navin!
Coach Zappia
Boys Soccer and Girls Basketball
We are excited to spotlight Coach Zappia who recently led the girls basketball team to a conference championship! Way to go student athletes and Coach Zappia! He led the girls to a championship last season they played as well. We are lucky to have such a talented coach!
Coach Zappia has been coaching for eleven years, with four of them at West Millbrook. He teaches Healthful Living in addition to coaching Girls Basketball and Boys Soccer. In the fall he served as Assistant Athletic Director. Originally from Elgin, IL, he attended Judson University. In his free time Coach Zappia likes to stay active and enjoys the outdoors, especially fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, exercising, and playing all the sports he can. When he has the time, he enjoys reading a good book. He will never say no to a good cup of coffee. He also enjoys spending time with friends and hanging out with his dog. If he is not coaching, he will be on the sidelines cheering for the Wildcats.
West Millbrook is so lucky to have this coach and teacher! The students all love him. We are all excited to watch him coach the boys soccer team this season. Come out to a soccer game and see why he is a school favorite.
Thanks for all you do Coach Zappia!
Boys Soccer and Girls Basketball
We are excited to spotlight Coach Zappia who recently led the girls basketball team to a conference championship! Way to go student athletes and Coach Zappia! He led the girls to a championship last season they played as well. We are lucky to have such a talented coach!
Coach Zappia has been coaching for eleven years, with four of them at West Millbrook. He teaches Healthful Living in addition to coaching Girls Basketball and Boys Soccer. In the fall he served as Assistant Athletic Director. Originally from Elgin, IL, he attended Judson University. In his free time Coach Zappia likes to stay active and enjoys the outdoors, especially fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, exercising, and playing all the sports he can. When he has the time, he enjoys reading a good book. He will never say no to a good cup of coffee. He also enjoys spending time with friends and hanging out with his dog. If he is not coaching, he will be on the sidelines cheering for the Wildcats.
West Millbrook is so lucky to have this coach and teacher! The students all love him. We are all excited to watch him coach the boys soccer team this season. Come out to a soccer game and see why he is a school favorite.
Thanks for all you do Coach Zappia!
Coach Lopez
Girls Cheer and Softball, Spring Assistant AD
Favorite Quote -"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Confucius
Big congratulations are in order for our first coach spotlight, Coach Lopez, who led the cheerleading team to a conference championship title. Way to go, Wildcat cheerleaders and Coach Lopez!
West Millbrook loves Coach Lopez! She always has a smile and encouraging words for her students, athletes and coworkers.
She has been at West Millbrook for 5 years and has coached cheerleading and softball every year. She has also taken on the role of Assistant Athletic Director for the Spring. Ms. Lopez is an Intervention Coordinator and Math Interventionist. Coach Lopez has enjoyed playing sports from an early age, and she played softball, volleyball and cheerleading in middle school and high school, and even cheered at Elon University.
In addition to playing sports, she enjoys hiking, painting, playing the piano, singing karaoke, and playing with her kitten Estrella. A little-known fact is that she has a go-to meal for every fast food restaurant in North Carolina! In her own words, Coach Lopez says “I love the big smiles and the sense of achievement and growing confidence that my athletes experience. Seeing them grow as people and athletes is an incredibly rewarding feeling.”
Thank you for all you do, Coach Lopez!
Girls Cheer and Softball, Spring Assistant AD
Favorite Quote -"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Confucius
Big congratulations are in order for our first coach spotlight, Coach Lopez, who led the cheerleading team to a conference championship title. Way to go, Wildcat cheerleaders and Coach Lopez!
West Millbrook loves Coach Lopez! She always has a smile and encouraging words for her students, athletes and coworkers.
She has been at West Millbrook for 5 years and has coached cheerleading and softball every year. She has also taken on the role of Assistant Athletic Director for the Spring. Ms. Lopez is an Intervention Coordinator and Math Interventionist. Coach Lopez has enjoyed playing sports from an early age, and she played softball, volleyball and cheerleading in middle school and high school, and even cheered at Elon University.
In addition to playing sports, she enjoys hiking, painting, playing the piano, singing karaoke, and playing with her kitten Estrella. A little-known fact is that she has a go-to meal for every fast food restaurant in North Carolina! In her own words, Coach Lopez says “I love the big smiles and the sense of achievement and growing confidence that my athletes experience. Seeing them grow as people and athletes is an incredibly rewarding feeling.”
Thank you for all you do, Coach Lopez!