LOCAL NOTES : Woodbridge Athletic Director Leaves for Job at Magnolia

Dave Cowen has resigned as athletic director at Woodbridge High to accept a position as an assistant principal at Magnolia High.

Cowen, 51, had been at Woodbridge since 1980, the last 13 years as its athletic director. He joined the Woodbridge staff as head baseball coach and an assistant in football.

HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS

Joan Willett, who led the Woodbridge High boys’ and girls’ tennis teams to three Southern Section titles, resigned after 14 seasons, according to Woodbridge Athletic Director Alan Dugard.

“She just had too heavy a load at school [as a social sciences teacher],” Dugard said. “She just couldn’t handle both teams, so she figured she’d step aside.”

Willett will be replaced by Ric Barth, who was the Warrior boys’ and girls’ junior varsity coach for the last two years. William Bell, the varsity assistant for the last four years, will continue in that capacity.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Tim Cleary has been hired as an assistant basketball coach at UC Irvine.

Cleary spent the last two seasons as the top assistant at Chico State. He previously coached at Cal Poly Pomona. He replaces Calvin Byrd, who took an assistant’s job at the University of San Francisco.

VOLLEYBALL

Assistant Jeff Caughthran has been promoted to the position of girls’ volleyball coach at Marina High, Athletic Director Paul Renfrow said. Caughthran replaces Darrick Lucero, who was appointed women’s volleyball coach at Vanguard last month.

Renfrow also said field hockey and softball Coach Shelly Luth has been named to oversee girls’ sports at Marina.