Assistant Coach Debbee Titov
This fall, Coach Debbee Titov will be starting her 11th year of teaching at Esperanza High School and her third year of coaching cross country and track. It is amazing how things sometimes just seem to fall into place. Coach Titov, or just “T”, as most of the girls call her, did not run in high school or college. In fact, it was only after college that she began running. At first, it was just to stay in shape but then it became addicting and fun. Coach T entered a few 5 and 10 k’s here and there and then completed her first of five half-marathons in the fall of 2003. Since then, running has become a passion. Every once in awhile Coach Titov would ask for running tips from Coach Medellin which sparked the light bulb for Coach Medellin when his long time assistant Coach Fritz Rodrigues decided to retire and move to Grants Pass, Oregon.
In December of 2005, Coach Medellin, approached Coach Titov and asked if she would be interested in coaching cross country and track. At the time, she had a sixth period conference so he asked, “Why don’t you come out and run with us a few days here and there and see if you like it?” Coach Titov had a great time running with the girls and getting to know them which led to the next proposal of “Why don’t you come out three or four days a week and help coach the girls during the track season?” Watch out, she was getting hooked! The track season was quite enjoyable for both the team and their new coach. In the end, Coach Titov decided that this was the right place for her and became the Assistant Cross Country & Track coach.
As Coach Medellin’s assistant, the first cross country season went something like this: a first place finish at Mt. SAC, a third place finish at the CIF Finals, and a ninth place finish at the California State Meet. With this beginning Coach Titov is excited about the continued success of the cross country program as it continues to build on last year’s return to “Running Excellence.”
Coach Titov graduated from Marina High School in 1994 where she played volleyball both for the high school team and for a club team. Coach T still plays volleyball in a women’s league on Sunday nights in Tustin, just to stay in contact with her first sport. After graduating from Marina she went to Westmont College in Santa Barbara where she graduated in 3 and a half years with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics. This allowed her to finish her student teaching that spring and start teaching at Esperanza at the age of 22. In 2003, Coach Titov earned her Master’s Degree in Education.