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Athletics

Meet Our Coaches

List of 17 members.

Ricky Bowers

Athletic Administrator Emeritus

Bio
Ricky Bowers was named Athletic Director for Ensworth in 2002 and Associate Head of School in 2009. Bowers served as the inaugural coach of the Ensworth football and boys' basketball programs. During his 2004-2017 tenure as the Ensworth Head Football Coach, the team advanced to the TSSAA Division II-AA State Tournament each year the program competed at the varsity level (2007-2017) and was recognized in the postseason multiple times for being nationally ranked. The football team was DII-AA state champions in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and state runners-up in 2014. Under the direction of Bowers during the 2004-2021 basketball seasons, the varsity team advanced to the TSSAA Division II-AA playoffs every season from 2007-2021. Ensworth won five TSSAA DII-AA state basketball championships (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and finished as the state runners-up in 2017.

A native of Nashville, Bowers was a three-sport athlete at MBA, making All-City in football, basketball, and baseball, and as a senior, he was recognized as the Athlete of the Year. Coach Bowers earned his Bachelor's Degree at David Lipscomb University and became the school’s all-time assist leader while taking All America honors as a senior, solidifying his spot in the David Lipscomb University Hall of Fame. Bowers earned a Master’s Degree in Administration from Tennessee State University. Bowers has won numerous coaching awards throughout his 30+ years of coaching. Bowers was honored by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame as the coach for the 2001 Amateur Teams of the Year for accomplishing a feat unequaled in Tennessee High School sports history: winning state championships in both football and basketball in the same year while serving as head coach of both teams. A feat he went on to duplicate multiple times while at Ensworth. Bowers was inducted into the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Christian Bahr

Director of Aquatics

Bio
Christian Bahr is the Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Ensworth. For more than 30 years, he has competed, coached, or covered every level of swimming and diving, from age group swimming to the Olympic Games. Coach Bahr started swimming year-round when he was eight. He went on to swim in high school and college, where he was an NCAA All-American and multi U.S. Nationals finalist. Coach Bahr represented the United States at the 1997 World University Games. Coach Bahr came to Ensworth in 2012 after more than a decade of coaching with The Bolles School and Bolles School Sharks in Jacksonville, Florida. His swimmers have set state and national records, made the U.S. National Junior Team, qualified for U.S. Olympic Trials, and swum in the Olympic Games. Coach Bahr has coached on deck at meets ranging from local club meets to Olympic Trials and the 2012 Olympic Games as a coach with Brunei Darussalam. In 2019, he was named "Coach of the Year" by the Tennessean.
Elliott Bender
Bio
Elliott Bender was announced as the Ensworth Head Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse Coach in August 2022. Bender comes to Ensworth from the University of Alabama at Huntsville where he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Women’s Lacrosse team. Bender has coached at the high school level since 2009 and has been the Director of various Lacrosse Clubs since 2012.

Bender had two California High School State Championships as a Head Coach and has been a Team USBOXLA National Coach since 2014 with a coaching record of 205-68-1. He was the University of Alabama’s Men’s lacrosse coach and the Professional Box Lacrosse League coach for the Jacksonville Bullies.

Bender holds a degree in Sports Management from Fontbonne University in St. Louis and is currently working toward a degree in Professional Studies from the University of Alabama Huntsville. He co-founded and was the president of the Huntsville Lacrosse Club.

Elliott and his wife Alissa have two daughters, Ella and McKenna.
Chris Bradley

Athletic Event Supervisor; Grade 11 Sponsor-HS

Bio
Chris Bradley joined Ensworth in 2009 as an Assistant Athletic Director and became the Head Wrestling Coach in 2011. A Nashville native, Chris began his tenure as a teacher and coach in private education in 1997. He attended Middle Tennessee State University and received a B.S. in Political Science and holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Tennessee State University. He and his wife Ashley have two children, Maddie and Drew.
Tony Butler

Bio
Tony Butler joined Ensworth in June 2019 as a Fitness Instructor and football Co-Defensive Coordinator. Before joining Ensworth, Coach Butler spent 2017-2018 as the Assistant Athletic Director, Assistant Football and Baseball Coach at Battle Ground Academy. From 2015-2016, Tony served as the Head Track and Field Coach, as well as Defensive Coordinator at Trousdale County High School. Coach Butler served as the Special Teams Coordinator and defensive backs coach at Fort Campbell High School in Fort Campbell, KY from 2010-2012. In 2013, Coach Butler became the Head Football Coach at Fort Campbell High School for the 2013-14 seasons. In 2008-2009 Tony served as the Defensive Coordinator at Dyersburg High School. In 2007, Coach Butler was the Offensive and Defensive Line Coach at Union City High School. During the 2006 season, he was the football defensive graduate assistant at the University of TN-Martin. Coach Butler began his coaching career at Milan High School in 2005 as the Freshman Linebackers and Wide Receivers Coach. Coach Butler graduated from the University of TN-Martin with a B.S. in Health and Human Performance and a M.S. in Recreation and Sport Sciences from Ohio University. Coach Butler and his wife, Erin, have two children, son Landon and daughter Hadley.
Greg Chambers

Bio
Coach Greg Chambers has served as the Tennis Director at Ensworth since 2013. Before coming to Ensworth, Coach Chambers was an Assistant Pro at Maryland Farms Athletic Club for three years and served as Tennis Director at Westside Athletic Club for 16 years. Coach Chambers has contributed to the development of players at every level from beginners to professional Grand Slam players. He has implemented the Universal Tennis Rating system (UTR) among tournament players at Ensworth which quantifies a player's tennis level based upon previous matches results. This allows for Level-Based Play in practice and tournaments and is a key ingredient to player development. Coach Chambers has also adopted the USTA age-based progression model (ROGY) as young players begin the sport. The participation in tennis at Ensworth has grown from a handful to a few hundred during his tenure at the school. He has extensive experience as a Certified Instructor, referee, Tournament Director, and player. Coach Chambers still enjoys playing socially and competitively while serving as Ensworth’s Tennis Director. As a player, he began competitive tennis at age 10 in Richmond, Virginia. Throughout his junior tennis career, he maintained a top 10 state ranking in each age division and went on to play collegiate tennis at Lipscomb University where he played #1 singles and doubles all four years. He was a two-time Academic All-American while winning 74 collegiate matches. After college, Coach Chambers achieved a Men’s State Ranking of #1 in Singles and Doubles along with a #3 Men’s Singles Southern Ranking. Coach Chambers was inducted into the Lipscomb University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Coach Chambers was named the 2020-2021 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Girls' Tennis Coach of the Year.
Mary Cowles

Bio
Mary Taylor Cowles joined Ensworth in 2015 as the Head Girls' High School Basketball Coach. She also serves as Assistant Athletic Director. She attended Western Kentucky University where she played college basketball for 4 years. After graduating college, Mary taught in the public school system at the secondary level for 2 years before returning to 'the Hill' (Western Kentucky University) to join the women's basketball coaching staff. She served as the Recruiting Coordinator from 1994-1997, Associate Head Coach from 1997-2001 and Head Coach from 2002-2012. During her head coaching tenure, Cowles was named Coach of the Year 3 times, served terms on the NCAA Kodak All-American Selection Committee, served as the Sun Belt Conference Captain, and served on the NCAA Division 1 Legislative and Issues Committee. Under the direction of Coach Cowles, the Ensworth Girls' Basketball program won State Championships in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022.
Corey Donohoe

Assistant Director of Athletics; Head Girls' Lacrosse Coach-HS

Bio
Coach Donohoe has been the Head Girls' Lacrosse Coach at Ensworth since 2015. She served as the assistant coach at the Naval Academy from 2011-2014, winning two Patriot League Championships. Corey played at the collegiate level at UNC from 2007-2011, earning 1st Team All-American honors twice and All-ACC honors three times. She was the recipient of the Patterson Medal, the top athletic honor given annually at UNC, and holds the current record for career points at UNC. She also earned a spot on the US Women's Lacrosse team. Coach Donohoe led the Girls' Lacrosse team to the 2019 State Championship.
Travis Fravel

Director of Soccer; Head Soccer Coach; Fitness Instructor-HS

Bio
Travis Fravel joined Ensworth in 2019 as the Director of Soccer and Boys' and Girls' Head Coach. Coach Fravel brings 18 years of coaching experience, most recently serving as the Associate Head Coach at Belmont University, where he was involved in all aspects of the program for the past seven years.

Coach Fravel’s experience began in college at Division III Emory & Henry, where he was a member of the men’s soccer team from 2001-04, leading the team in scoring and in points in 2002. Fravel served as assistant coach of both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Emory & Henry from 2005-08 and then as the Head Men’s Coach from 2008 - 2011. He also spent a combined four years on the coaching staff of the girls' and boys' teams at Abingdon High School in Virginia, earning District Coach of the Year honors and winning multiple District and Regional Championships.

Coach Fravel brings a wealth of camp and training experience to the Tigers. Annually since 2007, he has worked with elite soccer camps and academies in North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, most recently with the Tennessee Soccer Club. Fravel has served as a coach for Tennessee Soccer Club for the past eight years, leading the teams to state and regional (SRPL) championships. He also has experience serving as ODP Region III coaching staff.

Fravel has earned his NSCAA National Diploma and his state Goalkeeping Diploma. A native of Woodstock, Va., Fravel currently resides in Franklin, Tenn., with his wife Kelly and their two children, daughter Kynslee and son Koben.
Ashley Glotta

Seminar Teacher; Head Volleyball Coach-HS

Bio
Ashley Glotta was a multi-sport student-athlete at Ensworth. During her high school career, Coach Glotta was a member of both volleyball and basketball state championship teams. Coach Glotta continued her volleyball career at Austin Peay State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education and was the OVC Player of the Year her senior year. She was the Head Volleyball Coach at Clarksville Academy for one season before returning to Ensworth as a fitness instructor and assistant coach in volleyball and basketball. Coach Glotta was announced as the Ensworth Head Volleyball Coach in the summer of 2020.
Nick Johnson

Associate Director of Admission; Head Track and Field Coach-HS

Bio
Nick Johnson serves as the Head Coach for both the Boys' and Girls' Track & Field teams. Coach Johnson joined the Ensworth community in the summer of 2016 as a Fitness Instructor and an Assistant Football and Track Coach. He earned a B.A. in Communications from Henderson State University in 2012 and graduated from California University of Pennsylvania in December 2015 with an M.S. in Exercise Science. Prior to joining Ensworth, Johnson served as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach and Wide Receivers Coach at Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, CA. He was also the Head JV Coach and Offensive Coordinator. A wide receiver and punt returner for Henderson State University, Johnson was the 2011 GAC leader in punt returns, averaging 14.9 yards. From May 2012–September 2013, he was a wide receiver with the St. Louis Rams where he was the 2013 team leader in preseason touchdowns. Nick and his wife, Natalia, have 2 boys, Nino and Nico. Under the direction of Coach Johnson, the Ensworth Girls' Track & Field team won the State Championship in 2021.
Doug Magee

Head of Middle School

Bio
Doug Magee serves as the Head Coach of the Mountain Biking Team. He joined Ensworth in 2018 as the Associate Head of High School. He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Cairn University, a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. Doug has served as lacrosse, cross country, and strength and conditioning coaches throughout his educational career. He has competed in ultra-endurance events such as the Leadville 100 MTB race and Lake Placid Ironman. He currently teaches in the Seminar and Visual and Performing Arts departments.
Jason Maxwell

Director of Athletics; Head Baseball Coach-HS

Bio
Coach Maxwell has been the Head High School Baseball Coach at Ensworth since its founding in 2004. Before coming to Ensworth, Coach Maxwell attended Middle Tennessee State University where he was an all-Conference player for the Blue Raiders baseball team in 1992 & 1993. The Chicago Cubs drafted Coach Maxwell in 1993. He went on to play professionally for 12 years, reaching the major leagues with the Cubs and the Minnesota Twins. In addition to coaching at Ensworth, Coach Maxwell has served on the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association (TBCA) and the American Baseball Coaches Association Diversity in Baseball Committee, and as a coach for the TBCA Showcase Classic and USA Baseball teams. As Assistant Coach for the 2016 USA 15U National Team, the team won the Bronze Medal in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championships in Japan. As Manager for 2018 USA Baseball 15U National Team, his squad won a Gold Medal and the WBSC World Championship in Panama. In 2019, Coach Maxwell was the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association DII-AA Sectional Coach of the Year. Coach Maxwell was named coach for the 2021 Major League Baseball/USA Baseball High School All American Game and was honored with the Nashville Old Timers Baseball Association "Mr. Baseball" Award. He was also the 2021 USA Baseball 18U Manager and was named the USA Baseball Developmental Coach of the Year in 2018 (15U) and 2021 (18U).
Bobby Mirzaie

Director of Curriculum & Instruction K-12; Head Boys' Cross Country Coach-HS

Bio
Bobby Mirzaie serves as the Head Boys Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach for distance and middle-distance runners. Bobby joined Ensworth in 2014 as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction and history teacher in the Middle School and High School. He has coached teams for over 15 years at independent schools in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arizona, primarily at the high school level with additional experience with elementary and middle school runners and competitive club runners.
Nate Parrish Sr.

Director of Golf; Head Golf Coach; Spirit Store Manager-HS

Bio
Coach Nate Parrish ’75 joined Ensworth in 2022 as the Boys’ and Girls’ Golf Head Coach following ten years at the University of the South, where he served as Sewanee’s Director of Golf and Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach. He was named the Men’s SAA Conference Golf Coach of the Year in 2021 and was honored by the WCGA in 2016 as the NCAA Division III National Women’s Golf Coach of the Year. He saw his women’s team qualify for the NCAA National Championships in each of his first six years at the helm, including the first appearance by a Sewanee women’s team in program history. His men’s team qualified for the NCAA Championships in both 2021 and 2022, wrapping up their 2022 season ranked eighth in the country. During his tenure, he coached two NCAA Outstanding National Freshman Golfer of the Year award recipients (one male and one female) as well as two Conference Player of the Year recipients, 26 All-Conference players, four All-Americans and three Academic All-American Scholars. An advocate for the concept of a true student-athlete, Coach Parrish brings experience teaching the game of golf and a passion for mentoring his players toward success on the course and in the classroom.

Coach Parrish is a Nashville native and an Ensworth alum, formerly a volunteer assisting the Ensworth high school golf program in its early years. He and his wife Nancy are parents of four alumni Ensworth students, Corinne ’17, Elizabeth ’15, Cole ’11 and Nate, Jr.
Bradley Pierson

Head Boys' Basketball Coach; Fitness Instructor; Assistant Director of Athletics-HS; Director of Ensworth Sports Camps and Leagues

Bio
Bradley Pierson serves as the head boys' basketball coach at Ensworth. Coach Pierson joined the Ensworth community in the summer of 2019 as the Director of Basketball and was announced as the head basketball coach prior to the 2021 season. Prior to joining Ensworth, Pierson served as the Assistant Athletic Director and Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Darlington School in Rome, GA. He has eight years of experience coaching at the collegiate level, including serving as head men's basketball coach at Sewanee. Pierson holds a B.A. in Economics from Sewanee: The University of the South and an M.Ed. from Berry College. Bradley and his wife, Carla, have two boys, Gabe and Eli.
Danny Wright

History Teacher-HS

Bio
Coach Wright joined Ensworth in 2010 and returned to coaching in 2022 when he was named the Head Bowling Coach. Coach Wright previously served as the Ensworth girls' soccer coach from 2014-2018. During his tenure, the girls' soccer team won an elimination playoff game each season and reached the state tournament ("final four") twice, including the state championship game in 2016 where they finished as runners-up.

Coach Wright played college soccer at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and at Sewanee: the University of the South. He began his high school coaching career at his alma mater Greensboro Day School (NC) where his teams won one state championship, two conference championships, and seven other mid-season tournaments. In 2000, he was named the North Carolina high school coach of the year for independent schools by the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association.

Coach Wright also has prior club coaching experience in North Carolina with the Greensboro Twisters (girls) and Greensboro Soccer Club (boys). He coached the Ensworth Boys' Soccer team in 2012 and 2013 as well as the team at Christ School in Asheville, NC in 2008 and 2009.

Red Gables Campus

211 Ensworth Avenue
Nashville,TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus

7401 Highway 100
Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 838-5400

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Non-Discrimination Statement

It is the policy of Ensworth to admit students and provide equal employment opportunities for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnic origin, age, disability, or any other reason prohibited by law. Ensworth does not discriminate in the administration of employment practices, educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies, athletics, and other school-administered programs.