Laura Stegall Brings More than 20 Years of Athletic, Education, & Coaching Experience to DME Academy
DME Academy is excited to welcome Laura Stegall as our brand-new athletic director. She will oversee every aspect of our student-athlete programs, including academic development, collegiate pathways, and continuing DME Academy’s commitment to helping young athletes excel on and off the field.
"It has always been a professional goal of mine to serve as an athletic director,” Stegall said. “I love athletics and the important role they serve in making a difference in the lives of our budding youth. To be able to lead a team as part of a growing organization [like DME] is the ultimate pleasure. I look forward to working alongside our exceptional coaches to make a difference in the lives of our athletes.”
Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Stegall attended Purdue University Fort Wayne (PUFW), where she excelled as a two-sport athlete in basketball and volleyball. During her volleyball career at PUFW, Stegall was recognized as 2000’s Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, named an All-American, and set multiple school records. She was named PUFW’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2001, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2006.
After graduating college with a degree in elementary education, she built Indiana Tech’s Women’s Volleyball program from the ground up, earning a collegiate tournament appearance in just their second season. She then joined Daytona State College in Daytona, Florida, where she launched an all-new volleyball program, leading them to seven straight winning seasons and numerous tournament appearances. Worth noting is that her teams had a 98% graduation rate and 3.4 average GPA during her tenure.
In addition to successfully coaching their women’s volleyball program, she also served as adjunct instructor at Daytona State College, and earned her Master’s in Athletic Administration from Northcentral University. She also held numerous leadership roles as a representative of the college in and around the volleyball and Daytona-area college sports community.
For the past five years, Stegall has been a part of the DME Volleyball Academy, serving as a coach to numerous teams within the program, as well as providing individual training, skills clinics, and camp instructions.
“We are so excited that Laura is going to be leading the DME Academy athletics programs,” Dan Panaggio, co-owner of DME Academy, said. “She brings a wealth of experience as a player, coach, educator, and leader. She and her family have sports in their blood, and we can’t wait to see the impact she has on the young men and women of DME Academy.”