2007 Coaching Staff

Holmes had been the head softball and volleyball coach at Si Tanka University (Huron, SD) since 1998. She was also the women’s athletic director at Si Tanka since May of 2003. During the 2004 season Holmes collected her 400 th collegiate victory.

Prior to Si Tanka Holmes was the head softball coach at Valencia Community College (Orlando, FL) from 1990 through 1998 where she was named the 1998 Mid-Florida Conference Coach of the Year and the 1990 Orange Belt Conference Coach of the Year. Her 1993 team finished in third place in the NJCAA Nationals and was named the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

From 1986-90 Holmes was the head softball, volleyball, and tennis coach at St. Cloud High School in St. Cloud, FL where she also taught health and physical education.

Holmes earned a B.S. degree in physical education/health/coaching from Black Hills State College. She earned her Masters of Education at National-Louis University in Tampa, FL with a focus on education and counseling.

“I am very happy to be a part of the Northern State University coaching staff and university.  I believe that it is a great opportunity, and I look forward to getting started and meeting the players,” said Holmes on her hiring.

“We are excited to have Terri join our staff. She will be a great fit in our department and our University. She brings a great knowledge of the game with her 14 years of collegiate coaching experience. She has proven herself successful and we feel she will help elevate our program,” commented Olson.

Brian Johnson

Student Assistant

1st Year

Bryan (Coach J) comes to Northern State after one year at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington, where he worked as an Assistant Softball Coach for the Gators, and as an assistant to the Athletic Director working in sports information and athletics administration.

Coach Johnson is a 2003 graduate of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD with a bachelor of science in Sociology and minors in history and American Indian Studies. While at Black Hills, he was instrumental in founding the ACHA club hockey team at and served as the coach of the team from 2002-2004.

After graduating from BH, Bryan enrolled at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama to pursue a Masters of Science degree in Sports Administration, and during his time in Alabama, he spent 3 months working in the media relations department of the University of South Alabama as a volunteer staff writer covering track and field. He completed the educational portion of the program this past summer, but has put the degree on hold to gain more experience coaching softball for NSU under the guidance of Coach Holmes at NSU. Coach Johnson has been involved in softball, both slow-pitch and fast-pitch, as a player and recreation coach since 1995.

Originally from Alaska, Bryan is a graduate of Service High School in Anchorage where he was a member of several clubs (yearbook and project invest) and played hockey and baseball. After leaving Alaska, Coach J spent two years playing Junior B hockey, splitting time between Billings, Montana and Arizona. After leaving hockey, Bryan earned a diploma from Bailie School of Broadcasting in Seattle Washington in 1987, and began a career as a radio announcer and television cameraman, working in several places, including Anchorage, Flagstaff, AZ. and Rapid City. He has three children, one of which, Kaylee, lives here in Aberdeen and is a sophomore at Aberdeen Central High School. His other two children, Sierra and Josh, live in Florence, SC with their mom.

Bryan brings a type of passion and energy to the Wolves wherein he believes that no obstacle is insurmountable and success is possible in all areas of the game, and all areas of the classroom. Besides coaching NSU softball, Coach Johnson also coordinates fundraising activities, and initiates recruiting for Coach Holmes, specifically out west in Washington, Oregon and California.