David Paige has been selected as one of thirty-six regional winners of the Coach of the Year Award presented by the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).
 
The PCA vision is a world where every young person benefits from a positive youth sports experience with a coach who inspires them to become the best version of themselves in the game and in life. Previously called the Double-Goal Coach Award, the Coach of the Year Award recognizes those who teach life skills through sports, who use positive reinforcement to promote respectful competition, and create an environment of belonging with a focus on equity and inclusion. Coach Paige is the fourth Charlotte Latin coach to be recognized by this program, joining colleagues Mike Weiss (2018), Patty Waldron (2020), and Lee Horton (2022).
 
To be considered, a coach must be nominated through an extensive application that requires multiple letters of reference. Eager current and former Mat Hawks, their families, and his fellow coaches submitted testimonials on Coach Paige's behalf, sharing personal stories of his impact on their lives and those around them. One such testimonial read, in part, "David expects excellence from everyone around him, but he models excellence as well. His students strive to be like him, a humble and quiet leader. He holds his athletes to high standards, but he is there to support them along the way. David has made the wrestling team a place that so many call home - not just my son, but so many others who are looking for a place where they belong."
 
Coach Paige has been part of the Mat Hawks program since 2005. Originally an off-campus assistant, he joined the Latin staff full time in 2015 as the head of the strength and development program. Coach Paige took over the reins of the wrestling program in 2016 and has continued the tradition of excellence he helped establish. After just one year as head coach, he was named the Observer's Mecklenburg Wrestling Coach of the Year, the South Charlotte Weekly Wrestling Coach of the Year, and received the Hawkspy Newcomer Award. The wrestling program earned a tenth consecutive NCISAA State Championship in 2021, and Coach Paige was once again honored by the Charlotte Latin Booster Club, this time as Coach of the Year. In addition to leading the wrestling program, Coach Paige manages the Strength Center and provides customized and team-specific strength training programs, while teaching physical education classes and supporting his son. Trey, an eighth grader, is a three-sport athlete for Charlotte Latin who grew up accompanying his dad in the wrestling room and now a member of the Middle School Mat Hawks.
 
Congratulations Coach Paige!