Walla Walla, College Place find replacements for long-tenured head girls coaches

A pair of Walla Walla-area high school girls sports programs have made choices to replace long-tenured head coaches.

Walla Walla High School announced Cindy Saldaña as its next girls soccer coach on May 1, and College Place heralded the hiring of Adriana Zelaya as its new girls basketball coach on Tuesday.

Saldaña will step in for Dana Evans, who announced her retirement after 11 seasons at Wa-Hi in early March, after working within the program since 2014 in a variety of roles. Prior to joining the Blue Devils, Saldaña was the head girls coach at Walla Walla Valley Academy.

"Cindy has been an impactful coach in our girls soccer program since 2014, where she has developed strong and productive relationships with her student-athletes and consistently had teams that showed growth through the course of the season," Walla Walla athletic director Chris Ferenz wrote in a news release. "We are excited to have her step into the role of head girls soccer coach at Walla Walla High School."

Ferenz announced Evans' retirement at the same time as the departure of girls basketball coach Mike Clark, and Ferenz said Thursday that he expects to have that position filled by "early next week."

Zalaya will replace Julie Hill, who led the Hawks for their first 12 seasons. The Goodyear, Ariz., native appeared in 98 games for Division I Monmouth University from 2016-2020. She now works as a dentist in the Walla Walla area.

"Adriana brings an infectious enthusiasm and a clear vision for what this program can become," College Place athletic director Kenneth James wrote in a news release. "Her experience as a Division I athlete, combined with her passion for developing young people, makes her an outstanding fit for our school and community - and a natural embodiment of the CP Way. We are thrilled to welcome her to the Hawks family."

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