Milford High School Athletics Hall of Famer Brandon Baker is coming home. Pending approval at next month’s Board of Education meeting, Baker will become the next head coach of the Milford boys basketball program. He returns to Eagles Way after a seven-year stint as a coach at Goshen High School.

Baker got his coaching start as an assistant with the Goshen boys team in 2013. Following two years in that role, he took over the Goshen girls program, spending two years as head coach and posting consecutive 19-win seasons. That set the stage for the last five years as the Warriors boys head coach where he won another 52 games.

“It's a special day that we get to welcome Coach Baker back home,” stated Milford Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka. “He embodies everything that our community represents. Brandon will transform our program instantly and infuse energy and excitement into our next generation of young basketball players. A renaissance of Milford basketball is coming and we are ecstatic to have Coach Baker at the helm!"

“I am grateful and humbled to come back to a school district, community and basketball program that I deeply care about,” Baker said. “I look forward to leading the next era of Milford basketball and teaching young men the important values of life through basketball. Being the head basketball coach at Milford High School is a dream come true and I am thankful for the opportunity to come home.”

Baker’s coaching resume includes a pair of Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference Coach of the Year awards, a district runner-up finish, as well as twice being named a coach in the Cincinnati East-West All-Star Game. He broke into coaching following graduation and a four-year basketball career at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. As a player, Baker helped his squad to three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Baker’s Milford career featured back-to-back first team all-conference honors as a junior (GMC) and senior (FAVC) and the Fort Ancient Valley Conference Player of the Year award in 2008. He was inducted into the Milford Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017.

The Milford Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of Kennedy Fails as the new head coach of the highly-successful Eagle Dance program. Fails is an accomplished dancer and choreographer who enjoyed stints as a collegiate and professional dancer. Her hiring is pending approval by the Milford Exempted Village School District Board of Education.

Fails has been coaching and performing since a young age and was a cheerleader and dancer while attending Kings High School. She then moved on to the University of Kentucky where she was a four-year Blue Squad member, helping the Wildcats to numerous top national competition finishes. During her final year, Fails was the team captain and earned Dancer of the Year and the coaches’ award.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts: Business and Organizational Communications from UK, Fails has continued as a self-employed choreographer for area dance teams ranging in age from middle school to college. She was also a dancer for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.

"We’re so fortunate to bring someone of Kennedy's ability to our Dance Program at Milford,” Milford Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka stated. “Great dance coaches are few and far between and I believe we have one of the best in the area if not in the entire state in Coach Fails! She brings extensive experience in the cheer/dance world, including at the collegiate and professional levels. Her choreography is second to none and she will continue to build on our championship tradition and pedigree in the Milford High School Dance program!”

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to coach these young and talented athletes through their dance journey,” Fails added. “By working with this program in the past, these dancers can expect me to bring energy, creativity and authenticity. Everyone buckle up, it’s about to be a great ride!!”

The Milford Dance team has won back-to-back Eastern Cincinnati Conference titles.

Current Milford Position(s):

• Head High School & Junior High Diving Coach (2015-present)

High School Alma Mater: Milford High School (2011)

College Alma Mater(s):

• Associate’s: (2015) The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences - Nursing
• Undergraduate: (Present-2021) University of Cincinnati - Middle School Education

High School and College Sports Played:

• High School: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo

Honors/Achievements/Awards:

• 2009, 2010 State Final Four - Water Polo
• 2010 South Regional Champion - Water Polo
• 2010 FAVC Girls Buckeye Division Champion - Swimming & Diving
• USA Swimming Certified Coach

Additional Information: Emma lives in Loveland, Ohio. She is currently attending school at the University of Cincinnati pursuing a degree in middle school education. She is a swim coach for Milford Area Swim Team.

Current Milford Position(s):

• Head High School & Junior High Diving Coach (2015-present)

High School Alma Mater: Milford High School (2011)

College Alma Mater(s):

• Associate’s: (2015) The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences - Nursing
• Undergraduate: (Present-2021) University of Cincinnati - Middle School Education

High School and College Sports Played:

• High School: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo

Honors/Achievements/Awards:

• 2009, 2010 State Final Four - Water Polo
• 2010 South Regional Champion - Water Polo
• 2010 FAVC Girls Buckeye Division Champion - Swimming & Diving
• USA Swimming Certified Coach

Additional Information: Emma lives in Loveland, Ohio. She is currently attending school at the University of Cincinnati pursuing a degree in middle school education. She is a swim coach for Milford Area Swim Team.

The Milford Department of Athletics is pleased to welcome Mike Nolting as the Eagles new varsity girls bowling coach. Coach Nolting joins the program with over 30 years of bowling experience.

Coach Nolting is a Cincinnati native and a graduate of Mariemont High School and the University of Cincinnati, currently residing in Milford. In addition to bowling, Coach Nolting works as a software quality engineer at Great American Insurance.

Coach Nolting’s bowling history spans back to his teenage years when he took up the sport. For over 25 years, he’s competed in sanctioned leagues at Madison Bowl and Cherry Grove Lanes. Coach Nolting has bowled in several Ohio State Tournaments and Derby Classic Tournaments in Louisville, Ky. He has one perfect game to his credit in 2010 at Cherry Grove Lanes.

“I'm very excited to join the Milford Bowling Program as the Girls Varsity Head Coach,” Coach Nolting says. “I'm looking forward to sharing my 30+ years of bowling knowledge and experience to help these young ladies be the best student-athletes possible. Through dedication, hard work, and most importantly sportsmanship, I'm confident we can be one of the best teams in the ECC.”

The Milford Department of Athletics is pleased to welcome Mike Nolting as the Eagles new varsity girls bowling coach. Coach Nolting joins the program with over 30 years of bowling experience.

Coach Nolting is a Cincinnati native and a graduate of Mariemont High School and the University of Cincinnati, currently residing in Milford. In addition to bowling, Coach Nolting works as a software quality engineer at Great American Insurance.

Coach Nolting’s bowling history spans back to his teenage years when he took up the sport. For over 25 years, he’s competed in sanctioned leagues at Madison Bowl and Cherry Grove Lanes. Coach Nolting has bowled in several Ohio State Tournaments and Derby Classic Tournaments in Louisville, Ky. He has one perfect game to his credit in 2010 at Cherry Grove Lanes.

“I'm very excited to join the Milford Bowling Program as the Girls Varsity Head Coach,” Coach Nolting says. “I'm looking forward to sharing my 30+ years of bowling knowledge and experience to help these young ladies be the best student-athletes possible. Through dedication, hard work, and most importantly sportsmanship, I'm confident we can be one of the best teams in the ECC.”

The Milford High School Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of former NCAA All-American Megan (Tomes) Stillwell as its next head boys and girls swimming coach. She joins the Eagles after serving the last several years as the girls head coach at her alma mater, Eastern Cincinnati Conference rival Anderson High School.

During her high school swimming career, she set many school and pool records and was a three-time state champion and an All-American in every high school swimming event. As a collegiate at the University of Tennessee, she was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, was an NCCA Division I All American and an SEC top-8 qualifier all four years. She attended the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials, with her best finish being in the top-50 in the world at the time. She has a Bachelor's degree in Human Ecology with a focus in Nutrition from UT.

“I’m excited to bring my experiences from my past successful swimming journey and my coaching knowledge to Milford High School,” Coach Stillwell says. “I’m very eager to lead this great group of swimmers to new levels of achievement.”

In addition to her high school coaching duties, Stillwell also coaches summer club swimming. Outside of coaching, she and her husband, Kevin are the parents to three boys: Crosby (7), Colton (6) and Callan (4).

"We are beyond ecstatic to welcome Coach Stilwell as the next leader of the Milford Eagles swimming program,” stated Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka. “She has an illustrious background and has competed at some of the highest levels in the sport. I know she will have an immediate impact on the individual development of our swimmers and elevate our program to new heights. We’re very fortunate to have someone of her caliber at MHS and can't wait to get her started working with our student-athletes!"

The Milford High School Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of former NCAA All-American Megan (Tomes) Stillwell as its next head boys and girls swimming coach. She joins the Eagles after serving the last several years as the girls head coach at her alma mater, Eastern Cincinnati Conference rival Anderson High School.

During her high school swimming career, she set many school and pool records and was a three-time state champion and an All-American in every high school swimming event. As a collegiate at the University of Tennessee, she was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, was an NCCA Division I All American and an SEC top-8 qualifier all four years. She attended the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials, with her best finish being in the top-50 in the world at the time. She has a Bachelor's degree in Human Ecology with a focus in Nutrition from UT.

“I’m excited to bring my experiences from my past successful swimming journey and my coaching knowledge to Milford High School,” Coach Stillwell says. “I’m very eager to lead this great group of swimmers to new levels of achievement.”

In addition to her high school coaching duties, Stillwell also coaches summer club swimming. Outside of coaching, she and her husband, Kevin are the parents to three boys: Crosby (7), Colton (6) and Callan (4).

"We are beyond ecstatic to welcome Coach Stilwell as the next leader of the Milford Eagles swimming program,” stated Director of Athletics Aaron Zupka. “She has an illustrious background and has competed at some of the highest levels in the sport. I know she will have an immediate impact on the individual development of our swimmers and elevate our program to new heights. We’re very fortunate to have someone of her caliber at MHS and can't wait to get her started working with our student-athletes!"

The Milford High School Department of Athletics, under the direction of Aaron Zupka, is pleased to announce the hiring of Matt Tolliver as the Eagles’ new varsity girls basketball head coach. Coach Tolliver, whose hiring is pending by the Milford Board of Education, joins the Eagles after spending the past two seasons at Edgewood High School.

Last year, in his first full season as the varsity head coach at Edgewood, Coach Tolliver led the Cougars to one of the best seasons in the school’s history. Named the Southwest District and Southwest Ohio Conference Coach of the Year for his efforts, Coach Tolliver’s squad finished the regular season 20-2 and unbeaten in conference play.

"I'm ecstatic to announce Matt Tolliver as the next leader of our girls basketball program,” Director Zupka stated. “Anytime you can bring in a person of his caliber who has experience building a successful program and is a proven winner, there's a lot to be excited about. Our girls are going to love his fast-paced, energetic style of play and it's going to be a great brand of basketball to watch.

“Coach Tolliver has high expectations for our returning team to compete for a league championship immediately,” Zupka continued. “Our hope is to build a comprehensive program that our young ladies will be excited to be a part of and develop talent that will push us to be a perennial power in the ECC and Southwest Ohio year in and year out.”

Prior to his one year as Edgewood’s head coach and a season as a Cougar assistant, Coach Tolliver spent eight seasons building the girls basketball program at Little Miami High School. Among his coaching accomplishments between Little Miami and Edgewood are four conference championships, two sectional finals appearances and three conference coach of the year awards. Over his last four years as a head coach, Tolliver owns a record of 70-25.