Pampa High School will have a new coach leading the Lady Harvesters volleyball program this fall as Abbey Wehrman was officially hired Monday by the District.
Wehrman comes to Pampa after spending the last two seasons at Otero College in La Junta, Colo.
“This is my second season at Otero College which is a [junior college] in Southern Colorado,” Wehrman said. “I graduated high school from Valley in Gilcrest, Colo. I played my first two years of volleyball at Otero College before transferring to East Central University in Ada, Okla. I spent one year as a graduate assistant there while I worked on my masters.”
Otero College had two seasons in one year in 2021 due to making up the season lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Both seasons our team finished in the top part of the region,” Wehrman said. “Our region is made up of 12 teams and we finished around fifth. It’s very competitive. It’s been fun volleyball to watch the last two seasons.”
Wehrman comes to Pampa ready to start her own program and takes over a volleyball program who played in the Regional Quarterfinals of 4A playoffs last season.
“[Pampa Athletic Director Coach Cody Robinson] and the administration offered the opportunity and I’m thankful for them giving me a shot,” Wehrman said. “I’m also very excited because where I’m at at Otero, we still have as a junior college of 1,000 students and that’s kind of what Pampa is going to be. It’s the same environment and students you’re always around, but high school instead of junior college.”
Wehrman is excited to take over a program that has the backing Pampa provides it’s athletes.
“What really drew me to Pampa was their facilities with great resources for our athletes and the mentality they have there,” Wehrman said. “In the middle school, we’re training these kids for the high school and getting them in the weight room, that’s awesome. It builds a culture and a tradition.”
Wehrman is used to the rural lifestyle as Gilcrest, Colo. is a small town with a population of just around 1,000.
“I like that small-town feel and the comradery that comes with it,” Wehrman said. “Everybody is support the high school and Harvester athletics. Where I’m at in Southern Colorado, everything is centered around the college and high school athletics.
“So I like that about Pampa. But it’s also got stuff, if you need it, like the grocery store and the Starbucks. There’s a good balance of small town, but you have stuff around you and you have the support of the community.”
For more information on Pampa High School, call 806-669-4800.
