Mandarin High School Athletics
MEET OUR COACHES
Natalia Gonzalez
Head Softball
Coach Natalia Gonzalez enters her 21st year as the Head Softball Coach at Mandarin High School. Throughout her years at Mandarin she has compiled a record of 381-131 while guiding the Mustangs to 12 District Championships, 10 Gateway Conference Championships and 2 State Final Four appearances. Gonzalez was named Florida Dairy Farmer’s 6A Coach of the Year in 2008 and was Mandarin High School’s Teacher of the Year in 2015. She is a graduate of the University of North Florida where she played Centerfield for the Lady Ospreys. She is currently a Physical Education teacher at Mandarin High.
gonzalezn@duvalschools.org
Tony Cuthbertson
Head Girls Soccer
Coach Tony is entering his 7th season at the helm of the Girls Soccer Program at Mandarin High School. He has coached at the varsity and club level locally and in Indiana for 14 years. Tony is a graduate of the University of North Florida where he received his Bachelors of Science in Sport Management. He has served as a staff coach and Director of Coaching for Florida Elite Soccer Academy, currently holding his USSF D and NSCAA National Coaching licenses. Tony resides in Mandarin with his wife Jessie and 2 children Beau and Evelyn.
tcut2188@gmail.com
Jason Cooley
Head Boys Soccer
29 years of coaching experience in both club and high school soccer
• USSF National C coaching license
• USSF National Youth coaching license
• NSCAA Youth license
• Trained in CPR and First Aid
• 8 District Titles (2009,2010,2012-2017)
• 3 State Final 4 (2010,2012,2016)
• 7 Gateway Titles (2009,2011,2012,2013,2014,2017,2019)
jcool42@bellsouth.net
Steve Gonzalez
Head Track and Field
Steven A. Gonzalez has coached for more than a decade in various cities in Central and Northeast Florida. Born on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, he moved to the States as a toddler and was raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Before graduating from Edward H. White High School, he exceled in multiple sports; including track and field, football, and soccer. Steven went on to graduate from Edward Waters College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education.
Below are a list of Steven’s Coaching Accolades.
2018 FHSAA 5A FOOTBALL STATE RUNNER UP
NORTH MARION HIGH SCHOOL
2018 FACA SERVICE AWARD 10+ YEARS.
2016 NFHS BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR -FLORIDA.
Palatka High School
2016
Coached Ka’Tia Seymour (Palatka H.S.) in the 100M with the Nation’s fastest time of 11.26 and fourth fastest time in the 200M of 23.26. Ka’Tia was awarded Florida’s Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year.
2A State Champion:
Girls: 100M, 4x100M, 200M
Boys: Discus
Runner-Up: Boys Shot Put
Boys Finished 3rd overall
Girls Finished 8th overall
2015
2A State Champion:
Discus & Shot Put
Boys placed 5th overall
2010
Coached Ryan Lankford (Paxon School of Advanced Studies) with the best High School long jump in the Nation, jumping 25’1. Ryan also had the third fastest time in the 100M with 10.41.
3 Individual AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
1 Individual AAU NATIONAL RUNNER UP
State Champions
5 Individuals 1 Relay
35 State Medalists
101 District Champions
35 Regional Champions
53 Conference Champions
2 District Championships
2 Regional Championships
4 District Runner Ups
sagb787@gmail.com
Daniel Magnusson
Head Varsity Volleyball
Coach Magnusson will enter his 3rd season leading the Mustang volleyball program with a 33-14 overall record and 2020 FHSAA 7A District 1 championship.
Coach Magnusson has extensive international coaching experience, primarily in his home country of Sweden, where he has coached professionally for over 9 years. He served as an assistant coach for Sweden’s Junior National team in 2017, earning a silver medal at the Northern European Volleyball u19 Championships in Kettering, England. From 2014-17, he was the head coach of the Women’s A-Team for the Gislaved Volleybollklub, which competed in the Elite Series. He began his coaching career with his home club, Ljungby Volleybollklubb in 2009, and led the club to their first international trip competing at the European Global Challenge in Pula, Croatia in 2018.
COACHING CAREER
- 2021-Present, Sports Edge Athletics, Director of Beach Volleyball
- 2020-Present, Mandarin HS, head coach
- 2019, University of South Florida, assistant coach
- 2018, University of North Carolina Wilmington, beach & indoor assistant coach
- 2017, Swedish Girls’ Junior National Team (u19), assistant coach
- 2014-17, Gislaved Volleybollklubb (Sweden), head coach
- 2009-14, Ljungby Volleybollklubb (Sweden), head coach
Danielmagnusson86@gmail.com
Nicole Pue
Head Girls Lacrosse
Coach Nicole Pue is entering her third season as head coach and extremely proud of the growth and talent the program is developing. After being an officials for Women’s Lacrosse in Central Florida for six years and watching some of the top teams in the state she wanted to try her hand at coaching. With hard work from her players and supportive parents the team has made incredible achievements. Coaching is one of her most exciting opportunities Coach Pue has been apart of. As Coach Pue continues to advance the Women’s lacrosse program at Mandarin she is always looking for share her love of lacrosse with young women. The team is looking forward to having new faces each season and welcome you into our Lacrosse Family
nicolepue27@gmail.com
Kevin Desrosiers
Head Girls Golf
Coach Desrosiers enters his second year as girls golf coach. He graduated with his B.S. in Science Education with a focus in Chemistry from the University of Central Florida in 2014 and has been teaching ever since. He arrived at Mandarin in 2017 eager to teach but always wanting to coach. He finally got his shot after displaying his passion for golf and enriching the lives of others.
desrosiersk@duvalschools.org
George McCleod
Head Varsity Boys Basketball
George McCleod was born in South Florida and raised at the Northern tip of Broward County in Deerfield Beach. He graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in 1995 where he was a member of the boys’ basketball team, the orchestra, and the jazz band. In the fall of 1995, he was awarded a scholarship to play basketball at the University of North Florida (UNF) under the direction of Coaches Rich Zvosec and Sidney Green. In 1999 George McCleod received his Bachelors of Arts and Science majoring in Criminology with a minor in Sociology. After graduating from U.N.F., Coach McCleod began his coaching career as a men’s assistant basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Following his collegiate coaching career, he served as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at The Bolles School and Paxon School for Advanced Studies in Jacksonville, Florida for a total of five years. In the 2006-2007 school year he accepted his first head coaching position at Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he also was a teacher of students with disabilities. In 2012 he led the team to its first regional playoff game in nearly 10 years. After 6 wonderful years at Englewood, Coach McCleod accepted the girls’ basketball head coaching position at Mandarin High School where he led the team to a second straight district championship and regional playoff appearance.
Coach McCleod is in his eighth year as Mandarin’s head boys’ basketball coach and is excited about the overall direction of the team, athletic department, and school. He led the Mustangs to its first back-to-back District Championships and two consecutive playoff appearance (2019 & 2020) since 2007. He is currently in his 21st year as a Duval County School Board employee. He earned his Masters degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration at Concordia University at Irvine in August of 2016. He is supported in all of his endeavors by his lovely wife Shante’ McCleod and two beautiful children, Myiah and Dylan. Coach McCleod’s philosophy is simple. We must strive to be our B.E.S.T (Being Exceptionally Special Today) in all that we do so that we may positively influence others to do the same.
mccleodg@duvalschools.org
Ashley Nicks
Head Bowling, Asst Flag Football
My name is Ashley Nicks and I have had the pleasure coaching at Mandarin for the last 6 years. I am the Head Coach of the Bowling team, JV Girl’s Soccer, and Asst. Varsity Lacrosse. Nothing has made me happier than earning the title of Coach. I am a sports enthusiast. I currently play rugby for the Jacksonville Sinners and I am the Baseball Operations Manager and Social Media Coordinator for the Jacksonville Indians semi-professional baseball team. Working with my student athletes is one of the greatest experience I have had. My girls teach me as much as I teach them. I am very blessed that I am coach for one of the most competitive schools in Duval County. Go Mustangs!
nicksa@duvalschools.org
Valerie Fees
Head Swim
Coach Valerie Fees is a Mandarin High Alum and has been coaching swim at Mandarin Middle since 2007. This is her first year at the high school level. She is an English teacher at Mandarin Middle and a swim coach at both Mandarin Middle and Mandarin High. The Mandarin Middle Swim and Dive team has won the Southern Division Championship several times with Coach Fees and consistently places in the top 5 at the City Championship. She is also a swim mom. She has had the opportunity to coach both of her sons in middle school and will now coach her youngest in high school.
feesv@duvalschools.org
