Mt. Pleasant names softball coach Chris Brunson as new athletic director

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, July 15, 2019 | 8:52 PM

Chris Brunson just finished his first season as the softball coach at Mt. Pleasant.

He will be attending many other sporting events at the school in the near future.

Brunson on Monday night was hired as the athletic director at Mt. Pleasant.

He replaces Allan Bilinsky, whose workload was restructured by the district.

Bilinsky, the Vikings’ AD since 2015, had been working three jobs, a demanding situation the school board not only addressed but also alleviated by opening the AD position.

A Norwin graduate, Bilinsky, is an assistant principal and also the school’s boys basketball coach.

Brunson, 41, who used to work with the travel budget and scheduling at Cal (Pa.) when he was an assistant baseball coach there for 14 years, saw a new challenge and opted to apply.

“It is very similar to what I did in college,” said Brunson, who will continue to coach softball. “Only, it’s on a larger scale. My business is going well, and this is something I wanted to do. Allan was overstretched.”

A Hempfield graduate, Brunson is a Subway Restaurant franchisee with multiple stores in and around Westmoreland County. He also is a travel softball coach.

“I like helping kids. This will be fun for me,” Brunson said. “I first got into coaching to help student-athletes fulfill their dreams, to show them how to lead by example in life. I had great people and coaches in my life that I am forever grateful for, who showed me the way. I want to help continue that at Mt. Pleasant.”

I am excited to announce the MP school board and admin has voted me in as Director of Athletics. Thanks to all that put their faith in me to represent the district. Pumped pic.twitter.com/hIsttjtAPO

— Chris Brunson (@ChrisBru22) July 15, 2019

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant