Jost takes charge at St. Viator
Christina Jost, one of the few area athletes to play in the IHSA Elite Eight three times, has been named the girls basketball head coach at St. Viator High School.
Jost, who graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 1995, was a member of Hall of Fame coach Tom Dineen’s 1992, 1993 and 1995 supersectional championship teams. Jost also starred on the softball diamond where she was a two-time all-conference player for coach Laura Stock.
“We are very pleased to welcome Christina to our St. Viator community,” said the Rev. Robert M. Egan, president of St. Viator. “She brings an extensive record of experience and success, and I am confident that she will serve as a great leader and mentor for our student-athletes and for our entire girls basketball program.”
For the past six years, Jost has been the head women’s basketball coach at the University of the Ozarks and Northern New Mexico College.
“My experience as head coach at the college level will serve me well at St. Viator,” Jost said. “I am looking to bringing an up-tempo, fast-paced style of play. It makes it more challenging for the players and more exciting for the fans.”
After her standout career at BG, Jost earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1999 and received her master’s degree in education in 2008 from Arkansas Tech University.
In addition to her collegiate experience, Jost served as an assistant for two years in coach Mary Fendley’s Hersey program. Jost has also been a volunteer for Special Olympics in West Virginia and Arkansas and has coached collegiate and high school softball.
She started for four years on the West Virginia Wesleyan women’s basketball team and served as a team captain from 1997-1999. Jost is also a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
“Alongside experience, I believe my passion for the game and the desire to teach are strengths that have allowed me to motivate student-athletes both on and off the court,” Jost said.
Jost was committed to building well-rounded student-athletes at Northern New Mexico. In addition to coaching, she implemented a strength and conditioning program to help the girls on the court and monitored their educational progress to ensure they were succeeding academically.
Jost is looking forward to being back home with her family in Illinois.
“I grew up in Arlington Heights,” she said. “St. Viator has a strong reputation of being a family. I definitely felt that the moment I walked through the front doors. Family is very important to me and I want to make sure it is important to my players.
“I would like to build St. Viator into a first-class program with a focus on commitment, character and integrity throughout all the playing levels. St. Viator is a prestigious institution and I am excited to be part of this great tradition.”
Coincidentally. less than a month ago, another former Buffalo Grove guard, Ashley Sandstead, was named the head coach at Prospect High School. St. Viator and Prospect have annually played each other in a nonconference girls basketball game.
St. Viator athletic director Tim Carlson was a member of the search committee that chose Jost.
“I am looking forward to what Christina can bring to the girls’ program and to the community,” Carlson said. “Her experience as a player and more importantly as a head coach at the collegiate level will provide a solid base to continue to build our program.”