Club Handball Coaching Staff
Mike Steele
Head Handball Coach
steelem@pacificu.edu
Mike Steele, Distinguished University Professor of English and Peace Studies, founded the Pacific handball team in 1978 and has coached the program since its inception.
Steele learned to play handball at Notre Dame in 1963 and has played ever since. He has also coached baseball, football, and cross country and was inducted into the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1998. He has won two state handball titles and one regional title while also competing nationally for many years.
In addition to coaching handball, Steele also offers for-credit classes at Pacific in beginning and advanced handball.
In 2006, Steele was elected President of the United States Handball Association after serving many years as the National Collegiate Commissioner. Mike also serves as a member coach at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland and is a Level 5 Referee.
Jeff Kastner
Assistant Handball Coach
A 2005 graduate of Pacific, Jeff Kastner is in his first season as an assistant coach for the Pacific program in addition to continuing to compete beyond the collegiate level.
In 2005, Kastner became the youngest Oregon state singles champion at age 23, then earned his second straight title in 2006. He and fellow coach Matt Steele reached the final four in open doubles at the 2002 Collegiate Tournament, held at Texas A&M University. The pair also took second place at a pro doubles tournament in 2005, defeating Tyler Hamel and his partner before losing a close match to top-ranked Naty Alvarado and his partner.
Kastner played all four years at Pacific and was a mainstay in the top-16 his last three years. An intergrated media major, Kastner has been deeply involved in national efforts to promote handball through webcasting and filming pro events. Jeff is also a member of the Multnomah Athletic Club, one of the country's premier athletic facilities.
Matt Steele
Assistant Handball Coach
A 2002 graduate of Pacific, Matt Steele played for the Boxers for all four years, achieving top-eight nand top-16 national rankings. He joins with Jeff Kastner to make one of the strongest doubles teams in the country, taking second place nationally in the "A" class in Houston in 2005.
A former Pacific baseball player, Steele is one of the top players at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Matt is completing his Master's of Arts degree at Lewis and Clark College. Matt's handball game showcases great low power serves to either side and the ability to shoot the ball anywhere with either hand.