SALT LAKE CITY—Longtime Manti coach and athletic director Susan Hatch has been selected as one of the 2026 Distinguished High School Coaches welcomed into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation’s Hall of Honor this spring.

Hatch was recognized at the USHOFF Spring Honors & Awards Banquet on Monday, April 6, in Salt Lake City, where she joined other honorees from across the state.

For Hatch, whose name has become closely associated with Manti athletics, the recognition reflects years of dedication, leadership and success.

Known for building championship-caliber softball teams and mentoring generations of student-athletes, Hatch has long been a key part of Templar sports. A highlight of her career came in 2022, when Manti won the 3A state softball championship in her final season on the diamond.

According to Manti Principal Karen Soper, Hatch’s impact has extended beyond wins and losses, helping shape student-athletes.

“Where do I start? My daughter has played for her, and her integrity, her expectation, her teaching, her hard work, and teamwork is phenomenal,” Soper said. “She was an English teacher here too as well, and a leadership teacher. But as an athletic director, she’s firm, but she’s kind. Her communication skills are top-notch. She dots her I’s and crosses her T’s. It’s just who she is. As I recall, she went into coaching softball without even playing it herself. She played basketball and volleyball, but she learned. She was coaching her daughters in little league, and she just learned the game. She became a student of the game.”

Hatch said the honor reflects a career built not just on championships, but on the lasting relationships she formed with her athletes and the impact they had on her life and the community.

“I am truly honored and humbled being selected as one of the 10 coaches inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame,” Hatch said. “As you see and hear how all these coaches have impacted not only the athletes they coached over the years, but also how they have impacted their communities, it’s rewarding to see how serving brings about good in our state. In the many years I coached, it’s not the number of state and region championships that matter. Most importantly, it is the relationships developed over the years, and how the young women have positively impacted my life at Manti High School.”

Soper also said Hatch has shown leadership in bringing additional resources to student-athletes, noting that she recently arranged for a company to provide sports psychology training. The program is designed to help athletes manage pressure and strengthen their performance mindset, and students are currently taking part in that training.