Belen High hires David Sweet as new athletic director

Belen High School is about to start another school year with a new face in charge of athletics, and the bigger story is the churn. David Sweet, of Aztec, was hired last week as BHS athletic director, making him the third athletic leader at Belen High in three years.

The change follows Jim Collins’ resignation in May after less than a year on the job as Belen Consolidated Schools athletic coordinator. The district had posted the opening in mid-May and hoped to fill it by mid-June, a fast timeline that reflects how much the job affects everything from game scheduling and coaching support to the daily experience of student-athletes outside the classroom.

Collins said he was leaving to return east and take a new teaching and coaching role in Tennessee. During his short time in Belen, he said the program had already posted a playoff football victory, numerous district championships, state tournament appearances and the launch of the Belen High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez praised Collins for the work he did and said the district would build on what he started.

Sweet was chosen from a field of 14 candidates, a sign that Belen wanted someone with enough breadth to steady a program that has seen too much movement. He grew up in Roswell, graduated from Goddard High School, earned his bachelor’s degree at Fort Lewis College and later completed a master’s degree in educational administration at Eastern New Mexico University. His background includes coaching and administrative work in football, track, tennis, basketball and soccer.

Sweet also brings experience from another New Mexico district that had its own transition. He spent two years as athletic director in Aztec after Cory Gropp left to become principal at Cobre High School. In Aztec, Sweet said athletics mattered because of the strong family connection among coaches, athletes and parents, a view that fits the task ahead in Belen, where continuity can help rebuild confidence among families, stabilize support for coaches and give sponsors a clearer sense that the program has a steady direction. With the new school year approaching, Belen’s challenge is no longer just filling a job. It is proving that the program can hold its footing long enough for students to benefit from it.