HRA Assistant Director of Athletics and award-winning soccer coach Chris Mills huddles up with the varsity boys team on game day
As Hampton Roads Academy’s varsity boys soccer team launches into the fall 2026 season, these talented players could not be in better hands.
During the past school year, soccer coach and Assistant Director of Athletics Chris Mills demonstrated the extraordinary impact that dedicated educators and coaches can have on student-athletes by earning TCIS Coach of the Year honors for both the varsity boys and varsity girls soccer teams. This remarkably rare distinction reflects not only competitive excellence, but also his commitment to developing confident, resilient, and principled young people.
Mills’ twin Coach of the Year awards, for which he was selected by the other coaches in the conference, are a testament to his leadership, integrity, and character across two outstanding seasons.
In fall 2025, he coached Navigator varsity boys soccer to a No. 5 state ranking in their division. Both senior Zachary Busch ’26 and sophomore Bryce Wedding ’28 were awarded All-Conference honors, with Busch going on to earn All-State recognition and commit to play soccer at Emory University’s Oxford College.
A leader and mentor in action: Coach Chris Mills on the pitch
Then, this past spring, varsity girls soccer posted an impressive 9-3-1 regular-season record, achieved a No. 4 state ranking, and advanced to the TCIS semifinals. Three players—sophomores Madison Davis ’28 and Cailynn Monnoyer ’28 and freshman Ainsley Lowe ’29—earned All-Conference honors. The team ultimately advanced as far as the VISAA state semifinals, with both Davis and Lowe achieving All-State recognitions.
According to Director of Athletics Laura Stoner, Mills is “a spectacular coach in every way, not only in his knowledge of the game and the way he prepares the athletes in terms of their skillset, but also how he prepares them strategically to put them in a position to win on game day.”
“The community of coaches he works with, both in the fall and in the spring, respect him for a lot of reasons,” she added—“not only his background and his success rate, but also the quality of character that comes with Chris Mills.”
A Remarkable Coaching Record
Prior to joining HRA, Mills coached at Virginia Wesleyan University for 16 years. His extensive background at the collegiate level made him an immediate asset to HRA when he came aboard as assistant athletic director and boys soccer coach in 2023. In his leadership role, he has proven himself to be an invaluable partner for Stoner, who described him as someone she can trust to deliver consistently exemplary work on behalf of Navigator Athletics. “He is a team player who is ready to jump in and help out with whatever needs to be done at any point in time,” she said.
Indeed, during his time at the Academy, Mills has not shied away from taking on greater responsibility. In spring 2026, after three seasons as head coach of varsity boys soccer, he gladly took the reins of the varsity girls team as well.
Girls varsity star Madison Davis ’28 takes a corner kick
In addition to his duties at HRA, Mills has served as head coach of the semi-professional Virginia Beach United soccer club for the past three years. He has had a transformational impact on the program, recruiting talented players, helping attract the third-largest crowd in league history, and leading his team to its first-ever playoff appearance. “The opportunity to coach at all different levels and different age groups is fun and enjoyable,” Mills said, and he has drawn on lessons from both his collegiate and his USL League Two coaching to cultivate winning varsity teams.
HRA student-athletes have attributed his success as a coach to his strategic flexibility and his talent for motivating players. “His greatest strengths are his ability to stay calm in the moment and uplift the team,” said girls soccer standout Davis, who credits Mills with helping her secure a commitment to play for the University of Alabama as a rising junior this past summer.
“One thing about Coach Mills that really resonates with you when you play under his leadership,” said Busch, a boys soccer team captain in his senior year, “is the immense belief he has in both the team and each individual player.” This faith, the recent graduate said, inspired his team to give their all in their first game of the fall 2025 season against the formidable First Flight High School and fight “tooth and nail” to a 2-1 victory, followed by a series of wins that carried them to the state quarterfinals.
Shaping Better Players and Better Leaders
For his own part, Mills hastened to give credit to his “high-level players,” like Busch and Davis, who stepped up as leaders on their respective teams.
The prospect of receiving two Coach of the Year awards in one school year was never on Mills’ radar. Ever humble despite his accomplishments, he remarked, “I just want to make sure I put the players in a good position to be successful and also have a positive experience.”
This reaction came as no surprise to Stoner. “As competitive as he is, he always makes sure to maintain a ‘better athlete, better person’ approach to what he does,” the athletic director said. “He creates a positive team culture wherever he goes.”
A proud Coach Mills celebrates with senior Zachary Busch ’26 at his May 2026 collegiate soccer commitment ceremony
As Mills explained, this culture begins with meaningful connections between players and their coach. “I think one of the biggest things is the relationships that you build with your athletes,” he said. “If they know that you as a coach care about them as more than just an athlete, then they’re willing to work harder for you to be successful.”
Close connections with students, moreover, provide a model for how players ought to comport themselves and relate to their teammates.
Coach Mills “helped shape me into a leader,” Busch said. “He emphasized the importance of rallying the team and setting the standard, especially on a team with many underclassmen looking to seniors for guidance.”
Through meaningful relationships, high expectations, and unwavering encouragement, Coach Mills continues to help students discover confidence, resilience, and leadership that extend well beyond the pitch. As he begins a new season of varsity soccer coaching, his investment in young people reflects the very best of an HRA education, an experience made possible by a community that believes in providing exceptional opportunities for every Navigator.
This story originally appeared in the summer 2026 edition of the Navigator Impact Magazine. To stay up to date on the game schedule for varsity soccer and other sports, check the Navigator Athletics calendar.
