From the Vault of Alamogordo Sports History: Debra Scott and Marilyn Sepulveda -Pioneering Women Who Shaped Alamogordo’s Volleyball and Sports Legacy

In the annals of Alamogordo High School sports history, few stories resonate with the depth, resilience, and generational impact of Debra Scott and Marilyn Sepulveda—two women whose intertwined legacies helped define excellence in girls athletics and break barriers in southern New Mexico.

Debra Scott, Alamogordo High School’s first Black female coach, didn’t just make history—she was history. As a student-athlete in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Scott was mentored by Coach Marilyn Sepulveda, a trailblazing figure who championed girls sports long before Title IX had reshaped the national landscape. Marilyn Sepulveda’s coaching style was rigorous, empowering, and deeply personal. She saw potential in Scott and nurtured it, instilling discipline and pride in a generation of young women who had few role models in competitive womens athletics.

Upon graduation from college, Scott returned to her alma mater recruited by Mrs. Sepulveda (wife of legendary boys track and field coach Bob Sepulveda)—not just as a teacher, but as a coach determined to uplift the next wave of athletes. 

Her return marked a historical turning point: under her leadership, Alamogordo High School won its first-ever girls state title in interscholastic sports, a landmark achievement that reverberated across New Mexico. Scott’s coaching was more than strategy—it was a statement of representation, excellence, and community pride. Her success was not just measured in wins, but in the doors she opened for young women of color and the standards she set for girls athletics in Alamogordo.

Scott’s legacy is inseparable from Sepulveda’s. The mentorship that began on the court evolved into a shared mission: to elevate girls sports in a town where resources were scarce and recognition even scarcer as girls sports were in their infancy as a fully recognized and funded interscholastic activity.

Sepulveda, who coached for decades, was posthumously inducted into the New Mexico High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor in July 2025. Her induction, celebrated at the NMAA annual conference in Albuquerque, was accompanied by a moving video tribute streamed via KALHRadio.org, capturing her influence not just as a coach, but as a cultural force in Alamogordo.

Together, Scott and Sepulveda represent a lineage of leadership that transcends athletics. They are symbols of perseverance, mentorship, and civic transformation. 

Their story is not just about volleyball—it’s about what happens when women lead, when communities support their daughters, and when excellence is passed from one generation to the next.

Sources: 

Debra Scott’s historic coaching legacy 

Marilyn Sepulveda’s Hall of Honor induction 

Sepulveda tribute video

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