Putnam County’s Shannon Jenkins has coached volleyball on many levels.

Over the weekend, she added her first All-State Classic to her resume. The event is a collection of some of the top junior high volleyball talent around the state held Saturday and Sunday at the East Side Center in East Peoria competing in skills and matches.

She was accompanied by PC players Kinsey Pierski, Lillian Bouxsein, Natalie Guadiana, Annie Judd and Jaylynn Dickey, who were selected to compete.

Jenkins was honored to be selected.

“Being selected as an All-State coach is a powerful mix of validation, pride, and humility,” she said. “It means your hard work, leadership, and commitment to your players and your program are being recognized, but it also reflects the effort and trust of your athletes.

“More than anything, it’s a shared honor and a reminder to keep raising the standard and bringing out the best in others.”

The PC coach said it was a good weekend of volleyball for her NW Central team that included Elyse Grubich and Kaitlynn Olson from LaSalle Carlos Acutis.

“The girls played much bigger and powerful schools and they held their own taking them to three sets and going 2-1 on the day,” she said. “It was a great day of talented volleyball. I was honored and privileged to be chosen to coach the girls and enjoyed every moment of it.”

Jenkins brings a wealth of experience and passion to the court. She spent nine consecutive years coaching at Putnam County Junior High, working with both seventh and eighth grade teams and earning multiple conference championships and six regional championships.

She also served one year as a freshman coach and is now in her second year as the Junior Varsity coach at Putnam County High School, assisting head coach Amy Bell.

An avid sports mom of five — four daughters and one son — Jenkins has been deeply involved in youth athletics for many years. All of her children have been active in sports, particularly club and high school volleyball, with two continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level.

Her love for the game is rooted in her own experience as a club player moving onto a collegiate athlete at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her passion for coaching was further shaped by watching her father, PC Hall of Fame coach Ken Jenkins, mentor and challenge young athletes to grow into hardworking, successful individuals.

Like her father, Jenkins is committed to developing student-athletes both on and off the court, emphasizing teamwork, discipline, and a lifelong love for the game.