Xiomara Toledo Officially Named Head Coach of Muhlenberg Girls Basketball
- Sean McBryan
- May 23
- 3 min read
Xiomara Toledo became Muhlenberg High School girls basketball's interim head coach after Wes Giddens stepped down in December.
Interim has now been removed from that title.
Toledo was officially named the next head coach of the Muhls following approval at a school board meeting on May 14.
The 27-year-old teaches fourth grade in the Muhlenberg School District and lives in the Gov. Mifflin School District. She attended Reading Area Community College and Kutztown University for higher education.
“I’m all Berks County through and through," Toledo said via phone Monday. "I'm in a unique position that allows me to reach kids at every level.”
In high school, Toledo played three seasons of varsity basketball at Fleetwood and her senior season at Berks Catholic. She scored 808 career points and her teams went 81-28 overall, playing with Berks greats and 1,000-point scorers such as Cyre Virgo, Devon Merritt, and Lauren Lister.
"Playing with Fleetwood and playing with Berks Catholic, the team chemistry was there," Toledo said. "That's why I continue to put that into my philosophy and making sure that the girls are playing with team chemistry, remembering that we're a family and that we have one common goal, which is to win basketball games and to make it far into the season."
The Muhls finished 2-10 in Berks I and 6-16 overall last season, going 4-9 with Toledo at the helm after stepping in midseason. Giddens went 18-35 overall in four seasons leading the Muhls.
Muhlenberg has not finished with a winning record or made the county playoffs since the 2016-17 season.
Now officially in charge, Toledo is determined to rewrite the narrative and lead Muhlenberg back to the postseason.
“I’d like to see my girls in the county playoffs this coming season," she said. "I really want the girls to improve their team chemistry and to start believing in themselves, that they deserve a spot at the table.”
There were positives last year as Muhlenberg defeated Berks runner-up Gov. Mifflin on January 21 and nearly beat Berks champion Reading High three days later.
“It was a smooth transition. I’ve been with the girls for the last six years," said Toledo, who has been with the team as a volunteer and JV coach before joining the varsity staff. "The girls took really well to my leadership, and they executed what we went over at practices.”
The Muhls have been on the brink of qualifying for the district tournament on multiple occasions in the past few years. The next step is removing words and phrases like "nearly" and "on the brink" from the narrative.
“Muhlenberg has definitely been the underdog," Toledo said. "But I think it’s time we lay that foundation to let it be known we’re here to play.”
Rising 2028 sophomore and multi-sport athlete Kenleigh Brill is a good building block and rising 2026 senior Lianna Martir is one of the league's top scorers when healthy.
Brill averaged 8.9 ppg during her freshman season while converting 75.9-percent of her free throws, the fourth-highest percentage in Berks. Martir averaged a team-high 9.1 ppg with 30 3s, finding her groove down the stretch after dealing with an ankle injury in the beginning of the season.
"I expect Kenleigh to continue to grow, to continue to become a better athlete," Toledo said. "And she's already an incredible athlete. I'm very excited for Lianna. She is now a senior, so I expect leadership and to really uplift the younger girls."
Toledo feels she has the opportunity to develop a strong youth program with her role as a teacher in the elementary school system and lifelong connection to Berks County. She plans to focus on building relationships with her athletes with the goal of winning games, but realizes that's not the end-all, be-all to success.
"I’m hoping to improve their basketball skills and their basketball IQ, but at the end of the day, I’m also preparing them for life outside of basketball and school,” she said.