August 18, 2008

LAURINBURG, N.C.—St. Andrews Presbyterian College Athletics has announced several changes within its department for the new school year including Keith Williams taking on the additional title of assistant athletic director with added responsibilities in the areas of outdoor facilities and game management. The Knights athletics department has also added eight new assistants for the upcoming school year.

“I am impressed with the overall quality of the new assistant coaches we have been able to add to our program and am pleased to announce that every sport program now has an assistant coach,” said Brian Mand, St. Andrews Director of Athletics. “This will help us with the recruitment and retention of quality student-athletes, a tradition at St. Andrews. They stand out as a group that is committed to the overall development of student-athletes, with four possessing advanced degrees. They will fit right in and compliment the returning assistant coaches. Assistant coaches work hard behind the scenes and are vital to the continued success of St Andrews athletics, as demonstrated by three of last year’s assistant coaches being promoted to head coaching positions and assistant men’s lacrosse coach Tim Murphy also being selected to serve as a Resident Advisor by the Office of Student Affairs.”

Administrative Changes

Williams enters his second year as head coach of the St. Andrews baseball program. He will now oversee the outdoor facilities and assist with game management. In his first year at SAPC, Williams has already made several major improvements to the Clark Baseball Field on campus including adding a new fence around the whole field including new foul poles and redesigning the dugout areas on both sides of the stadium.

Jim Blair, assistant baseball coach under Williams, has also been promoted to associate head coach for baseball while also taking on additional responsibilities with game management.

“In the short time that he has been at St. Andrews, Keith has distinguished himself, not only as an outstanding coach, but also in the administrative area,” said Mand. “His creativity and determination to further enhance the quality of not only baseball, but also our other outdoor facilities, made him a natural to assume the additional administrative responsibilities for these two important areas. Jim Blair has exemplified what an assistant coach should represent with his hard work and loyalty to the program and will assume primary responsibility for game day operations. In addition to his tireless recruiting efforts this past year, he also found time to complete his Master’s degree this summer.”

Loren Cornish, C.P.A, assistant professor of accounting at St. Andrews, has been named the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) for the Knights.

“Loren Cornish has demonstrated to be a caring and committed faculty member and his work on the Athletics and Physical Facilities Sub-Committee made him a natural to fill the Faculty Athletic Representative position caused by the departure of Dr. Linda Schoonmaker,” added Mand.

New Assistant Coaches

Williams added one new assistant coach to help with the baseball program. Daniel Hadra played collegiate baseball under Coach Blair at Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, Va.) before graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Hadra also served as an assistant coach for the Tigers in 2007/08.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to add Coach Hadra to our staff,” said Williams. “He brings a high level of enthusiasm and is eager to enter the collegiate coaching ranks. Danny brings playing experience from an excellent college program and has a brother who also coaches at the college level, so he knows the effort it takes to be successful at this level.”

Fourth year head coach Dan Kreiger adds assistant coach Megan Goss to the St. Andrews volleyball program. Goss graduated from Penn State Altoona (Altoona, Pa.) in December of 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, where she was a four-year starting defensive specialist. Goss has shattered most defensive records for the Lions while being a multiple academic award student-athlete at Altoona. She has coaching experience with the NBC Camps nationwide.

“We are excited to have Megan in our program,” said Kreiger. “She just finished an incredible playing career and knows how to win. I am looking forward to the impact that she will have both on the court and as a recruiter.”

Third year head softball coach Elizabeth Burris has added Kristin Hall as assistant coach for the upcoming year. Hall joins the Lady Knights softball staff after spending the past three years as an assistant coach at Schreiner University (Kerrville, Texas). Hall also played four years on the Mountaineers softball team before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science. She continued her education with a Master’s degree from Texas State University.

“We are very excited to have Kristin join us,” said Burris. “She has a wealth of knowledge and experience which is will be very beneficial for our team.”

Third year head wrestling coach Joe Baranik brings in his first full-time assistant coach for the 2008/09 season. Reuben Daniels joins the Knights staff after spending the past couple years as an assistant coach at Summerville High School and as a volunteer coach at The Citadel. Daniels graduated from Appalachian State University (Boone, N.C.) in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Habilitative Science and is still wrestling competitively having recently participated in the Olympic trials for the Beijing Olympics.

“I am pleased to add Reuben Daniels to our staff,” said Baranik.  “Daniels competed at the division I level for Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and won the Southern Conference for Appalachian State at the 285-pound weight class where he earned his degree. He will be a huge asset in all aspects of coaching for our program.”

First year head coach Jim Walters announced the appointment of Aaron Thompson as the new assistant track & field and cross country coach at St. Andrews. Thompson recently earned his Master’s Degree at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise & Sports Science and Recreation Management/Administration at UNCP, while also competing on the Braves track & field team. Thompson gained valuable coaching experience as an assistant coach at Neosho County Community College (Chanute, Kan.) in 2007.

“I am very excited and fortunate to have Aaron Thompson join our men's and women's track & field and cross country programs,” said Walters. “Coach Thompson's coaching experience at the AAU and junior college level as well as his participation in Division II athletics will prove very valuable in coaching and recruiting.  Coach Thompson's duties will include, coaching the sprint and jumping events, along with having distance and mid-distance responsibilities.”

First year head men’s basketball coach Richie Schueler brings in a pair of new coaches for the 2008/09 school year. Troy Forbes will be added to the Knights men’s basketball staff as Associate Head Coach. Forbes spent five seasons as the assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, Ill.). He also has coaching experience as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State University and Northwest Missouri State University. Forbes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education - Mathematics at Emporia State while playing on the Hornets basketball team. Forbes also has a Master’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

“I am very pleased to hire Troy Forbes as our Associate Head Coach,” said Schueler. “Troy has several years of coaching experience with a strong reputation for his recruiting efforts and development of basketball players. He is a tireless worker who emphasizes all aspects of the student-athlete experience.”

Schueler has also hired Brandon Williams as an assistant coach for the Knights men’s basketball team. Williams joins the St. Andrews athletics department after spending the past year as a student assistant coach and head junior varsity coach at Methodist University (Fayetteville, N.C.). Williams played on the Monarchs hoops team for four years before graduating from Methodist with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management.

Schueler added, “I am excited that Brandon has joined our staff to continue his young coaching career. Brandon is eager to hit the ground running and get his feet wet coaching in our program. He is a man of integrity who is known for stressing academics to his former players.”

Second year head men’s and women’s golf coach Lisa Becka has also announced Lorna Miedema as an assistant coach for both programs for the upcoming season. Miedema was a volunteer assistant for Becka last year. Miedema is a current member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), Canadian Professional Golf Association (CPGA), Royal Canadian Golf Association Tour (RCGA), and Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA). Miedema played collegiate golf for Purdue University ( West Lafayette, Ind.), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communications & Telecommunications. Miedema also has a law degree from Barry University and will be teaching Risk Management and Legal Aspects in Sport in the sports studies department.

“I feel very fortunate to have such an accomplished individual who has chosen to be a part of this golf program,” said Becka. “Lorna is a great communicator, an outstanding motivator and an incredibly effective instructor. I call her ‘Dr. Golf’ because she holds a juris doctorate as well. I’m really glad that our student-athletes benefit from her being a part of our teams!”