Gator athletics hires fall assistant coaches

Football, Tennis, Women’s Soccer and Track bring in new staff

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.04.11 PM

Kyle Derickson, Offensive Coordinator

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Derickson: I was a history major and the history here is awesome, from being 200 years old to the football history. I also wanted to learn from experience and [Mark] Matlak has that.

Campus:  What is your favorite part of coaching?

Derickson: Hanging out with the guys and getting to talk about life. Sports relate to everyday life and that always stuck with me.

Campus: What are your goals for the season?

Derickson: I want the guys to have fun, enjoy the game, and go out and play hard. I want them to come out with a winning attitude regardless of the stat sheet.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Derickson: My football coach was a mentor and encouraged me to major in education and got me into coaching. I was teaching high school after college but have more fun in the football classroom.

Campus: What do you think are benefits to playing DIII?

Derickson: With DIII you learn time management… Playing DIII is playing for the love of the game, and I hope they choose a job they love and they will love their families. They aren’t being paid to play and they won’t be paid to be a family man.

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.04.31 PM

 

Mike Deitrick, Tight Ends Coach

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Deitrick: The football program has a great tradition and with the academics here, it was the right fit.

Campus: What is your favorite part of coaching?

Deitrick: Being on the field with the players and helping them prepare for the game and put it together.

Campus: What are your goals for the season?

Deitrick: One, that the players are always prepared. And second that we win as much as possible.

Campus: Where were you before Allegheny?

Deitrick: I was playing at Clarion University.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Deitrick: I love the game and it is something that I have always wanted to do.

Campus: What do you think are benefits to playing DIII?

Deitrick: It allows more focus academically and there is more of an adjustment period.

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.04.43 PM

Cody Schultz, Defensive Line Coach

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Schultz: The school is good and I played DIII athletics… School is hard enough, you only play if you really love football. There is the potential to do great things, meet coaches who are great guys that you want to work with.

Campus: What is your favorite part of coaching?

Schultz:  Helping young men, we aren’t teaching just football but learning the essentials of life.

Campus: What are your goals for the season?

Schultz: Take it step-by-step and focus on what is in front of us not the big picture. The program has not had success in the past few years but you have to start somewhere, with the little things to take on the bigger things. I want the team to have fun playing, football is a fun game, and learn from the coaches. And of course, we want to win.

Campus:  What made you want to coach?

Schultz: The impact my coaches had one me, I had coaches on both ends of the spectrum, positive and negative. You have to have the right coach who wants to help young men for the right reasons, and I get to be invovled in the sport still.

 

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.05.15 PM

 

Jonathan Morrow, Cross Country and Track & Field

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Morrow: I’m from not too far from here and knew it had good academics, and I am a believer in athletics and academics working together.

Campus:  What is your favorite part of coaching?

Morrow: Building relationships with the athletes and being a go-to resource for them on campus.

Campus: What are your goals for the rest of the season?

Morrow: To have all the athletes have personal bests and send more athletes to nationals than last year.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Morrow: As an undergrad I was an education major and I liked teaching but not being stuck in a classroom all day.

Campus: What are you looking forward to at Allegheny?

Morrow: Getting to work with a new group of athletes who are smart and happy to have me.

Campus: What do you think are benefits to playing DIII?

Morrow: Learning time management and prioritization, and how to work well with others in a team environment.

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.05.37 PM

 

Alex Covington, Tennis

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Covington: It was a good opportunity for me. I did research on the team and they are good, and a team I can grow along with.

Campus:  What is your favorite part of coaching?

Covington: The interactions with players and helping them improve their game. Building up the team bond and enjoying the experience for the whole team.

Campus: What are your goals for the season?

Covington: I want to improve where we can and work hard to find success on the court. I want everyone to have a positive season whether we win or not.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Covington: I have been playing since I was four and I love the game. I hurt my shoulder my senior year of college and didn’t play for a while and I missed it. I loved coaching and wanted it back.

Campus: What are you looking forward to at Allegheny?

Covington: I’m looking forward to the whole season, new experiences and learning a lot. Whether you are a player or a coach, you learn every time you step onto the court.

Campus: What do you think are benefits to playing DIII?

Covington: There’s more purity to the sport. Players are not obligated by scholarship, and they really want to be involved.

 

Screen Shot 2015-08-20 at 1.05.54 PM

 

Pam Monnier, Women’s Soccer

Campus: Why did you decide to come coach at Allegheny?

Monnier: For me it was my previous experience. I was at Vassar, and I went to a very athletic school and Allegheny really bridges athletics and academics which creates an overall better experience.

Campus: What is your favorite part of coaching?

Monnier: It comes down to the interaction with students and bringing in student athletes who leave prepared as a human being for the real world, from 18-year-old freshman students to 21-year-old seniors preparing to leave.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Monnier: The idea of being able to interact with athletes. I was a physical education major and with athletics you have students who want to be here and commit to getting better each day.

Campus: What are you looking forward to at Allegheny?

Monnier: I was living in a bigger city before and getting back to the small town feel and the community that Meadville has. This is a place where there are other coaches my age and I look forward to building friendships with them. I also want to learn from Coach [Michael] Webber, he has a culture set and is a big part of why I came here.

Campus: What do you think are benefits to playing DIII?

Monnier: The student athlete experience. They find a balance of pursuing what they want to do after college and develop characteristics for real life. DIII is more inclusive, and the athletes want to be here, they aren’t pushing through for the scholarship.