Elmira College Announces Appointment of Kaitlyn Mallernee as Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Elmira, NY -- Pat Thompson, Elmira College Vice President of Athletics, announced the appointment of Kaitlyn Mallernee as head women's soccer coach. Mallernee takes over the Elmira College women's soccer program following the team's most successful season in a decade.
"Coach Mallernee brings new energy and excitement to our women's soccer program" said Thompson. "Our team has continued to progress, but still has untapped potential that with initiative and recruiting will keep us moving in the right direction."
"My feelings and thoughts after accepting the position at Elmira College were everywhere in an exceptionally positive way" said Mallernee. "There was a rush of excitement that even carried on for a couple of days and luckily it was a holiday weekend that I was able to continue that mental state of giddiness. Of course there is this bittersweet feeling with it all, moving on from my Kenyon family but also riveting to be creating new family members. I can already tell that this is going to be a wonderful group of ladies I am about to coach. I truly am looking forward to the first day of training - where it all begins."
Mallernee spent the last two years as an assistant coach at Kenyon College, leading the Ladies to a 13-8-1 record in 2014, a season that culminated with a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title, the team's second conference championship in program history, and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.
In her two years with Kenyon, she coached 12 players to NCAC All-Conference honors, including six First Team, two Second Team, and four Honorable Mention selections. She also helped guide one of her players to back-to-back NCAC Player of the Year accolades as well as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Great Lakes Region Team selection.
Mallernee's coaching success was not limited to the field, however, as the Kenyon women received a handful of academic honors during her time in Gambier, OH. She helped lead Kenyon to an NSCAA Team Academic Award for the 2013-14 academic year and placed two athletes on the NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Team as well.
A 2010 graduate of the University of Mount Union, Mallernee returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. During her time on the coaching staff, she helped the program continue its growth as the Purple Raiders recorded eight victories in 2011, the most wins the program had seen since 2003.
After a two-year stint with Mount Union, Mallernee served as an assistant coach for the Dover High School Girls Soccer team for two years, helping lead her team to its first-ever regional championship game after claiming both section and district titles.
During her four-year playing career with Mount Union, Mallernee was the starting goalkeeper for the Purple Raiders. She registered the second-most saves in program history at 432 and posted a 1.82 goals against average. She was a two-year captain of the team and a three-time Most Valuable Player. In addition, in 2008, Mallernee was an All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Honorable Mention selection.
Additional Q&A with Coach Mallernee
Q: What are your goals and expectations for the soccer program?
A: It is hard to narrow down on simple goals right now because I just want so much for this team. Given our numbers, I would have to say that staying healthy and having each individual contribute competitively will be important for this upcoming season. Obviously I would love to see us making it to post-season play, and I believe the team would agree. In order to see that through, I expect this team to stay strong as a family and show up each day with passion and heart. I have no doubts about us accomplishing that.
Q: How do you see yourself and the team accomplishing these goals?
A: One practice at a time. One game at a time. I can already feel how hungry this team is, and the desire to push themselves will come naturally. Offensively showing up will be something that will need to become second nature for us, having more than just a couple of key scorers. I know that for myself, I want to make sure that these players are able to see results with all of their hard work; whether that be finding the right combination to add goals onto the scoreboard, defensively shutting down goals, to simply seeing more minutes. Working hard together. Plain and simple - I want to see results, and doing everything that I can to help drive them in order to make that happen. I cannot stress enough how important team unity and creating a family type culture is - but also focusing in on little things, the basics, are going to be what improves us.