![Kent School Boys Varsity Soccer]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1696079932/kentschooledu/xfdghlddfcyns3i9bmhd/BoysVarsitySoccer20231.jpg","width":2200}])
Meet the head coaches of our fall varsity teams and learn more about their approach to developing student-athletes. Click on their name to send them an email, or the sport to see more information about the program.
"For me, coaching, like teaching, is a chance to help people do more than they can do at the outset, a chance to see personal growth in action," says Girls Cross Country Coach Andrew Baird. "As young athletes work and make progress, they gain confidence in their ability to do challenging things. I like to help encourage and support young runners through setbacks and anxieties, and I enjoy watching them take the resilience and confidence they gain into other parts of their everyday lives."
"Cross country is measurable and simple. There’s nothing more fun than a race where the real competition is the clock, the course, and sometimes your own inner mental states. In fact, the other team, the other runner, is your greatest encouragement and source of strength. The camaraderie among teammates and competitors is wonderful to watch in action. I love a great workout or race where maybe you’ve improved your time by a few seconds or maybe not. No matter — the feeling of putting in your best effort and surviving, not succumbing, to discomfort is a feeling of accomplishment that can’t be beat."
"I love seeing the progress that every runner makes over the course of a season. I love the process. Sometimes it’s the little things — someone rebounding from injury, someone following a disappointing race with a successful one, a teammate supporting another teammate. I hope runners can look back and see value in both the ups and downs and recognize that the most important thing to do is to keep going.”
Andrew Baird, Girls Cross Country
A graduate of Wesleyan University, Coach Duncan was a four-year starter in both field hockey and lacrosse. Her senior year she was elected co-captain of her field hockey squad, was selected to the first team All-NESCAC, and was honored as a national All-American. Duncan played field hockey internationally in Holland, Germany, and Australia, and has worked at camps with the former head coach of the U.S. Women’s National and Olympic Field Hockey Team. Coach Duncan has served as the head varsity coach at Kent since 2007. She coaches with passion and over the last 15 years at Kent she has had several successful seasons. Highlights include two trips to the NEPSAC Class A tournament and her teams winning back-to-back Founders League Field Hockey Championships in 2016 and 2017.
"Coaching field hockey is by far one of my favorite aspects about working at Kent,” says Coach Duncan. “I’m super passionate about the sport having played in high school, college, and internationally. I love the fact that the sport doesn’t lend itself to superstars, so the group needs to work together. As a coach, that gives me a tremendous opportunity to focus on teamwork. I use the sport to teach life lessons about perseverance, respect for yourself and others, and goal setting.“
"Each season the traditions and expectations have been passed down to the next group of incoming athletes and the program is a special part of the overall Kent experience for every girl who is part of it,” says Coach Duncan. “Off the field, we emphasize teamwork and supporting each other, knowing that the bond will help our team when it’s a close game. Each year the girls look forward to cheesy pasta and cookie night at my house and our yearly chili dinner at Mama K’s house.”
Coach Duncan is a full-time member of the Science Department where she teaches Chemistry and Advanced Psychology. She is fortunate enough to live with her husband and two little boys, Blake and Jaxon.
"An important aspect of the field hockey squad is the focus on perseverance, respect for self and others, and most importantly, character development.”
Cortney Duncan, Girls Field Hockey
Boys Varsity Soccer Head Coach Kevin Fitzsimmons, a native of Liverpool U.K., started his coaching career at Manchester United Football Club.
Coach Fitzsimmons' professional coaching career spans 30 years and multiple continents. Before arriving in the US in 2004, Coach Fitzsimmons worked with the U18 national team of Thailand. During his nearly 20 years of coaching in the US, he has coached at every level from college, club, high school, and youth. At Coach Fitzsimmons' previous school, he was awarded Conference Coach of the Year on four separate occasions. His high school team won three conference finals, six division championships, one conference runner-up and one state cup runner-up, the most successful period in the school's 50-year history.
"Like all young budding soccer enthusiasts I dreamt of one day becoming a professional soccer player,” says Coach Fitzsimmons. “Although that never materialized, I do believe coaching has given me the next best thing and more. I always had a passion for soccer, and from coaching, I have found a deeper love and understanding of the game. Connecting and transforming young people's lives through the experiences of playing soccer, being part of a team, and self-sacrifice for the bigger objective has really transformed my thinking, aspirations, and focus.”
“Kent’s soccer program has a rich history of team and player success. When Kent approached me to become their new head coach I jumped at the opportunity. To be given the chance to try and continue the legacy of this great school and program is such an honor.”
"Kent soccer is renowned throughout the boarding school world but our goal now is to set new standards so the bar will be raised even higher, whether that's on the pitch, in the classroom, or in everyday life.”
Coach Fitzsimmons is also an Associate Director of Admissions for Kent School and he and his wife, Giesele, have two children, Kieran and Greta.
Kevin Fitzsimmons, Boys Soccer
"I love volleyball — It is a lifelong sport for me! I've been able to play in various adult leagues over the years. Coaching is a great opportunity to spread my love of the sport and to help students to hone their skills. I also strongly believe that a young person, especially young women, should not have to apologize for being competitive and wanting to be strong and powerful. Most of all, the love of teamwork and camaraderie is a gift that they can give to each other on the court. I hope to see them continue to grow as the season progresses and find momentum to build the program going forward.”
Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach Kendra Galusha has taught math at Kent for a combined 15 years over two separate tenures. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Houghton College. In addition to teaching math and coaching volleyball, Coach Galusha has coached lacrosse and basketball.
Kendra Galusha, Girls Volleyball
Varsity Football Head Coach Ben Martin brings a wealth of coaching experience to Kent School, most recently serving as assistant offensive line coach for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals.
During his 20-year career, Coach Martin has coached at every level of football. His passion for football has led him on a journey across the country and has included multiple championships (2002-2005, Trinity College), a Cotton Bowl (2010, Texas A&M), and the Super Bowl (2021, Cincinnati Bengals) while fostering positive, lasting relationships with his athletes at every stop along the way.
"Twenty years ago, I knew I wanted to be a great coach,” says Coach Martin, “But subconsciously I always wanted to be a better father. Having achieved the lifelong dream of coaching in a Super Bowl and making the sacrifices in life to do so, I now know I am fully committed to making a greater impact on the student-athlete experience at Kent School.”
"I am grateful and honored to be Kent’s Head Football Coach because it provides a great balance. Our founding motto—Simplicity of Life, Directness of Purpose, Self-Reliance—is what excites me the most! The authenticity of Kent’s faculty and staff has been the most welcomed part of my new life at Kent.”
"Kent Football will pride itself on never being satisfied because we are always competing with the intent to evolve every day.”
Coach Martin is also a member of Kent’s Marketing and Communications Office and he and his wife Joanna have two children: MacGregor (Mac) Harriette (Hattie).
Olivia Pena is the Head Coach of Girls Varsity Soccer at Kent School. Prior to Kent, Coach Pena graduated from Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA, winning two Class C NEPSAC Championships and one Class B NEPSAC Championship during her high school career. Coach Pena earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Bowdoin College with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies, where she was also named to the NESCAC All-Academic team four times as a soccer player.
Coach Pena values the multiplicity, diversity, and strengths within each student at Kent. Regardless of each player's strengths and weaknesses, Coach Pena explains that her "favorite part of coaching at Kent is the culture that empowers and encourages each member of the community to be their best while still acknowledging and supporting individuals in the areas that need support. As a coach, my job is to help shape and facilitate an environment in which my players feel cared for, challenged, and supported by all those around them!
Coach Pena's coaching philosophy is to create a team that operates as a system that highlights the strengths of each member while minimizing the effects of the areas of our team that need development. In order to create such a system, the focus must be centered on technique, support, and communication.
In addition to coaching Girls Varsity Soccer, Coach Pena works in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, teaches English, and coaches Girls Varsity Tennis.
"It is always encouraging to see individual progress over the course of the season. I appreciate the effort that goes into running, and love to see excitement in the guys when they find success.”
Boys Cross Country Coach Jeremy Sokolnicki, a longtime science teacher at Kent School, also coaches golf in the spring.