Meet the head coaches of our winter 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.

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A priority of ours is to bring a team approach to an individual sport. Diving requires an incredible amount of focus, precision, and fortitude. The Kent diving team is a place where students become athletes and challenge themselves to improve each and every day, while loving what they do. Many of our divers learned how to dive at Kent!

Over the course of the season, we work together both on land and in the pool. We utilize dry land training to build flexibility and bodily awareness. Each day, we practice on the board, applying technology to help each athlete understand how it feels is not always how it looks. There are several cameras on the pool deck that are connected to an iPad and then projected onto a large TV so the divers can see themselves immediately and repeatedly. We can instantly replay the dives from multiple angles and in slow motion.

We have a very tight-knit group of divers who care deeply about one other, and the sport in general. We strive for excellence both in the pool and in the community, working to develop both fine athletes and fine citizens for the future.

Max Butler, Diving

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The philosophy of Girls Swimming at Kent is simple: improve your times through a commitment and dedication to consistently working at a championship level both in and out of the pool.

Though swimming is, in many ways, an individual sport, at Kent we also emphasize the importance of the team in a swimmer’s success. Through the leadership of the team’s captains, the girls support, encourage, and cheer for each other as they progress through the season.

We focus on improving our swimmers’ strength, endurance, and technique through a regimented training program that involves dry-land and weight training workouts combined with time in the pool. In addition, we strive to teach our swimmers to be confident student-athletes who support and challenge themselves in all areas of life at Kent.

Victoria Callahan, Girls Swimming

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Having coached young men in the game of basketball for nearly a quarter century, Jason Coulombe excitedly accepted the offer to take the reins of our young women’s program in February 2020.

In the 10 years that he and his wife, Teri Freeman, led our boys program from 2008 until he stepped down in 2018, our program recorded the most victories in the large-school classification of the NEPSAC, the country’s most competitive basketball league, winning the New England title in 2010; and 62 of his teams’ members went on to compete athletically at academically rigorous college and universities, with some developing into professional players. “After stepping down from leading our boys’ program in 2018, my head and heart were never far from the game I love,” said Coach Coulombe. “So I’m grateful to the School for asking me to lead our wonderful girls program and to have the opportunity to return it to the top of the NEPSAC.” Coach Coulombe emphasizes that his top priority as the leader of Kent Girls Basketball is to ensure that the team members are always aware of our purpose and are constantly reinforcing our family’s culture.

“Our purpose is clear—to prepare our young women to truly thrive, not just for the next four years of their lives after Kent, but for the rest of their lives. While the majority of our young women will go on to compete athletically in college and even beyond, our primary job as coaches is to help them find and embrace their true selves, supporting one another along the way.”

Jason Coulombe, Girls Basketball

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Head Coach Sam Ftorek brings a wealth of coaching and playing experience to Kent School. During his 17-year playing career, Coach Ftorek played over 1,000 games in both the US and Europe. He then coached professionally for three years before stepping into schools. In his last two years coaching pro, his team led the league in number of players promoted to the next level and games played at the next level by those players. This teaching of the game and desire to improve his players on and off the ice is why schools were a logical step.

“When I was younger, I wanted to win at all costs. I sacrificed so much to achieve that and was driven to be my best,” says Coach Ftorek. “It was when I was older, with the support of my family that I achieved many things I never dreamed possible. I was also able to spend more time helping my younger teammates achieve their goals. Being a mentor and positive influence over the course of a season, was more important than a single victory. To be able to have a lasting positive effect on teammates and now student-athletes is my goal here at Kent.”

“It is my great pleasure to be able to coach amazing student-athletes here at Kent. There is such a sense of pride and community here that the players have no choice but to play with passion and intensity. That is something we demand daily, but that is also the style of play they want to show their peers when attending games. The victories are felt all over campus and the smiles are contagious.”

“Kent hockey prides itself on preparing our players for the next level on and off the ice, whatever level that may be,” Coach Ftorek continues. “We do this while creating a healthy but competitive environment, and working every day towards a championship.”

Sam Ftorek, Girls Hockey

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Head Coach Paul Lee is a graduate of Columbia University where he was the captain of the 1986 Lion basketball team. After a brief career on Wall St., Lee entered the coaching profession and spent thirty years at the Division I level at such prestigious institutions as Columbia University in the Ivy League and Northwestern University in the Big Ten. In his words, “Our goal is to impart the knowledge and experience gained in those years to the student-athletes at Kent to best prepare them for the rigors that await them at the next level. Our focus is to attract, challenge, and support young men of special character, superior physical talent, and intellectual acuity, and to nurture those traits in order to help them reach their full potential in all facets of their life.”

Now in his sixth season in the prep school ranks, Coach Lee continues to build his vision of what a successful program should represent. “Kent basketball operates like a college program with an emphasis on individual skill development, film analysis and, most importantly incorporating those individual talents into the team concept. At Kent, we play the game hard and smart, and will not be outworked or outschemed by our opponents.”Coach Lee utilizes the contacts he made over a 30-year collegiate career to increase and expand the visibility of those student-athletes who aspire to further their athletic and academic careers beyond their years at Kent.

Paul Lee, Boys Basketball

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Head Coach Dale Reinhardt has served as the head coach of the Boys Varsity Hockey Team at Kent School since 2013. Before Kent, he served as an assistant coach at Canterbury School, and at his alma mater, College of the Holy Cross, at the NCAA D-I level.

While at Holy Cross he was a four-year letter-winner and voted assistant captain for his senior season. He helped the Crusaders to an Atlantic Hockey Championship in 2006 and a berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA D-I Tournament. In 2008, he was a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award, which honors the attributes of community, classroom, character, and competition. After his collegiate career, Coach Reinhardt played professional hockey for the affiliates of the Anaheim Ducks (Bakersfield Condors) and LA Kings (Ontario Reign) in the ECHL. He has worked with USA Hockey’s select national festivals since 2009. During his tenure at Kent, he has coached the Lions to two Earl/Martin Large School New England Championships (2019, 2022) and a Founders League Championship (2014).

In his words, Coach Reinhardt and his coaching staff aim to "attract great people and help to create a culture that allows them to continue to grow and develop into young adults that we are proud to see wearing the Kent Lion. Our school's mission is to 'educate our students intellectually, socially, ethically, and spiritually so that they will be prepared to contribute to the common good in the world beyond Kent School.' That helps to guide us in our approach to working with our players."

Furthermore, Coach Reinhardt sees the importance of "creating an environment that allows for these student-athletes to put an emphasis on their academics and to have that work in concert with their athletic aspirations. Additionally, with an understanding of the goals our players have in the hockey arena, we aim to partner with them to meet their individual goals within the framework of our team goals."

Dale Reinhardt, Boys Hockey

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Kent swimming aims to grow each individual through emphasis on teamwork. While talent is important, each athlete’s dedication to his teammates is what builds motivation, chemistry, and integrity, ultimately providing the platform upon which the individuals can thrive. Practice is more than rigorous drylands and swimming set after set in order to get into shape. It is where leaders are born. It is where lifelong relationships are formed. It is where the differences in our swimmers’ diverse backgrounds blur and one cohesive unit emerges as the focus is narrowed to common goals. It is where character is built and impressed not only as a means to faster swimming, but to maturing into better citizens on and off the pool deck.

A decade into coaching the swim team at Kent, Coach Stephen Robey believes that swimming presents a unique opportunity for Kent student-athletes to challenge themselves as individuals while contributing to a group dynamic and, ultimately, a team.

“Our swimmers improve the technical elements of their swimming and racing while training together,” says Coach Robey. “As the number of yards swum increases with each practice, it is great to see the swimmers grow and develop while their times drop.”

Steve Robey, Boys Swimming

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Squash is a sport where a committed athlete can learn the game and achieve varsity status during his tenure at Kent. Squash is very much a game for life, an activity that can be learned readily with accrued rewards for as long as one remains active in the sport. We help our students become the very best players they can, while keeping practices fun.

Team members look forward to getting on the courts and take pride in improving their skills as they compete in one of the most challenging conferences in New England. Our players understand that aside from a desire to do their very best, they are expected to demonstrate the highest level of sportsmanship and respect both for the game and their opponents.

"Each squash season represents an opportunity for every member of the team to develop as a player, as a teammate, and as a citizen," says Head Coach Nikhil Seth.

"Kent Squash, even with our recent success, is a work in progress as we challenge ourselves and each other to perform at a high level and also to demonstrate sportsmanship and a love for the game. Working with these students and watching them navigate all of the ups and downs of a season is a true honor."

Nikhil Seth, Boys Squash

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Kent boasts the state-of-the-art Bourke Racquet Center with eight international courts, two of which are exhibition courts. These courts are open to our students year-round and inspire our girls to bring their best to the court. The determination and work ethic required to excel in Kent Girls Squash carries over into the classroom as well.

We encourage our players to match their intense individual focus to their deep caring for the team; the self-discipline and camaraderie that results from striking that balance is remarkable. Squash is a lifetime sport, and our girls learn to treasure the sport and the friendships they develop on the court for years to come.

Toni Weeks, Girls Squash