Athletic News

Kennesaw State University scored its first touchdown on Wednesday when the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia voted to approve the University’s request to add football to its 17-sport NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program. Kennesaw State university officials anticipate that 2015 will be the team’s first year of competition. “This is an exciting day for Kennesaw State and a milestone that is the culmination of the hard work and support from many individuals on and off campus,” said Kennesaw State President Daniel S. Papp. “We want to thank the regents for their continued support of the vision we share for the University. The addition of football at Kennesaw State will help bring positive national recognition to the University and strengthen the sense of pride and connection among students, alumni, and the community-at-large.” The news of Kennesaw State's football team stands as a wonderful example of the continuous growth of Kennesaw State University. Black and Gold, Proud and Bold!

One of the top up and coming talents in the volleyball community, Schunzel comes to Kennesaw State from the University of Kentucky where he spent the past two seasons as the Wildcats’ lead assistant under head coach Craig Skinner. “We are delighted and thrilled about the hiring of Coach Schunzel,” said Kennesaw State Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. “I am extremely confident that we have hired the perfect fit to take our volleyball program to the next level.” “I am incredibly excited and grateful to join the Kennesaw State athletics family,” said Schunzel. “This is a thriving university and welcoming community. I first want to express my sincere gratitude to KSU Athletic Director Vaughn Williams, the search committee led by Scott Whitlock, and the many others involved in this process. While at Kentucky, Schunzel helped lead the Wildcats to a 50-17 record in two seasons, including a pair NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 showings. He served as the offensive coordinator while working primarily with the team’s setters, helping boost the UK offense to one of the best in the nation during his tenure. Schunzel also worked as the team’s liaison to the compliance department as well as overseeing scheduling, planning practices and opponent scouting. During the 2012 season, the Wildcats compiled a 22-11 overall and recorded NCAA Tournament victories over East Tennessee State and Ohio State before falling to Penn State in the third round. Kentucky concluded the year ranked No. 20 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) final poll. “Kennesaw State hit a home run in hiring Keith,” Skinner said. “He has an unbelievable IQ and passion for the game that will inevitably lead the program to new heights. His work ethic is outstanding, and he will be a great example for the team to follow. We are excited for Keith and his family to begin this new chapter in their lives.”

Another tradition was launched in a year of firsts when the Kennesaw State University Department of Athletics hosted the first-ever Flight Night at the KSU Convocation Center on Saturday, Oct. 13. A spirited and energetic crowd was treated to the unveiling of the new-look Owls mascot, Scrappy, the debut of the Kennesaw State cheerleading and dance squads, and the introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Other highlights included scrimmages by both teams, a slam dunk contest featuring Markeith Cummings, Jordan Montgomery and Nigel Pruitt, and the introduction of the Homecoming Court. Flight Night was established to allow the Kennesaw State University community and surrounding communities an opportunity to get an early look at the men’s and women’s basketball teams before they open their respective 2012-13 seasons. It also coincided with this year’s Homecoming events. The men’s basketball team, under second-year head coach Lewis Preston, will see its first action of the season on Thursday, Nov. 1, when it hosts Piedmont in an exhibition at the KSU Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m. The Owls make their regular-season debut on Friday, Nov. 9, when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena. Under first-year head coach Nitra Perry, the Kennesaw State women’s team opens its season on Friday, Nov. 2, when it welcomes Southern Poly Tech to the KSU Convocation Center for an exhibition beginning at 6 p.m. The Owls tip off their regular season at Middle Tennessee State in a first-round game of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:15 p.m.

Kennesaw State Owls press conference introducing the inaugural Lacrosse coach. Director of Athletics formally introduced Kristina Llanes to lead the Owls Lacrosse program on May 30, 2012.

Will Howard robs a homerun from ETSU in the bottom of the ninth on Senior Day.

It was a great day for the university as tours, sports demonstrations, giveaways, music and food highlighted the Phase Three opening of the KSU Sports & Recreation Park. The ribbon was cut by KSU student athletes running through it signifying that the KSU Sports and Recreation Park is open for business. “Another great day for Kennesaw State, but more importantly this is a great day for all the students at this tremendous institution,” Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams said. “This truly shows the commitment of our students to make this campus the best it can be.” The 88-acre facility is a beautiful addition to the Kennesaw State campus as it took almost three years for the full project to be completed. The building of the park was separated into three different phases. Phase one opened in October of 2009 with the 16,800-square-foot Owls Nest indoor training facility and lighted synthetic-turf fields and warm-up areas. Phase two was the opening of the 8,300 seat KSU Stadium, and the completion of the soccer and rugby practice fields in May of 2010. Lastly, phase three, which was just opened today, features a nine-acre lake, a .92-mile walking/jogging trail with three bridge features, three lighted synthetic-turf fields, a NCAA-regulation track, four regulation sand volleyball courts and a 9,000-square-foot amenities building featuring multipurpose room, concessions, training room and officials room. “This is a great day for Kennesaw State University with the completion of this amazing facility,” Executive Director/General Manager of the KSU Sports and Recreation Park Marty Elliot said. “Essentially, the idea is for us to continue to serve the student population and then to work to put those students in places where they can help us turn the wheel for commercial and community events. This is all for the students, and the possibilities here are endless!” Concerts, festivals and community sporting and special events are also planned to further support the goals of student enrichment and community outreach. The KSU Sports and Recreation Park is funded by student fees. It was designed by Lose& Associates and Rossetti architects, and it was built by Choate Construction Company.

A press conference scheduled on Wednesday, April 25 at 11 a.m. in the KSU Convocation Center officially introduced Nitra Perry as the sixth head coach in the history of the Kennesaw State women’s basketball program. Perry spent her last four seasons on the University of Toledo’s coaching staff, including the 2011-12 season when she was named the Associate Head Coach. Toledo was 96-40 during her time at the school, including winning the postseason WNIT in 2011 and losing in the tournament’s quarterfinal this past year. She was also an assistant coach at Mississippi State from 2006-08 before heading to Toledo, and Perry started her coaching career as an administrative assistant for recruiting at Georgia Tech in 2004. Perry succeeds Colby Tilley, who retired in March. Kennesaw State went 14-17 in 2011-12 and was 290-208 in Tilley’s 17 years as head coach. She graduated from Mississippi State in 2000, starring for the Lady Bulldogs. Perry traveled overseas to play professional basketball for two years, competing in Portugal in 2001 and Italy in 2002. She also competed for the Birmingham Power of the NWBL during 2003-04 before joining the coaching ranks.

KSU's Second Annual Diamond Dig sponsored by Shane Co. The first 300 fans 18 years of age and older were allowed to go onto the field and search for a loose diamond following the game.

The Kennesaw State Owls Softball team hosted the 4th Annual Lexi's Night on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 6pm. All proceeds from the game between the Owls and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets went to the Alexis Kaiser Foundation; who donated a customized bicycle for a child with special needs.

“This is the beginning of a new tradition at Kennesaw State,” said Vaughn Williams, KSU’s director of athletics. “I tell our students think about this moment 15, 25 years from now when you come back here as alumni, think about this moment, this time. When you come back to a reunion here and see us doing the cheer at basketball games and football games, remember you were here, you were part of it." The song was the brainchild of Professor Harry Price, director of KSU’s school of music, who approached Williams shortly after he was hired as athletic director last April. Price enlisted the aid of his former Virginia Tech colleague and composer James Sochinski, who has written songs for other universities. Drawing on the imagery of Kennesaw Mountain, along with the values and traditions of the South, the song is a punchy, high-impact, in-your-face ditty that resonates long after the music has stopped playing.

Flanked by Kennesaw State University Athletic Director Vaughn Williams, Scrappy the owl and representatives of the student government association, cheerleaders and dance squad, Kennesaw State President Daniel S. Papp signed an official proclamation to designate Friday, Sept. 2, as College Colors Day at Kennesaw State. Papp’s proclamation calls on the Kennesaw State community to show their school spirit by wearing Kennesaw State’s black and gold school colors on Sept. 2. The national event, now entering its sixth year, kicks off the fall semester’s intercollegiate athletics season and strives to advocate higher education through increased public awareness.

Kennesaw State University officials have named Lewis Preston, widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country, as the Owls new Head Men’s Basketball Coach. Preston, an assistant to Penn State’s Ed DeChellis for the past three years, also served as an assistant to Florida’s Billy Donovan when the Gators won the national championship in 2007 and was a member of Coach Mike Brey’s staff at Notre Dame. “The hiring of Lewis Preston represents a new chapter in the elevation of our basketball program, and we are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of our new coach,” Kennesaw State University President Daniel S. Papp said. “This appointment builds on the momentum within KSU Athletics that just keeps getting stronger.”

Dr. Tom King, Dr. Daniel Papp, and Vaughn Williams discuss the hiring process for the new athletic director of Kennesaw State University. Vaughn Williams, the new athletic director, also speaks on his life experiences and the future of KSU athletics.

A promotional advertisement that highlights the great success of Kennesaw State’s Women’s soccer team season by season, making light to their consistent regular season success and numerous postseason successes as well as the team continues to gain more and more success and attention amongst the world of college sports.

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony launches the opening of the new, 8,300-seat Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium, home to the KSU women’s soccer team and the Atlanta Beat Women’s Professional Soccer team. Festivities included live music, food concessions, tours of the stadium, soccer drills, photo ops, and appearances by the KSU and Atlanta Beat soccer players.

The new KSU Sports & Recreation Park formally opened its doors today amidst a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a coin toss, exhibitions of rugby, cheer, lacrosse and other club and intramural sports, and Open House tours of the new Owls Nest. The first phase of the KSU Sports & Recreation Park –– featuring two state-of-the-art synthetic-turf fields and the 16,000-square-foot Owls Nest indoor training facility –– was completed in late September. The new park spreads across a 14-acre parcel, part of 88 acres of new KSU land located east of Interstate 75 recently purchased by the KSU Foundation to be developed into much-needed sports fields and recreational facilities. "The KSU Sports & Recreation Park will play a major role in the continuing transformation of this university,” said Daniel S. Papp, president of Kennesaw State University. “The two new fields and the Owls Nest are great additions to the university’s infrastructure. Yet, this new park does more than provide much-needed facilities. It enables more KSU students to participate in intramural and club sports. When this project is fully complete, it will take our campus to a whole new level.” As varsity sports at KSU have reached National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I status, the university’s intramural and club sports also are poised to take off and flourish. In the past three years, the intramural and club program has experienced more than a 30 percent increase in participation.

The KSU Owls have produced six national championships, 26 regional championships, 38 Peach Belt championships, nine Atlantic Sun Conference championships and over 100 All-American honors as of 2009.

It has been 18 months in the making, but today Kennesaw State University and the Atlanta Beat women’s professional soccer team announced a partnership that will culminate in the construction of a $16.5 million, 8,300-seat soccer stadium. Scheduled for completion in spring 2010, the stadium is a major component of Phase II of the university’s new Sports & Recreation Park. It will be located on a 21-acre parcel of 88 acres of land recently purchased for the university by the Kennesaw State University Foundation. The property lies between George Busbee Parkway and the I-575 overpass on Big Shanty Road. In addition to the stadium, Phase II of the sports park will include construction of additional soccer fields, a rugby field, and 4,683 feet of nature and hiking trails. “This exciting partnership is just the kind of high-profile, high-caliber endeavor that’s cementing Kennesaw State’s rising reputation as leader in higher education,” KSU President Daniel S. Papp said. “This first-class facility is the perfect venue in which to showcase our championship women’s soccer program and a stadium the Atlanta Beat can be proud to call home.” The Atlanta Beat has signed a letter of intent with the KSU Foundation indicating their desire to lease the facility, starting next spring. The Atlanta Beat’s season runs from April to September, while the Lady Owls season is played in the fall, from late August to November. “This stadium will be the only professional women’s soccer-specific stadium of its kind in the world,” said Atlanta Beat owner T. Fitz Johnson. “I think this partnership is a great match between KSU and the Atlanta Beat.” A private donor has committed to funding luxury suites for the stadium, as well as upgraded seating, scoreboards and stadium lighting. “The KSU Foundation has been committed to the development of the Sports & Recreation Park and to the idea of this partnership from the very beginning, and we are proud to have played an important role in seeing both come to fruition,” KSU Foundation Chairman Norman Radow said. “This stadium and this partnership are but the latest testaments to KSU’s continuing transformation into a burgeoning national university of excellence.” In November, the KSU women’s soccer team won its second Atlantic Sun Conference championship in the last three seasons, earning its second trip to the NCAA national championship tournament. The Owls 2009 season ended with a 2-0 loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the NCAA Women’s College Cup Nov. 13. The Owls ended the 2009 campaign with an 11-7-0 record. After winning the A-Sun championship, six Owls were named to the A-Sun All-Tournament Team, including Thais Gibson, Jade Dempster, Caitlin Dingle, Maylee Attin-Johnson, Bridgett Gaughan and Staci Pugh, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

Inside the 1995 Season Following four years of fastpitch softball in the NAIA, the Kennesaw State Owls were ready for a new challenge. A record of 176-29 and four consecutive finishes in the top-four nationally made it apparent that head coach Scott Whitlock and his upstart program were poised for bigger and better things. Beginning in 1995, the Black and Gold began their journey in the world of NCAA sports, as the entire athletic department made the move to compete at the Division II level. A move up to a higher and more prestigious level of play generally means some early struggles as a program adjusts to the greater demands of competition and the added attention. For Owls softball, however, the move to Division II meant immediate continued success, as Whitlock and his group of 12 returnees and talented newcomers plowed through the competition on their way to a 53-5 overall record to win the NCAA Division II national championship, a mark that included a perfect 14-0 record in their new league, the Peach Belt Conference. In addition to being able to count on trusted veterans Kelly Rafter, whose 32-5 record and 0.85 earned run average would make her the 1995 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, and offensive juggernauts Tonya Carlisle, Colleen Thorburn and Cara Dornstauder, the Black and Gold also added some key pieces that would help them reach the pinnacle of their sport. Dee Webb, a junior pitcher from Arizona, brought championship experience with her to Kennesaw, fresh off being a key part of Glendale Community College’s 1994 NJCAA National Championship team. As a regular part of the starting rotation, Webb went undefeated in her lone season with the program, going a startling 15-0 thanks to a 1.10 ERA. The Owls also added a local freshman in shortstop Kathy Morgan, who was one of just two Owls to start in all 58 games and finished fifth among Owl regulars with a .349 batting average. It was upon arriving in Salem, Va., for their World Series appearance that they would receive a timely reality check. Facing Wisconsin-Parkside and longtime friend and fellow coach Tory Acheson, who now faces off against Whitlock at the Division I level as the head coach at Tennessee Tech, the Black and Gold saw their 40-game streak come to an end in the World series opener, dropping a tough, 4-3, decision that would put them in peril of an early exit from the championship tournament. Unfazed, the Owls would win the next four games, on the strength of spectacular pitching from Rafter and the offensive prowess of Thorburn and Dornstauder, who would bat .478 and .381 in the World Series, helping Dornstauder to a First Team All-American honor. Nada Hlohovsky, a senior batted .333 during the regular season, would also step up at the plate, batting .391 during the six-game World Series. Whitlock and his Owls would outscore their next four opponents by a total margin of 20-6, including a, 9-1, thumping of Wisconsin-Parkside to avenge their early loss. Facing Bloomsburg in the championship game after defeating them, 3-0, in the first game of the day, the Black and Gold were in for the fight of their lives for their first-ever national championship. Behind Rafter’s dominant pitching, the Owls were up 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh and were one strike away from glory when Bloomsburg, the 1991 national runner-up, tied things up to send it to extra innings. Having to re-claim a lead when victory was within their reach, the Owls bore down once again, with Thorburn hitting an infield single in the top of the eighth before being driven in by Dornstauder, who laced an RBI double to give the Owls a lead they would not relinquish. Rafter would set down the side in the bottom of the eighth on just four pitches, the final coming on a chopper to third base, which Carlisle would cleanly field and toss over to first for the final out and the champ

A recap of the 1994 season for the Kennesaw State Owls’ baseball team, which won the NAIA National Championship that year.