Cleveland State Community College announced Thursday that it will be adding women's volleyball, cross country and golf. Women's volleyball and cross country are brand new programs for Cleveland State, while the golf program will be restarting. These programs will begin in the 2017-18 school year.
"This is part of our 'Cleveland State Community First Plan,' which is a strategic plan to guide our efforts to advance the college. We want to provide increased opportunities for student engagement and grow our enrollment," CSCC Athletic Director Mike Policastro said.
"I believe this benefits Cleveland State by making us a leader amongst other community colleges. Since we announced our additional sports programs, other community colleges are following suit. This will help strengthen the conference by adding additional programs."
Cleveland State's head golf coach is LJ Kilby. Kilby, who was previously the golf coach for the Cougars, has a diverse background, which includes basketball and golf. The seasoned coach has served as head basketball coach at Lincoln Memorial and CSCC, assistant coach at Georgia Southern University and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. He has also been the golf coach for Lincoln Memorial.
Women's volleyball will be headed up by Randy Evans. Evans is another coach with a diverse skillset, one that includes volleyball and basketball. During his time at Silverdale Academy and Knoxville Christian Academy, Evans spent time coaching volleyball and basketball. He has coached club volleyball, as well as having coached basketball at Cleveland Middle School and serving as an assistant coach at Cleveland State.
Alizabeth Atnip will serve as an assistant volleyball coach. Atnip was a collegiate volleyball player at Alma College (Alma, Mich.) and is currently the sports programs director at the Cleveland Family YMCA.
Taking the reins for Cleveland State's Cross Country program is former Bradley Central three-sport star David Kyle. Kyle ran cross country at the University of North Alabama and has been serving as an assistant cross country coach at Cleveland High School for the past three years and previously coached at Ocoee Middle School.
"We are excited to have added these coaches. They all have quality previous coaching experience, from the high school to collegiate levels. They are outstanding individuals who will represent Cleveland State in a positive manner," Policastro declared.
Recruiting for the new teams has already begun, with the coaches looking to bring in top talent to Cleveland State.
"We are looking forward to having athletic activity throughout the year," the CSCC Athletic Director said. Also, we are looking forward to having additional student athletes in our program."