5X社区 at Trumbull officially announced the reinstatement of its campus athletic programs.
This fall, Kent State Trumbull will be home to women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 cross country teams. It is the first competitive sport the school has offered since 1992 when it had basketball, volleyball and golf teams. The teams will compete against area colleges as a student organization under the leadership of volunteer head coach Bill Hess.
Lance Grahn, Ph.D., dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State Trumbull, hopes cross country and other sports teams will soon compete as part of an intercollegiate conference.
鈥淲e aspire to offer our students a full college experience,鈥 Grahn says. 鈥淲e also want to make smart decisions when we determine what sports make financial and logistical sense.鈥
Grahn pointed to the possibility of future bowling and archery teams.
鈥淲e know that student-athletes create a bond and tend to push one another athletically and academically,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hese opportunities also increase campus pride and give our student-athletes an opportunity to continue doing what they love to do.鈥
Hess has been coaching since 1987, and has been coaching both cross country and track at Niles McKinley High School and Middle School since 2007. Michelle Adkins, Kent State Trumbull's program coordinator, will serve as staff advisor for coach Hess and the cross country teams.
Briana Ellwood, a Kent State Trumbull sophomore and Niles McKinley graduate, has committed as the first runner.