Women's soccer program enjoying resurgence as Kellogg CC fall sports get rolling
BATTLE CREEK - The Kellogg Community College athletic program starts another chapter this fall. And one of the real highlights for the Bruins sports family in the last year has been the growth of the women's soccer program.
KCC enjoyed the program's second-ever appearance in the postseason last year, advancing to the NJCAA Region XII Tournament. The Bruins would see their season end to eventual national champ Schoolcraft College, but the step forward by the team has third-year head coach Levi Butcher excited.
"Coming in two seasons ago, we knew it was a bit of a rebuild and we could start out slow," Butcher said. "But, actually, we think we are a bit ahead of schedule, making playoffs last year. Obviously, there are next steps to that and we want to build on that, but we were pretty excited about what we did last year."
KCC opens the season Saturday on the road at Lake Michigan College. The Bruins will get ready for their home opener against Grand Rapids Community College next Wednesday.
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With the momentum gained last season, Butcher was able to recruit at a higher level and that bodes well for KCC continuing to see growth in the relatively young women's soccer program. Some of the new faces coming to the program include local athletes Emilia Braman and Jenna Vogel from Pennfield and Jessie Cummins and Harper Creek.
"As my 2023s came in, there was an uptick in talent for sure," Butcher said. "I think it makes it easier to bring in good players when you are able to bring someone to campus and they see a winning program. I think that's happening for us right now."
There are three sophomores on the roster, including Bella Smith, who came to Battle Creek looking to be a part of a bright future.
"I was at Alma College playing, and I heard about how they are building this program and that is what drew me to here for sure," Smith said.
Sophomore Rayna Richardson and sophomore Lydia Schamanek talked about hoping to build on what happened a year ago.
"It was big to make the playoffs last year," Schamanek said. "All the girls wanted it, all the girls worked for it. We became connected as a team to get that done and I think that will only help us more this year."
Volleyball
Judy Mason takes over as the head coach of the KCC women's volleyball team after serving the program as an assistant coach for many years. Mason will look to get the Bruins back into the mix in the MCCAA Western Conference and ultimately the Region XII playoffs after the team was 8-22 a year ago.
KCC will have a relatively new group with three returners, including MCCAA Western Conference honorable mention recipient Jordyn Arnold (Mattawan). Players with local ties on the roster include Morgan Keson (Bellevue), Kate Doyle (St. Philip) and Alaina Brubaker (Athens).
The KCC women's volleyball regular season will begin Friday on the road in a tournament at Rockford, Illinois. KCC's first home action won't come until Sept. 7 against Henry Ford.
Cross Country
Retired KCC Athletic Director Tom Shaw returns for his second season as the head coach of KCC's cross country program. Last year saw four Bruin runners represented at the NJCAA National Championship race and since the program began in 2018, KCC has had national championship appearances in each of the past five seasons.
KCC will open is cross country season at the University of Olivet on Sept. 1.
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter @billbroderick
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Women's soccer enjoying resurgence as KCC fall sports get rolling
