Goucher Recognizes Winter And Spring Graduating GAs
BALTIMORE, Md. – In addition to all of the Goucher College seniors that graduated in May, we also had several assistant coaches finish up their graduate degrees. Today we focus on three individuals that worked with our winter and/or spring sports with Goucher women's basketball's Kayla Yost, track and field's Mikhail Williamson and men's lacrosse's Mike Martiello. We asked of their head coaches to talk about their growth and some well wishes.
Kayla Yost | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Andrea Preston said: Kayla has made an incredible impact on our program with her ability to build genuine relationships with the players on the team as well as with our recruits. Her work ethic and follow through have set a very positive example to the players on how to be a professional and still be relatable. She has taken on more responsibility over her time with the team and always did a great job in managing her time and completing everything in a timely manner. She also gained the respect of others in the department as someone they could count on as well. Kayla has definitely grown in this position though the biggest area of growth for her in this role has been her confidence. She really grew from a recruiting standpoint though most importantly she found her coaching voice. Kayla did a great job working with our players and staying firm when she needed to and compassionate when the situation called for it. She has a bright future as a coach and I'm excited to follow her successes in the future. Having known Kayla since she was a junior in high school, it's been awesome to see her grow and mature. It's tough to really put into words because I had the opportunity to coach her as a student-athlete and then work with her as a professional. It's been a really cool experience and to say I am proud is an incredibly understatement. I wish her well and am also available if and when she needs it in the future. She will definitely be missed!
Kayla is now an admission's counselor at Shepherd University.
Mikhail Williamson | Track and Field
Head Coach Erick Camodeca said: We were very thankful to have Mikhail continue on with us as assistant coach this spring semester. Mikhail's breath of knowledge in the sport is invaluable. I know many GAs get into this to pursue their own head coaching careers, but we would love to see Mikhail stick around as long as he wishes.
Former Head Coach John Caslin said: Mikhail has been a very involved GA. Highly respected by the student athletes for his track and strength training knowledge, his hard work, being there for each athlete and his very motivational personality. He is 24 hour a day coach. He cares about student athletes as people. He came in with a strong sprint / hurdle and strength training background. He wanted to learn how to be a head coach and all the ins and outs of the position. He grew more comfortable with the other areas of coaching and even got certified as a pole vault coach and helped Gabby achieve new heights. He will be an excellent head coach someday soon and will do a great job! He is also still pursuing his Olympic dream and now has an extra year to train. I know he will be missed by those who worked with him.
Mike Martiello | Men's Lacrosse
Head Coach Brian Kelly said: Coach Martiello has been an integral part of our staff the past two years. He has brought a high level of intensity and positive energy to this program that inspired a higher level of competition in our practices and our play on the field during games. He has matured as a coach and this year you could see that maturity in his ability to make in game adjustments which helped our team be successful. The players would run through two brick walls for him! I know given the right opportunity he will continue to thrive as a coach!
Congratulations and we wish each of you the best of luck in the future!