As one door closes, another one opens. This fall season in sports, that saying is a reality. The Bluffton University Athletic Department hired three new coaches over the summer and one coach last spring to fill positions with the football, cross country, track and field, and men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams.
“The new coaches, some are familiar. Coach Krepps was promoted from within so he has at least a year of familiarity with Bluffton and the football program,” said Athletic Director Phill Talavinia on the new coaches. “Coach Elvert was the G.A. for us for a couple of years so there is some familiarity.”
Talavinia mentioned that Coach Gregory (women’s soccer) and Coach Jachno (director of cross country) are outstanding individuals and good young coaches they are excited to have here at Bluffton.
“Any time there is a coaching transition, you know there is going to be an even flow to it,” said Talavinia. “We certainly understand that and know there are very bright days ahead.”
Women’s Soccer
Last year before winter break, former head women’s soccer coach, Rhonda Smith, announced to the team she was resigning to be with her husband in Michigan.
Kevin Gregory photo by Tyler Avila
In early March, the newly hired Kevin Gregory took the reins as the women’s head soccer coach.
“At my previous school, one of the assistants that came in two years prior, Bri Calvary, used to be a grad assistant here so she would always talk about how great Bluffton was, how good of a place it was to work and live,” said Gregory on how he heard of Bluffton. “You reach a point as an assistant where you look for head coaching jobs and saw the Bluffton job open and said I remember hearing how awesome of a place it was and it all fell into place from there.”
The women’s soccer team will open up their season at 5 p.m. this Friday when they travel to Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio.
Men’s Soccer
In the spring, James Kusak, the former head coach of the men’s soccer team, received an assistant coaching job at the University of Louisville.
As the men’s soccer program looked to find new leadership, one candidate was already familiar with the program and the culture change that was starting to be put in place under Kusak. That candidate was Sean Elvert, now coach of the men’s soccer team.
Coach Elvert was the graduate assistant for the Beavers two years ago. After he finished his Master’s degree, he received a coaching job at Ohio Northern which involved recruiting during the 2017-18 season. He then got a job in Wisconsin where he worked for 25 days before accepting the position of head coach at Bluffton.
“It’s easy, every program has goals or say they have goals,” Elvert said. ”From wins, to shutouts. Things like that… Our big goal and objective as a program this year is to grow. If we grow in a positive way as individuals, into groups, into the program as a whole, we are going to surprise a lot of people this year in and out of conference.”
Elvert plans to make the men’s soccer team conference contenders in the years to come by pushing a new culture and turning the program around.
The men’s soccer team will start the season this weekend in the Muskingum Appalachian Challenge in Muskingum, Ohio when they take on Pitt.-Bradford at 7 p.m. on Friday and Pitt.-Greensburg at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Cross country and track and field
Ryan Schadewald, Kaylea Jachno and Hunter Redman photo by Tyler Avila
Following the conclusion of the 2018 track season this past spring, Karen and Jim Brandt announced their retirement after seven years of coaching and teaching at Bluffton.
In early July, Bluffton hired Kaylea Jachno as the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. Bluffton also named Ryan Schadewald as the interim head cross country coach.
Schadewald returns to Bluffton after spending two years as a sports information graduate assistant at rival school, Defiance College.
“Honestly, I was really excited,” said Jachno on being hired in at Bluffton. “Especially because it’s a new opportunity to work with some really awesome athletes and Bluffton has had a really good experience for their cross country team and a lot of really good runners who are continuing this year.”
Jachno is coming to Bluffton from conference rival, Manchester University, where she spent the past two years as the assistant track and field and cross country coach.
She said she wants to give thanks to assistant coach Hunter Redman and interim head coach Ryan Schadewald with their help during practices and getting workouts together for the team.
This year’s men’s and women’s cross country team will start the season Friday, Aug. 31 at home in the Back to the Nature Preserve meet. The women’s team will start the racing off first at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 6:45.
Football
In early May, it was announced that former head football coach Denny Dorrel would step down to
Aaron Krepps photo by Tyler Avila
accept another position in his hometown.
The decision was made to promote from within, and Aaron Krepps, then offensive coordinator, was given the opportunity to take the reins of the Bluffton Beavers football program as the head coach.
“Well I think everything kind of came out of nowhere just to begin with,” said Krepps on Dorrel leaving. “I wasn’t anticipating Coach Dorrel leaving, so it all kind of came as a surprise and then for him to leave and for me to be promoted, it was a pretty quick turnaround. [There was] a lot of emotion in the 36 to 48 hour window but definitely excitement.”
Bluffton also brought in three new assistant coaches.
Josh Runda returns to Bluffton University as the linebackers coach. He was a graduate assistant in 2014-15 after graduating from Bluffton where he earned his bachelor’s in broadcasting and journalism.
Devan Hill is the new defensive backs coach, and Tony Roob was brought in as the new defensive line coach.
The Bluffton football team will begin their season Sept. 1, at Alumni Field in Salzman Stadium against College of Wooster. Kickoff is set for 1:30 with pre-game coverage to begin at 1:15 on 96.1 The Wit.
— Trent Mast contributed to this report.
