STANDISH, ME - Athletic Director Brian Curtin has announced that assistant Jenelle Harris has been hired as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Saint Joseph's College.
Harris, the side's assistant coach for the past six seasons, is set to fill the post vacated by former Head Coach Michael Bolanz '00, who stepped down in November to accept the position of Director of Alumni Relations in the Saint Joseph's Institutional Advancement Department after serving as the program's leader for the last nine years.
Selected as the head coach after an extensive nationwide search, Harris brings an impressive résumé of playing and coaching experience to the position. A four-year player at Centenary College - an NCAA DI program at the time - in Shreveport, Louisiana, she proceeded to coach at the high school level for six years and has coached premier soccer in Maine since 2007.
Harris holds the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National "A" Coaching License - the highest level one can attain - and has been employed by several prestigious youth coaching organizations, including Seacoast United, Soccer Maine ODP and Odyssey Sport '97.
"We are very pleased to have Jenelle join us in her new role as head women's soccer coach," adds Curtin. "Coach Harris brings a great passion for Saint Joseph's College women's soccer, a high level of knowledge and a keen sense for what the program can become."
During her time as an assistant for the Monks, Coach Harris helped lead the program to a 55-27-12 (.671) overall record, including a 41-13-10 (.759) mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.
"I am very excited to take on this new role," adds Coach Harris. "Becoming a college head coach has been my ultimate career goal and I can't think of a better place to fulfill this dream then here at Saint Joseph's College. Our soccer program has a solid foundation and I am excited for the opportunity to continue to build on our success."
Originally from Texas, Harris graduated from Centenary with a BA in Psychology and an MS in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology from the University of North Texas.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
