Kaela Kovanda entered her first season as head coach of the Hiram Terriers women’s soccer program in 2021-22, having joined the Terriers from Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio, where she served as an assistant coach for the past two years.

Over her two seasons with Bluffton, Kovanda coached a trio of All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) honorees and helped the Beavers to their best record since 2015 and their best Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) finish since 2011 in 2019.

During her time with the Beavers, Kovanda also spent two seasons as the head coach with the Greater Toledo Football Club, conducting practices for 03/04 teams, managing games and maintaining a social media presence.

Kovanda began her coaching career at Dublin Jerome High School in Dublin, Ohio, spending one season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Celtics. In addition, Kovanda has coached and instructed at various soccer camps throughout her coaching career, providing skill instruction, assessing talent and providing players with a summary of their performance and areas of improvement.

A 2017 graduate of Malone University in Canton, Ohio, Kovanda was a four-year starter for the Pioneers women’s soccer team, tallying six goals, including a pair of game-winners, 13 assists and 58 shots over 70 games played. A two-time team captain, Kovanda was named the Defensive Team MVP her freshman and sophomore years, as well as the Greater Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 17, 2016.

A native of Marysville, Ohio, Kovanda was also a member of the U.S. Olympic Development Program Regional Team.

Education

• M.B.A., Bluffton University
• B.A., Exercise Science, Malone University