LEWIS - Key Persons
Angie has been active within the cheer industry for over 30 years as an athlete (HS and college), coach, collegiate coach (Eastern Illinois University), cheer gym owner, all-star cheer coach, all-star cheer director, collegiate cheer coach (RMU), and RMU Spirit Coordinator. In 2015, Angie became RMU Spirit Coordinator, building the program with less than 30 athletes to 90 athletes (Cheer, Dance and Spirit Teams, along with Mascot program). Cheer went on to qualify for NAIA Cheer Nationals two out of three years, (top 10 finishes), and finally to winning NCA College Cheer Championship in Daytona. She is currently a Lewis University Transfer Admission Counselor and President for Pink Heals Joliet Area Chapter. She is married to Casey (Lockport Township Firefighter/Paramedic and owner of CAMZ Communications, INC). They have three sons, Matt, Zach (Junior at Lewis) and Alec.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
Pearl arrived at Lewis in 2014 as the fifth coach in Lewis softball history. She came from Judson University where she was the head softball coach since 2004.
She has had five winning seasons in her nine years with the Flyers. She has amassed 217 wins in those years, guiding the Flyers to four GLVC Tournament appearances including a GLVC Championship in 2023. Pearl has had 17 All-GLVC athletes in her time with the Flyers.
In her first season she guiding the Flyers to 27 wins, leading the Flyers to the GLVC semifinals. The Flyers also finished seventh in GPA (3.558) in the country, finishing among the top 10 NFCA Academic Teams for the season. Lewis would return to the GLVC Tournament again in 2019 and for the third time in 2021, picking up a win before being eliminated. Pearl also coached a second team All-Region-D2CCA and NFCA athlete in 2017, a First-Team All Region D2CCA performer in 2016 and an Academic All-District and All-Region performer by the NFCA in 2016.
In 10 seasons with the Eagles, Pearl set a school-record with over 250 victories and helped Judson advance to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Tournament six times, with three third-place finishes. In 2011, Pearl guided the Eagles to their first-ever Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) championship and was named the CCAC Coach of the Year for her efforts. That year, she was awarded the first of her three NCCAA Regional Coach of the Year awards, including being honored as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Regional Coach of the Year.
The Eagles had a plethora of individual success under Pearl, as she coached 32 NCCAA All-Region players, 27 CCAC All-Conference players, 21 NCCAA All-American players, six NCCAA All-Tournament players, three NFCA All-Region players, two CCAC Freshmen of the Year and two NAIA All-Region selections. Most recently, Pearl coached the 2014 North Central Region Player and Pitcher of the Year.
Pearl's players are traditionally excellent in the classroom. During her tenure, Pearl has coached 15 NCCAA Academic All-Americans, 10 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, five NFCA All-Academic Teams, four NAIA Scholar Team Award winners and one College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American.
Prior to her arrival in Elgin, Pearl spent seven years at Illinois Wesleyan both as a player (1998-2001) and as an assistant coach (2001-04). In those seven seasons, the Titans won 242 games, went to four NCAA Division III National Tournaments, won six College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships, one NCAA Regional Championship and finished third in the nation in 2003. Pearl was a member of the IWU staff that was named the 2003 CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Brendan Kearney returns to Lewis in the 2022-23 season as the Defensive Coordinator after a one-year stint at Marquette University as the Director of Lacrosse Operations.
Kearney was in charge of all operations for the Marquette Lacrosse program during the 2021-22 season. During his one season at Marquette, the program made their first Big East Tournament appearance since 2018. The 2022 Marquette Defense finished 12th in Division 1 in man-down defense at 71% and also finished Top 30 in Caused Turnovers per game with 7.8 per game. Kearney mentored 2022 USILA All-American, Mason Woodward.
Prior to Marquette University, Kearney served as a defensive assistant at Lewis University from 2018 to 2021, helping build the program through its inaugural year. In 2020, a seven game Shortened Covid season, Kearney led the Flyer Defense to a # 1 Man-down defensive ranking and assisted the Lewis Defense to Top 25 in Goals against average, at 10.5 per game, in NCAA Division II. Kearney mentored freshman Goalie Josh Calvin to the #5 Save percentage, 62% in Division II.
Prior to Lewis, Kearney was co-captain of the club lacrosse team at Holy Cross College and was eventually named coach in 2015. In that role, the Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native was responsible for funding, scheduling, planning practices and game leadership.
The former goalie also served as director of 1223 Lacrosse Club from 2019 to 2020, where he organized club lacrosse activities for high school lacrosse players and helped them with the college recruitment process. Kearney then served as a coach for True Lacrosse, implementing strategies to improve goalie training.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
Capel is currently in his fifth year at Lewis University with the recent promotion of Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations, after spending the last two years as Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities. Prior to that, he served as Graduate Assistant for Facilities and Gameday Operations for Lewis Athletics.
Capel holds a Masters in Business Administration ('19) and Bachelors in Sport Management ('17) from Lewis University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
The 2023 season is the 17th for Chris Koenig as the head coach of the Lewis University women's soccer program. He is the fifth head coach in the 36-year history of the program.
Koenig has led the Flyers to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament four times (2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018, 2022) in the last 10 years. Over half of the program's GLVC Tournament berths have occurred under Koenig's watch.
Prior to arriving at Lewis, Koenig was an assistant women's soccer coach at Southern Illinois Edwardsville for four seasons. During his time as an assistant at SIUE, the Cougars posted a 51-24-3 record and were ranked as high as No. 9 in the NCAA Division II national poll. The team qualified for the GLVC Tournament each season and made an NCAA tournament appearance in 2005.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Lewis University softball coach Becky Pearl has announced the promotion of Cierra Taylor (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) from graduate assistant coach to assistant coach for the softball program at Lewis.
"We are just so excited for Cierra to step into this new role as assistant coach," Pearl said. "Having played for us then worked as a GA, she really knows our culture and how we want to grow our program."
Taylor helped lead the softball team to 24 victories during her first season as graduate assistant. During her tenure as a Flyer, she played in and started 162 games.
"I am extremely honored and grateful to be named the next assistant softball coach," Taylor said. "I would like to thank Coach Pearl and Dr. Planek for the opportunity to help lead these women both on and off the field. I'm excited to continue to build the winning tradition and culture that this program has achieved."
Prior to her coaching, Taylor spent four seasons as a standout utility player for the Flyers. Taylor achieved a career .323 batting average with 173 total hits, 91 runs scored, 39 doubles, 17 home runs and 86 RBI.
Taylor earned all-GLVC Honors during her junior season after hitting .342, recording 63 hits, 33 runs scored, 12 doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBI.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
Lewis University Director of Athletics John Planek announced on Thursday (July 7) that Colleen Kincaid has been hired as the new head coach of the women's lacrosse team at Lewis. Kincaid brings more than 10 years of coaching experience with her to the Flyers.
"It has always been a dream of mine to lead a collegiate women's lacrosse program and I could not be more happy with my new home at Lewis University," Kincaid said. "I am so excited to build on this team's incredible potential and contend for a GLVC championship. Lewis University has so much to offer and I am so grateful to Dr. Planek for this amazing opportunity. Go Flyers!"
"Colleen's experience at the collegiate, high school and club level in the Chicago area will be a great asset as she builds our Lewis program," Planek said. "Her coaching at Chicago-area Catholic high schools align with our mission and should be a valuable recruiting tool."
Kincaid was a Division I goalie at Massachusetts Amhurst before she started her coaching career in 2009 as the Evanston High School freshman and goalie coach.
She got her first job as a head coach in 2013 as the first coach of the Resurrection College Prep program. She moved to the Regina Dominican High School coach in 2015 and 2016 where she was the winningest coach in program history with 18 wins and secured the first playoff win in more than 20 years of the program's history. She continued on to Maine South in 2018 where she was the inaugural IHSA Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year.
Kincaid joined the college ranks in the 2018-19 school year as an assistant coach at Aurora University. She helped the Spartans to back-to-back conference championships in 2021 and 2022 and a 2021 Sweet 16 appearance. She was a part of the 2022 NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
She also spent time as the 2016 and 2018 US Lacrosse Illinois National Team coach, was the team director of True Lacrosse from 2017-2021 and club director of Second City Lacrosse beginning in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Athletic Communications Assistant
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Member of the AVCA
The 2024 campaign will mark the 20th season for Dan Friend at the helm of the Lewis University men's volleyball program. He is in his 27th season overall as a collegiate head coach and enters the season with a 541-258 overall record.
Friend has accumulated a 377-183 (.673) record during his 19 years as head coach of Lewis. In that time, Friend's student-athletes have earned 84 All-MIVA, 82 MIVA Player of the Week, 11 AVCA National Player of the Week and 36 AVCA All-American honors.
Friend has recorded non-conference victories over UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, Hawaii, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Penn State, Long Beach State and BYU.
He has also guided the Flyers to 15 consecutive MIVA Tournament Semifinals or better matches including winning the 2012, 2019 and 2021 titles.
The Flyers have had 18 seasons of 15 wins or more under Friend while finishing with a program best mark of 27-4 in 2015.
Friend has served in various roles for USA Volleyball over the years. He is currently a scout for NTDP with both indor and beach volleyball. He has also been with USA College Beach Training Group the past two summers in 2021 and 2022. Friend has had opportunities with the Senior National Team during the VNL league in Chicago and Bulgaria. In 2016 and 2019, Friend was the Assistant Coach for the World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2014 and 2015, Friend served as the head coach of the USA Men's Junior National Team. The squad earned the bronze medal at NORCECA in El Salvador in 2014 and competed at Worlds in Mexicali, Mexico in 2015.
Friend is a native of Topeka, Kan., and a graduate of Washburn University. He earned a bachelor's degree in athletic training and exercise physiology at Washburn before completing a master's degree in sports administration at the University of Kansas.
Friend is a member of the AVCA and the United States Volleyball Association and currently in his second term on the board as a DI-DII representative.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
- USTFCCCA NCAA DII President
Coach Schwarting currently serves as the USTFCCCA NCAA DII President and prior to acquiring this role was the USTFCCCA NCAA DII Hall of Fame chair from 2018-2021.
Job Titles:
- Director of Athletic Communications
David Bork is currently in his second year as the Director of Athletic Communications-Sports Information Director at Lewis University after starting in August 2022.
Bork is the primary contact for all 23 of Lewis' athletic programs with responsibilities such as press releases, social media managing and posting, website editor and publisher, overseeing the GLVCSN, stat keeping and recording, training and supervising sports information student workers.
Prior to joining Lewis, Bork spent three years (August 2019-August 2022) at Indiana University Northwest, an NAIA institution in Gary, Indiana, who compete in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Prior to IUN, Bork was a Sports Information, Marketing & Event Management Assistant for six years (August 2013-August 2019) at Purdue University Northwest, which was originally Purdue University Calumet. During his time at the Purdue regional campus, Bork earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing then eventually obtained his Master of Business Administration from PNW in December 2019 a semester after his departure from working there.
During the 2018-2019 school year to build his experience before graduation, Bork was also a Sports Information Assistant at Illinois Institute of Technology which helped build and strengthen his skill set in athletic communications.
With summers making it lighter work schedules for universities, Bork also took on the role of Director of Sports Information at the Northwest Indiana Oilmen, a summer wood-bat pre professional baseball team that competes in the Northern League. He held this position from May 2014-August 2022 after starting as a summer intern and spent two season before getting promoted.
Bork currently lives in Highland, Indiana with his wife Janine, daughter Dolce and cat Pepper.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Chief, Division of Sports Medicine
- Team Physician
Professor
Chief, Division of Sports Medicine
(708) 216-8730 | ptonino@lumc.edu
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Patient Educational Information
| CLICK |
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Dylan Riley is entering his first season as assistant coach for the Lewis women's volleyball program after spending 2022 at Chicago State University.
Prior to Chicago State, Riley spent two seasons at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. where he helped lead the Hawks to a 20-12 record in 2021.
Riley was a graduate assistant with the men's volleyball program at Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he coached three all-conference players, an AVCA All-American and 10 Academic All-Conference Student-Athletes.
Riley attended Park University in Parkville, Missouri, where he won a 2017 NAIA National Championship on the men's volleyball team. At Park, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Riley also attended Ottawa University and MCC-Longview Community College, where he played baseball for two seasons.
Job Titles:
- Interim Athletic Director / Associate Director of Athletics for Complianc
- Interim Athletic Director / Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director - Business & Financial Affairs
- Title / Assistant Director - Business & Financial Affairs
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Evan Kilbane is entering his first season as an assistant coach for Lewis Men's Lacrosse team. He will serve primarily as the team's Goalie Coach and will also serve as the Assistant Defensive Coordinator.
Kilbane is coming to Lewis from Benedictine University where he served as the Goalie Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the 2021-22 season. He helped the team to an overall record of 12-7 record with a record of 6-2 in conference. The Eagles won the school's second consecutive NAAC Conference title and made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. During his one season at Benedictine, he helped mentor Eight All-Conference student-athletes, One First Team All-Region selection, and One Honorable Mention All-American selection.
Before his year as an assistant coach at Benedictine, he was starting goalie for the Eagles from 2019-2021. He helped lead the Eagles to overall record of 29-8 in his two seasons. In 2021, he helped the team to the school's first ever NAAC Conference title, a perfect record of 8-0 in conference play, and the school's first ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Kilbane hails from Wheaton, Illinois, where he attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School. There he was a 4-year varsity starter and 4-year all-conference goalie for the Tigers. He currently works for True Lacrosse where he is a state coach and runs clinics and camps specializing in the goaltending position.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
Baresel has been the PGA golf coach at Cantigny Golf Academy since 2010 and was the coach at St. Francis High School from 2012-2021. He has also spent time at Bull Valley Golf Club, where he was an Assistant Golf Professional from 2008-2010, was with Wilson Golf in 2007 and 2008 as a Service Specialist and was an Assistant Golf Professional at Randall Oaks Golf Club from 2004-2007.
Lewis University Director of Athletics John Planek announced on Wednesday (June 15) that Greg Baresel has been hired as the new head coach of the men's and women's golf teams at Lewis. Baresel is fresh off guiding the women's team to the 2022 NCAA Division II East Regional.
"Coach Baresel is an accomplished teacher of the game," Planek said. "This spring season he has been able to interact with and observe both of our teams and will be able to use all that he has seen along with his teaching skills to develop both of our programs."
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Title / Head Coach
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Lewis University Director of Athletics Dr. John Planek announced Wednesday (June 14) that Greg Couch has been named the new head coach for the Lewis men's and women's tennis programs.
"Coach Couch brings a great deal of tennis experience to Lewis not only as a coach and player but also the unique perspectives he gained as a writer covering tennis internationally," Planek said. "His local connections to the tennis community will serve our program well."
Couch joins Lewis after spending this past season at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a NCAA DIII school in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he led the Fightin' Engineers Men's Tennis program to a 10-10 record and a trip to the Heartland Conference Tournament.
"I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to become the new head tennis coach at Lewis University," Couch said. "I would like to thank Dr. Planek and so many members of the athletic department. This program is already in solid shape but I see its potential to grow from here. My approach and philosophy are that a team becomes a family, a positive place where teammates take ownership and friends work hard together. That leads to a great experience for students--and it also leads to success.
In addition to coaching, Couch is a tennis club teaching pro for Eola Tennis Academy in Aurora. Prior to his time there, Couch was at Centre Court in Hanover Park and Fernandes Tennis Academy in Naperville.
Prior to his time at Roosevelt, Couch was a volunteer assistant coach for the women's tennis team at College of DuPage.
Couch earned his bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado where he was a sportswriter and editor of the CU Campus Press.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Jacob Kerschner is in his fourth season as Assistant Coach for the Flyers. While on staff, Kerschner has helped lead the team to an overall record of 54-28 as well as a MIVA Championship and NCAA Final Four Appearance in the 2021 season.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
- Title / Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
- Title / Head Coach
James Kearney has clearly made his mark on the squad heading into his 13th season as the Flyers head coach.
Since taking the reins of the women's program in 2010 Kearney has guided them to four NCAA Championship meet appearances (2013, 2015, 2021 & 2022) and had six top 10 NCAA regional finishes. The Lewis women have had eight top five GLVC finishes highlighted by back to back runner-up team placings in 2014 and 2015 and a GLVC Championship in 2022. The program has been awarded the USTFCCCA regional coach of the year award in 2013 and 2015 for the performances and guidance of the women's squads and coaching staff.
On the men's side, Kearney led the Flyers to back to back GLVC Championship in 2020 & 2021 and received the 2020 and 2021 GLVC Coach of the Year honors. He helped end a 16 year drought by sending the team back to the NCAA championships in 2016 and 2017. The Flyers finished 17th in 2016 and 13th in 2017. The men of Lewis returned to the NCAA National Championships with a 9 th place finish in 2021 while finishing sixth in 2022. The Flyers have also boasted seven top 10 NCAA regional performances as well as eight top five GLVC finishes with four runner-up team placings in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017.
Since 2010, Kearney has helped mentor five NCAA Cross Country All-Americans (Hague 2010, Farrough 2013 & 2015, Mclain 2015, Leet 2016) 24 All-Midwest region athletes, and 44 All-GLVC honorees. Lewis has also boasted five different GLVC Freshman of the year honorees in that time (Farmer-2020, Laskero-2017, Tahiraj- 2014, Farrough-2013, Mclain-2010). The Flyers under Kearney have set 49 of the top 25 marks in school history. Kearney has also guided one GLVC individual champion in 2015 when Amanda Farrough narrowly missed the GLVC 6k conference record covering the 6k course in 20:51.
He has been equally as successful on the track and field side, as Kearney was named the 2014 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Women's Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year.
In all, Kearney has coached 30 Track and Field All-Americans, 62 NCAA Championship qualifiers, seven GLVC Freshmen of the Year, 108 All-GLVC performers - including 62 individual championships, 12 GLVC records, three GLVC Athletes of the Year and 58 All-Region student-athletes. Since 2010 Lewis distance and Middle Distance athletes have set 105 top 10 School marks. Kearney was an instrumental part of the Flyers garnering a podium finish at the NCAA indoor track and field championships in 2016, guiding Amanda Farrough to a win in the 5000-meter run narrowly missing the championship record with her time of 16:09.
He has been a part of a Flyer track and field coaching staff that has amassed 23 GLVC team titles and has set 15 new school-records. He also helped guide All-American Andrew McLain in 2011 to a USA Junior Nationals berth in the 5,000-meter run, and All-American Michael Leet in 2018 to a USA Nationals berth in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase with his school record performance of 8:39.25. In 2021 Kearney coached Lewis Alumni to Olympic trials births in the United States and Mexico. Sergio Miranda made the finals in the Mexican Olympic trials in the 800 meter run and Michael Leet ran in the United States Olympic trials in the 3,000 Steeplechase in Eugene, Oregon. Michael Leet then followed up in 2021 with his finals appearance in the 3000 steeplechase at the USATF championships with his personal best of 8:24.
Through his work in the USATFCCCA, Kearney has a Masters Certification in Middle Distance and Cross Country, Level II certification in Endurance and Sprints and is Strength and Conditioning certified.
Kearney resides in Plainfield, Ill., with his wife Kathleen, Son James and dogs (Mia & Layla).
Job Titles:
- Interim Athletic Director / Associate Director of Athletics / Director of Athletic Training / Senior Woman Administrator / Deputy Title IX
Job Titles:
- Special Assistant to Director of Athletics
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach, Men's and Women 's Bowling
Job Titles:
- Athletics Compliance Assistant
Job Titles:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach, Men's and Women 's Bowling
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Coach
- Title / Assistant Coach
Job Titles:
- Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities
Rebecca Preisler was the 2015 indoor Pole Vault Champion with a winning jump of 13-5 ¼ . At this same meet, Isaac Jean Paul, won the High Jump Title with a leap of 7-3. In 2016, Amanda Farrough won the indoor 5,000m run with a winning time of 16:09.10, while Amber Cook took home the National Title winning the Outdoor Triple Jump with a leap of 42-3 ½ .
Job Titles:
- Director of Bowling / Athletic Communication Assistant
Job Titles:
- Faculty Athletic Representative