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Featured Speakers:
Charlie Averkamp, Hillsdale college Head Women's Basketball Coach
Hillsdale College’s head women’s basketball coach Charlie Averkamp recently completed his second season at the helm of the Charger program. Both seasons have showed marked growth! Averkamp arrived at Hillsdale in the summer of 2020 fresh off a five-year run of sustained success as head women’s basketball coach at Division III Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, where he guided the Eagle program to unprecedented heights in a short period of time while maintaining his team’s sterling academic reputation. During his time at Benedictine, Averkamp guided the Eagles to their first conference title since 1997 and the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, while twice surpassing the school record for wins in a season. He also helped to develop 12 All-Conference players, 2 All-Central Region honorees and a 2020 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Player of the Year! He set a new school record with 24 wins in his last season and also finished with a perfect 20-0 in conference play, capturing the NACC title for the first time since joining the league in 2006. Following the season, Averkamp was named the NACC 2019-20 Coach of the Year! For his entire tenure at Benedictine, Averkamp posted a 98-35 record, and his 74 percent winning percentage is the best among head coaches in the history of the Eagle program. Averkamp, himself played a star-studded four-year college basketball career at Division III Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin from 2004-08. During that time Averkamp earned three All-Conference honors and was named Lake Michigan Conference Freshman of the Year in 2004-05 while helping lead the Eagles to a conference title and the program’s second-ever NCAA Division III tournament berth that same year. He was the first player in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference history to record a triple-double, and he is still eighth all-time in Edgewood history in career points (1,454), second in career rebounds (908) and fifth in blocked shots (96). Averkamp graduated from Edgewood with a B.S. in Business Management, and later completed an MBA in Business Management at Concordia University Wisconsin
Dr. Gary Gray, PT, FAFS, CEO Gray Institute
Dr. Gary Gray PT, FAFS received his initial education as a physical therapist in the mid-1970s. He immediately pursued additional training as an athletic trainer, personal trainer, and as a strength and conditioning coach. Realizing the common thread of creating transformational environments to enhance the lives of others as being the science of movement, he developed the discipline of Applied Functional Science®. With his ongoing passion and mission of learning and sharing more, and with the goal of educating, empowering, and encouraging others through an appreciation of the wonderfully and fearfully made human body, Dr. Gray established the Gray Institute.
Kim Berrington, Siena heights university head Volleyball coach
Kim Berrington enters her eighth season at the helm of the Siena Heights women’s volleyball program and steps down after 6 years of coaching the men’s volleyball program. Berrington came to the Saints after 19 seasons as head coach for NCAA Division I program Eastern Michigan University and prior to that, head coach for 4 seasons for NAIA program Concordia University and was named to Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame. In 24+ years as a collegiate head coach, Berrington has a 618-490 record, including a 305-289 slate at EMU. She is the Eagles’ all-time leader in coaching wins while ranking fourth in conference wins among all Mid-American Conference (MAC) coaches. Her 122 wins as the Saint women's volleyball coach makes her the winningest coach in program history. Her SHU women's volleyball squad has qualified for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament every year during her tenure. In her first year at the helm for the Saints, Berrington’s squads saw a drastic improvement, her women’s team had the 4th highest win total in SHU history, notching 21 wins, the most since 22 in 2002. Her men’s program’s national ranking and 18 wins were the most in the school’s history.
Jeff Hancock, College Curriculum Director, Former college football coach
Jeff Hancock has 26 years of college/university football coaching experience. He has coached at all college levels from Division 1 (D1) to the NAIA every level at 12 different educational institutions. Some of the notable institutions in which he has coached include Louisiana Tech, Grand Valley State University, New Mexico Military Institute, University of Saint Mary, and even our local Siena Heights University and Adrian College! He was the Assistant Head Football Coach for Tight Ends at GVSU when they won the 2005 NCAA Division 2 National Championship! He also was the Assistant Offensive Line Football Coach at New Mexico Military Institute when they won the 1999 Empire Bowl! Some of his titles include Head Football Coach, Assistant Head Football Coach, Football Offensive Coordinator, Recruiting Coordinator, Strength Coordinator, Academic Coordinator, and Offensive Analyst. He has provided leadership, direction, supervision, and guidance to hundreds of student-athletes. Jeff has also taught many courses at the college level; some include Introduction to Leadership Concepts, Advanced Weight Training and Conditioning, Sports Management, Theory of Coaching Football, and Rules and Officiating. Jeff is also known for his publications in American Football Monthly and Gridiron Strategies as well as his numerous professional football presentations. A few include Nike Coach of the Year Coaching Clinic, Kansas City and Toronto Football Coaches Association, and Glazier Football Clinic. Jeff has professional affiliations and is a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and International Leadership Association.
Patty Thomas, TECH Center & JC/LISD Academy Counselor
Celebrating her 25th year in education, Patty serves as a school counselor for the TECH Center and JC/LISD Academy. A graduate of Siena Heights University where she played NAIA collegiate volleyball, Patty also earned her Master’s in Counseling from Spring Arbor University. As a former collegiate athlete, high school volleyball coach, and Director of LCS Student Services, she understands the academic eligibility requirements of a college-bound student athlete and enjoys helping students see how their unique giftings and life experiences are a path to their future.
Dr. Kam Mueller, Hillsdale college Medical Director & Head Team Physician
Dr. Kenneth “Kam” Mueller is a native to Michigan who grew up north of Detroit and was a 3-sport athlete in high school. He then went on to play football for Hillsdale College and was a 3-year starter and all-conference. He then went on to study medicine at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. After graduating, he specialized in Internal Medicine and Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Manipulative Medicine (ONMM) with a subspecialty in Sports Medicine. He then returned to Michigan and established his own practice in Hillsdale where he works with Hillsdale College as its Medical Director and Head Team Physician. Dr. Kam focuses on treating the root cause of various kinds of ailments and returning the body to a more functional state. He prefers to treat naturally and focuses on proper nutrition and correcting poor body mechanics to help the body stay happy and healthy. Dr. Kam has been married to his wife, Kate, since 2012 and has 5 boys.
