Converse Athletics Prepares for Historic 2021-22 Academic Year
This is the continuation of a series of Body, Mind & Soul stories that highlights member student-athletes, coaches and administrators of Conference Carolinas.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - There will be a profound freshness in the air this fall at Converse University, a member school of Conference Carolinas.
While spring usually is the season that signals the promise of a new year, for this quaint campus in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Fall of 2021 marks the beginning of a new era for the 132-year-old institution.
As of July 1, 2021, its status became Converse University
. And that’s just the half of it. After more than a century of serving solely female students, Converse’s undergraduate cohort became coed in the fall of 2020, alongside the Converse College for Women.
And this leads us to a story about Athletic Director Jenn Bell making her own history by hiring several new coaches who will launch the first-ever men’s sports programs in school history. Not only has the campus gone co-ed, but so has the Valkyries' athletic program.
Bell, a long-time administrator and former coach, had the idea introduced to her just six months into her job as Athletic Director at Converse. She described it as “one of the most exciting things I’ll ever do as an AD.”
Thus far, more than 120 male student-athletes are confirmed for the 2021-22 intercollegiate season. They comprise a large majority of male students on campus in the inaugural year, and approximately 1/3 of the incoming undergraduate class.
Bell felt strongly that the key to building successful programs from the ground up was identifying and hiring quality leadership.
“It’s really been exciting to bring in the right leaders for our new athletic programs” she said. “It’s fun to watch them bring in recruits and make their sales pitches. The prospects and their families are realizing what a beautiful campus we have with a lot to offer. It’s been a great experience for all of us.”
With an urgent need to recruit dozens of student-athletes within a very confined period, the uniqueness of this past year has required an all-hands-on-deck approach for Bell and her new coaches.
“One of my favorite things has been to meet our prospective student-athletes,” Bell said. “Whether it’s just for five minutes in the hallway or attending a planned meeting, it’s been enjoyable to make that connection with the prospects and their family members. As I’ve told our coaches, ‘no matter what I’m doing, I want to meet any prospective students’ and help them share the vision of making history and being the first. Really, I just try to reiterate what our coaches are already saying.”
Bell, who credits Converse’s former President Krista Newkirk and the Board of Trustees for their support in providing new scholarships, equipment, and uniforms and other ancillary needs, said the first men’s sports chosen are able to participate within the current school footprint.
“We are starting programs we can house, where existing facilities can serve both our men and women student-athletes,” she said. “Moving forward, we will expand on our men's athletic programs as we can based on facilities and under the guidance of our Board of Trustees. But at this time, we’ll start with six programs and be careful in how and when we grow beyond that.”
While he didn’t volunteer to be the model in Converse’s coaching search for the new sports, new Men’s Soccer Coach Rob Miller provided Bell with the exact requirements she was looking for in hiring all the first-year coaches.
“The most important thing for me was finding people of character,” the AD said. “Rob and I worked together in the past at Anderson University and I considered him to be one of the best recruiters and role models for young men. As I went through the search process, I found myself looking for coaches similar to him.”
“That’s job security right there,” quipped Miller after learning of Bell’s effusive comments.
As for first-year expectations of the school’s first five men’s athletic programs and Esports (coed), the Athletic Director is optimistic yet realistic.
“If you ask our coaches, they want to win,” she said with a chuckle. “First and foremost, we want to provide our student-athletes with a positive, quality experience. We want to be successful in the classroom, which is something Converse athletics is known for. We want them to be great representatives of our school. One of the most rewarding things as an administrator is seeing our students--women and men--develop as young people. But like our coaches, I also want to win - early and often - but wins come in all shapes and sizes.”
Converse fall sport student-athletes arrived on campus August 13. Bell, who looks forward to the first all-sports meeting some time later this month, focuses on the human element when she discusses her greatest challenges this year.
“Before my time here, I had always worked in a co-ed environment so this will be familiar territory for me,” she offered. “Mainly, I want to make sure our new student-athletes get acclimated quickly, and want to make sure our women and men are provided equal opportunities to succeed. The message is we’re all in this together, and it’s an exciting time for Converse Athletics as a whole.”
First Team Run of the 2021-22 Academic Year for Converse
Men's and Women's Cross Country
Here’s a look at the head coaches of fledgling men’s sports and some of the insights they have shared:
Ryan Saunders, Men’s Basketball Head Coach
This is Saunders’ first head coaching job. He arrives after five seasons coaching at Belmont Abbey College, the last year as Associate Head Coach. A former star player at Barry University, Saunders played a vital role in transforming Belmont Abbey from a two-win team to back-to-back 20-win seasons and a No. 20 national ranking in 2019-20. He previously coached at his alma mater from 2007-2015, helping guide Barry to the NCAA Tournament three times and recruiting a team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 in 2016.
Saunders has clearly paid his dues to become a head coach. However, he appreciated finally getting a head coaching job at Converse.
“I know how hard it is to get a head coaching job,” he said. “I’m sure there were a lot of qualified coaches who applied for this position, so I am so grateful that Jenn and the university showed a lot of confidence in me.”
Saunders feels he is uniquely qualified to build a vibrant men’s basketball program at Converse.
“Coaching and playing in Division II is all I have ever known,” he said. “And I’m very familiar with this conference, having coached in it for several years. And while I’ve only coached at two schools, I’ve worked for six head coaches. I was fortunate that they stuck with me during the transitions. They all brought a different style of basketball and philosophies. It allowed me to take a little from each guy I worked for, so I was very fortunate.”
Saunders particularly cited the late Cesar Odio, his head coach at Barry, as playing an instrumental role in preparing him to be a head coach when he was an assistant.
“Coach Odio used to tell me, ‘You’ve got to think like a head coach every day.’
So, I approached it with that mentality on the court and off the court. It was a learning experience watching how Odio treated each guy and ran his programs.”
Also, the Valkyries’ new leader benefited last year at Belmont Abbey, as he was able to observe first-year Head Coach Dan Ficke face issues and establish a new culture within the basketball program in his initial season.
“To be able to see it all first hand really prepared me for a head coaching job,” said Saunders.
As for first-year expectations in Spartanburg, Saunders is ambitious yet pragmatic.
“First of all, we have a great administration here. The President really wants to win. So does Jenn. I have a mantra we’re already saying on campus: ‘
Winners Don’t Waste Time!’ Seriously though, I know it will take time. We just want to be competitive. The common perception is it will take several years, but I’m not built that way. We’ve recruited a lot of players with winning backgrounds. So sooner than later, we want to compete for conference championships.”
Perhaps it was Dale Layer, who started the basketball program at Queens University in Charlotte and now serves as a special assistant to Texas A&M Head Coach Buzz Willilams, who gave Saunders the best advice as he began this new journey.
“Dale had this exact experience at Queens and he said make sure you recruit high character guys; people you can trust,” he said. “That’s what we did. We’re such a good academic school and our team is full of really bright young men who can play basketball.”
While winning the conference championship is ambitious in year one, Saunders expects his team to make big strides this season.
“Our goal is to get off to a good start and be competitive in the league,” he said. “And do it the right way. We have built a roster with a majority of freshmen and some transfers. The upperclassmen will help us right away, and also show the ropes to the younger guys. The question will be how quickly can we come together and build our identity? Teams that are really close and have great camaraderie usually find success. We’re not putting a timeline on it. We just want to be on the right side of history, where people look back and can see that we struggled but overcame it to lay a winning foundation.”
In assembling his first class, Saunders sought out players with common qualities.
“We focused on getting guys who are winners. All our high school recruits made it to the state tournament and got past the first round. They also have the right mindset for establishing a new program and understand the value of being the first and building a foundation. They also understand there will be some bumps in the road and growing pains. At the end of the day, we will all look back and be proud of the positive impact we had on Converse basketball.”
His message to the players at their first team meeting next month?
“I get goose bumps even thinking about it. They all signed up to be part of history. I’ll tell them, ‘Let’s build and leave our legacy here. Let’s pursue excellence!’”
Rob Miller, Men’s Soccer Head Coach
For Miller, building the Converse program will serve as the crowning achievement of a head coaching career that spans 24 years. He served the past five seasons as head coach at Truett McConnell University, where he captured the 2017 Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament title and coached several All-Americans. Miller also coached at Anderson from 2002-2012 and Cumberland from 1995-2001, leading those schools to multiple national tournaments. He also helped develop Olympic athletes, including serving as head coach of the U.S. All-Star Team at the Outback Games in Australia.
While Miller is new to Converse this year, his relationship with AD Bell dates back many years to the time both coached at Anderson University. Clearly, it gives him comfort to be working for a friend and colleague.
“Jenn understands teams and recruiting and how it all works,” he said. “She knows what we’re going through, from travel, practices and coaching. Plus, I know how she operates and she knows how I operate, my style and how I approach things.”
While this will be Miller’s first start-up venture, his many years of head coaching experience is sure to serve him well.
“It’s kind of rare to start and build a program,” he admits. “Not a lot of guys ever get that opportunity. I think it will help that I have historically taken over programs that were not doing well and turned them around. In my first three programs, I felt I established that I was kind of a change-a-program guy. Obviously, this situation is more unique. There’s no pre-existing situation, which can be very challenging. But there isn’t any baggage either. It’s all on me, and I like that.”
Bell pointed out that Miller has a legendary reputation as a tireless recruiter, a trait certainly evidenced over the past year at Converse.
“I’ve probably worked harder recruiting here than any place I’ve been,” Miller admits. “I’ve probably hosted 70 campus visits and traveled the U.S. Southeast extensively. I love building a program and culture. This year’s team will have some internationals, a lot of true freshmen and a few kids who transferred. Networking is so powerful in recruiting and thankfully I’ve built a lot of relationships both domestically and overseas.”
He’s formed a mini United Nations with international players from such European countries as Germany, Spain, Austria, Lithuania, Belgium and Italy.
For Miller, it seems there’s a new challenge every day.
“First, there’s just the newness of everything. Where’s the lockers? On campus, I have to introduce myself as the new men’s coach. On the field, there are no returning leaders or team captains. I need to set the tone. In a week’s time, we need to be ready for a scrimmage. So there’s a sharp learning curve as to how guys play, who’s a natural leader and so forth. But I suspect we’ll learn quickly. I like the mix of our roster.”
The coach also knows he and his team will be writing the first chapter of men’s soccer history at Converse this year.
“We’re going to be trend-setters, the first class of male athletes,” he said. “I tell our guys that some day when you’re raising a family, you’ll look back and tell them that you were the first to play soccer at Converse. You played in the first match ever!”
In an ironic twist, there will be one more first involved in that first-ever match. The Valkyries are scheduled to open their inaugural season on Sept. 3 against Columbia College, which launches its own men’s soccer program the very same day.
“That’s why I scheduled them,” Miller added. “It’s kind of cool that both schools will be playing their first game in history.”
Alex Poda, Men’s and Women’s Tennis Head Coach
Poda was named head coach of the Converse women’s tennis team in April 2020 and now will assume head duties for the inaugural men’s team this fall. He was generally regarded as one of the top junior college coaches in the country, leading USC Sumter to national rankings in his last three seasons and earning Region X Coach of the Year honors twice. Poda was an assistant coach at Coker University for one season.
Beyond the lure of coaching at a higher level, Poda felt he had the right resume to build a new program.
“When I first got to USC Sumter, I inherited only two players,” he said. “So essentially I was starting from scratch. It’s definitely been challenging, and I’m the first to tell you that you lose a few kids to another school because they’re already established and have a team in place.”
One built-in challenge recruiting for a new program is prospective tennis players cannot meet team members because they don’t yet exist. When those recruits visit other schools, they have an opportunity to connect with returning student-athletes who might be their teammates the following year.
“If your roster is empty when you start, it’s important that you don’t recruit desperately,” Poda shared. “Make sure you only sign kids that will fit in over the long term. Eventually you’ll have a successful program.”
The new tennis coach admits there were nervous moments last year.
“I was hired on July 1 last year and it took me a little longer than I anticipated to get my first signee. Leopold Morel from France was my first recruit and he didn’t sign until February.”
Poda’s persuasive recruiting pitch resonated with other prospects, as five more players committed to Converse over March and April.
“I tried to sell the opportunity,” he said. “If you have a first good year, you’re No. 1 in all the history books! I stressed the investment that the administration and coaches put into our student-athletes. We want each one of them to have the best experience as a student while reaching their athletic potential.”
Speaking of potential, Poda thinks his newly-minted team might surprise some folks this season.
“The goal is to win the conference this year,” he flatly states. “I played in this conference. I know what the upper level looks like. We have some players talented enough. We have a really good starting six if they stay healthy. I think success this year is finishing in the top half of the conference with a first-round bye in the tournament. Whether we surprise this year or not, I want this class to have at least one conference title by the time they graduate.”
Interestingly, Poda also believes his women’s team may provide extra impetus to the first-year men’s tennis squad.
“Our women are going to have conference title aspirations this year, and the guys don’t want to be left behind. When the ladies are killing it in sprints, the men will be inspired.”
Poda also has encouraged his women’s players to reach out to their male counterparts to assist in on and off the court issues.
“I think they’ll play a large role in the men’s success. I’ve especially talked to our two seniors (Belen Maria and Valentina Apracia) who have been through a lot and seen a change of Presidents and coaches and the pandemic. I see them not only as leaders to women but also relying on them for the incoming men, who are all freshmen.”
His recruits are sure to see the passionate Poda offer words of inspiration on a daily basis.
“I want them to imagine winning their first championship trophy,” he said. “I want them to visualize what it’s going to look like, to paint the picture. Your teammates dog-piling you. The immeasurable pride we’ll all feel. WE DID IT!’”
Brandon Morton, Director of Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
Morton is well-versed in coaching at Converse, having served as director of women’s cross country and track & field for the past five years, producing nine all-conference athletes and 22 school records. He honed his coaching skills at South Carolina State, where he previously worked two seasons with both the men’s and women’s programs, and three years in a similar role at East Tennessee State. A former track star at Winthrop, Morton started his coaching career as an assistant at Campbell.
While some coaches might find building a new program somewhat daunting, Morton enters his first season at Converse with the men’s programs with supreme confidence.
“I’ve coached men every year before I came here, so that’s nothing new,” he began. “I think track and field is unique in that it doesn’t really matter what uniform you put on because If you run fast, you run fast. It doesn’t matter if you compete in Division I, II or III. We attracted some very good student-athletes once we got them on campus and they could see how beautiful it is and the academic reputation of the place. I shared my background with them and also capitalized on the rapport I had already established with a lot of area high school coaches.”
And Morton spoke with clarity when discussing his priorities.
“We’re looking at the whole person, not just as an athlete. We’ll take care of you as a person first, academics second and track third. The majority of the guys who were interested in our program were already the kind of guys we were looking for. They’re not worried about stuff, how their warm-ups look or what not.
“It’s a salt of the earth group. They remind me of myself in college. They are very hungry, very tough and lots of them come from the rural part of the state (South Carolina). It’s funny just talking to the guys. They talk more about fishing than track. Just like I was.”
While the new track coach exudes confidence, he also understands it will be a process with a few detours.
“Sure, there’s a little bit of nervousness, but it’s good nervousness. You never know until they get out of here. But I feel good about their willingness to work, and the prospects of the upcoming season.”
The key, Morton says, is that his new student-athletes buy into his program and are willing to respond to his expectations.
“My goal is to develop everyone to my standard. When you join a college program, you should get better. Not just on the track where you need to be competitive, but also in the classroom and as a person.”
So, what will he say to his new athletes in the team’s first meeting next month?
“First, they need to show an attention to detail and obviously work hard but smart. They have the opportunity to sort of be pioneers and make history. Let’s start that history on the right foot.”
Mark Rennix, Men’s and Women’s Head Cross Country Coach
Mark is the youngest of the new men’s sports coaches, although he enters his third campaign as the Converse women’s cross country coach. Initially, he joined the school as an assistant under Morton for the women’s team in 2018 and then was promoted to head women’s cross country coach in July 2020. A standout runner on USC Upstate’s back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference title teams in 2011 and 2012, Rennix first entered the coaching ranks at his alma mater as a volunteer assistant in 2016.
Some might think it might be challenging to integrate a men’s cross country program with the established women’s team. However, Rennix is not one of them.
“Our women might be used to being the only team the past few years, but every one of them experienced dual programs in high school,” he said. “So they’re used to practicing side by side and it will be a fairly easy transition. For me personally as their coach, the main challenge is to keep my balance in offering the attention each team needs.”
Like his fellow men’s sports coaches, Rennix said recruiting high school kids to a college with no cross country history required special skill and ingenuity.
“I’m used to having my current team as a big recruiting tool,” he offered. “Your athletes can be your best salesmen and make a connection with recruits that I cannot. So that was our biggest challenge, not having that option. I had to sell a vision while not being able to show them anything concrete.”
Rennix expects his first edition to be competitive within the conference and perhaps ambush a couple of established programs with a little bit of fortune.
“Realistically, I would like to be in the middle of the conference. There’s no way we should compete for a championship but I hope to hop in and beat some programs that have been around much longer. Essentially, we just want steady improvement.”
Steady improvement. That may not be an alluring marketing slogan for Converse’s new teams but perhaps it perfectly capsulizes the primary goal for these history-making sports. They all will wear the word “Converse” on the front of their jerseys as they begin a most unique journey that promises excitement, surprises, and occasional milestones.
Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Bob works with Assistant Commissioner for External Relations Brian Hand and the entire Conference Carolinas office to help tell the stories of the tremendous student-athletes, coaches and administrators in Conference Carolinas.