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Kent Reiber

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Spring 2017

News from the Press Box

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Chad Berryhill Named Tennis Coach

Chad BerryhillChad Berryhill, who captured a national championship as head coach at Hillsborough Community College (HCC, Tampa, FL), has been named the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Saint Leo. He spent the past four seasons as head coach at Ferris State University (Big Rapids, MI), guiding his team to the “final four” of the 2016 NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Championship. As Ferris State’s head coach, Berryhill was the 2015 and 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. While at HCC, Berryhill was a four-time Florida Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year from 2006 to 2009, and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region IV Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

Berryhill, a native of Lansing, MI, is a 2005 graduate of Ferris State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. He went on to receive his Master of Science with a concentration in physical education from the University of South Florida in 2009.

Saint Leo Hosts NCAA DII Cross Country Championships

On Saturday, November 19, Saint Leo welcomed cross country teams from around the United States and Canada to the NCAA Division II Championships. The meet was staged at the Abbey Golf Course, across State Road 52 from University Campus. Both the Saint Leo men’s and women’s teams qualified for the championship. In the end, the Adams State men and Grand Valley State women brought home the 2016 team titles.

“This was a great day for our veterans and a learning experience for our rookies,” said Kent Reiber, Saint Leo’s head men’s and women’s cross country coach.

Saint Leo senior Rafal Matuszczak placed 39th overall in the men’s race, and junior Colett Rampf placed 14th in the women’s race. Both came away with All-America honors.

“It was a privilege to be able to host the entire NCAA Division II community on our campus for this national championship, and showcase all that Saint Leo and the larger Tampa Bay region has to offer,” said Francis X. Reidy, Saint Leo’s director of athletics. “We will continue to seek opportunities to allow our student-athletes to compete for national championships at their home venue and build our Saint Leo brand.”

Cross Country NCAA 1

Head Cross Country Coach Kent Reiber was named the 2016 SSC Coach of the Year for men’s and women’s cross country. He earned the SSC Coach of the Year title for men’s cross country in 2015.

Volleyball Head Coach Sam Cibrone was named the 2016 SSC Coach of the Year. This marks the second-straight year that Cibrone earned the Coach of the Year honor and his third overall.

Cross country champs
The women’s cross country team won its second Sunshine State Conference Championship, having first earned the title in 2014. Colett Rampf claimed her third straight SSC women’s cross country individual championship.
Saint Leo W Soccer vs Nova Southeastern
The Saint Leo women’s soccer team defeated Palm Beach Atlantic 4-0 on October 30 to claim the Sunshine State Conference regular season title. The team went on to earn the SCC Tournament Championship as well with a 2-1 comeback victory over Nova Southeastern on November 6.

The Saint Leo women’s soccer team defeated Palm Beach Atlantic 4-0 on October 30 to claim the Sunshine State

Sunshine State Conference Cross Country Championship
In October, the men’s cross country team won its third consecutive Sunshine State Conference Championship, with freshman Ronald Cheserek winning the SSC individual crown for the Lions.
Colett Rampf
Junior Colett Rampf was named 2016 SSC women’s cross country Runner of the Year, for the third straight year.
Volleyball Championship
In November, the Lions volleyball team made history as it claimed the program’s first outright SSC Championship with a 3-0 (28-26, 25-21, 25-22) sweep of Nova Southeastern.
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Spring 2016

Lions with Big Hearts

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Being a student-athlete at Saint Leo means long hours in the gym, multiple practices a week, and juggling games and matches amid academic responsibilities. However, those demands are not so daunting when compared to the lives that young runners in Kenya lead. In December 2015, the cross country coaching staff saw firsthand what it is like to live and go to school in this African country. Head Coach Kent Reiber and Assistant Coaches Adriane Wunderlich and Connor Callahan traveled with 2012 Boston Marathon winner Wesley Korir and his wife, Canadian runner Tarah McKay, to work with children in Cherangani Hills, Kenya, who show academic and athletic promise. They read to the children, helping them to improve their English skills, ran together, and accompanied them to and from church. Most of the children’s homes are tiny mud huts with no electricity and running water. But what the young people lack in material goods they make up for in spirit and determination. The goal for Korir, who is a native of Kenya and ran for the University of Louisville, is to encourage the children to get a good education so they can grow up and make Kenya a better place. “It was a very humbling experience,” Coach Reiber explained, and perhaps the first of many trips to Kenya.

Anya Cole
Anya Cole (Images courtesy of Rising Lotus Photography)

Imagine being a young girl fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While other girls may run and play, you face daily back and leg pain and constantly have to be vigilant against infection. This is the life that Anya Cale has been dealt. After being diagnosed in 2014, she has undergone chemotherapy, as well as alternative treatments, to fight this cancer. Along the way, Anya has made great friends, including the members of the Saint Leo women’s lacrosse team. These women have rallied around Anya, inviting her to practice and games. Anya’s mom, Heather (Ehrman) Harvey ’10 of Wesley Chapel, FL, has had to take a leave from her teaching job to help Anya battle ALL, so the additional support has been invaluable to the family. As Head Coach Lesley Graham explains, “Having a relationship with Anya has helped us gain perspective. Whenever we have a bad day, we can look to her and understand what facing a challenge is all about.”

“Anya spends so much time in the hospital, and getting treatments that she’s unable to participate in team sports at this time. The opportunity to get involved with Saint Leo Women’s lacrosse was such a treat for us, and it makes her feel like she is really part of a team!”
—Heather (Ehrman) Harvey ’10

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