By: Jon Cole, Salem Athletic Communications & Marketing Director
Contributions by Kierston Garner, Salem Softball Head Coach
While there are many who think that there is a glamourous life that comes with working in college athletics, the reality is that on many occasions the late nights in the life of a Communications Director are filled with stat sheets strewn all over your desk, coffee that decorates the stat sheets that are used and for me the sounds of sports playing on ESPN, ESPN2 or other ESPNU at an audible, but not disturbingly high level.
After all, my duties in the profession not only include those assigned by Salem Academy and College, but also those that come with being the business owner of a sports analytics company. With my company I compile game-by-game statistics about individuals, teams and leagues all over the country. Therefore, the sports are on in the background vary from football to college basketball to volleyball to softball and lacrosse.
With that being said, one of the teams that I have come to appreciate over the course of the last 15 years is the Gonzaga men's basketball team. The climb that the Bulldogs have made from an NCAA Tournament Cinderella, where they were the hunters, to being the top-ranked team in the land—the ultimate hunted—is one that is to say the least—impressive.
The primary reason for Gonzaga's success in men's college basketball can be attributed to head coach Mark Few. Few, who has spent 22 years at the helm of the program, comes across as one of those individuals that truly appreciates the quiet times in life.
While watching the games leading up to the NCAA Championship, CBS explained that in his 22 years at the helm of the Bulldogs that Few had never interviewed for another job. Paraphrasing Few he said "bigger isn't always better" and that he had found contentment in the lifestyle of being able to fly fish and spend time with his father.
There is a lot to be said about the mindset that Mark Few portrays in a post-COVID-19 world. Especially for someone that is from a small town himself that searched for a bigger lifestyle in the early stages of my career. But, as my mom told me "Jon, it doesn't matter where you go because there are Wal-Marts and Targets everywhere."
SALEM'S RECENT PIVOT MOVE
Salem College is a perfect example of the way to be a big fish in a little pond and that ideology is one that the school embraces.
After all, the school is making waves on a local, state and national level with its recent Health Leadership Focus being introduced.
Today, Salem College is focusing its 250-year legacy of leadership on becoming the nation's only liberal arts college dedicated to elevating and expanding the role of women in Health Leadership. This new Health Leadership approach to liberal arts education will prepare the next generation of women to become empowered, ethical, effective health leaders in a wide range of fields from medicine and wellness to law and public policy, from business and not-for-profit to advocacy and the environment.
Salem has a long history of adapting to the most critical challenges of our time, as well as responding to the changing expectations and needs of women. As the world continues to rapidly change, great institutions must change with it. This process began almost three years ago—supported by deep research, expert education and industry consultants, and deep engagement with more than 200 Salem stakeholders—including faculty, staff, administration, students, alumnae, Board of Trustees members, and more. The data was overwhelming and impossible to ignore. Our decision was ultimately grounded in several critical factors including a growing interest from prospective students in health and more purpose driven education, Salem's strong track record in health and sciences, continued job growth in health-related fields, and the crucial need to fill the gap of women leaders across the entire health ecosystem.
Salem's 250-year history of delivering highly focused, personalized, and immersive educational experiences for women makes it uniquely positioned to educate, elevate, and expand the role women play in the future of Health Leadership. Having a health focus inside a liberal arts environment is a powerful combination for women who want to make a profound difference by planning a career path in the health industry.
EMBRACING THE BIG FISH, LITTLE POND IDEOLOGY
Salem has two alumnae as part of its Athletic Department—softball head coach Kierston Garner and women's basketball head coach Quntashea Lewis. Garner graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology and a minor in coaching in May 2016.
During her four-year collegiate career Garner, an infielder, was a four-time Great South Athletic Conference all league performer. She was named to the All-Freshman Team and North Carolina All-State second team in 2013 as a first-year. Garner later grabbed NCAA All-South Region First Team honors in 2016, when she was also named as the Great South Conference Player of the Year.
Garner finished her senior season in 2016 ranked in multiple NCAA DIII statistical categories. She finished was among the Top-25 performers in batting average (.564—12th), home runs (18—15th), home runs per game (.49—16th), and slugging percentage (1.154—21st).
Garner returned for the 2018 season, serving as Long's graduate assistant as she began pursuing her master's degree in school counseling, which resulted in a regular season championship and a place in the USA South Conference Tournament Championship versus Maryville. In the summer of 2018, Garner was elevated to the position of head coach after Long's departure from the program. In her first year at the helm, 2019, Salem finished the season with a 25-17 mark and a third-place finish in the USA South Conference Tournament.
After serving as the graduate assistant for the Salem softball program, Garner was named as head coach in the fall of 2018 with the departure of her mentor Scott Long.
Garner piloted the Spirits to a 25-17 (10-7 USA South Conference) overall mark in her first year at the helm. Salem put together a pair of six-game winning streaks, the first of which occurred from March 17-March 20, to mark the fifth consecutive 20-win season for the program. The second six-game winning streak came in league play from April 3-7, resulting in league triumphs over Greensboro and Mary Baldwin.
After winning two of three games against Greensboro on April 18, in the opening round of the USA South Conference Tournament, Garner's squad captured victories against Piedmont (April 26) and Meredith (April 26) in the second round at LaGrange. The Spirits suffered back-to-back setbacks to Maryville and Averett the following afternoon, ending their bid for the league crown.
In 2020, Garner's second year on the bench, the Spirits were 9-5 on the slate, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Salem defended its home turf during the season, finishing 4-2, and rattled off nine straight wins from Feb. 29 through March 11. The streak, which began with a 4-1 win in the second game at Huntingdon, tied the 2017 unit for the longest winning streak in program history.
"As an alum of Salem College and of the softball program this mindset means a lot to me," said Garner. "Mainly because I lived this during my four years here. I had offers elsewhere and could have been a number to a program or school and not Kierston Garner."
"My story could be extremely long but it all boils down to the fact that I stuck with my roots," added Garner. "I found a program that I felt most comfortable with and connected to. I became the big fish and have some records that still have my name on them but I now get the pleasure of coaching more of those big fish. Who which I know will give me a run for the money but that's okay because Salem builds strong women and I want to be a mentor in the sports aspect of their journey too!"