LANGLEY, B.C. – In celebration of International Women's Day, Trinity Western University is proud to announce Jennifer Kits ('21) has been selected for the 2022-23 U SPORTS Female Apprentice Coach Program, as she will continue in her work as an assistant coach with the Spartans track and field and cross country teams.
Kits graduated from TWU in the spring of 2021 and has been working as an assistant coach throughout the 2021-22 season.
As a student-athlete, Kits capped her time at TWU by being named a winner of the Spartans prestigious Complete Champion Award, which is given to TWU senior student-athletes who are "outstanding in athletic achievements, who advance to the edge of their abilities both academically and personally, and who also demonstrate leadership and a desire to grow spiritually."
"We are thrilled and grateful to be recipients of this kind of support," said Shane Wiebe, TWU's Director and Head Coach of track and field and cross country. "There are so many things about Jen that make her an outstanding candidate for this grant, and the impact she has already had on our program has been immeasurable. We're very much looking forward to how this opportunity will continue to shape her and help her grow in her coaching career. One of the things I love about TWU is its emphasis on leadership development and that this kind of development can continue even after graduation."
Kits is one of 18 former student-athletes who have been selected for 2022-23 U SPORTS Female Apprentice Coach Program.
"We're excited to continue to build upon our Female Apprentice Coach Program," said Jennifer Smart, U SPORTS Director of Sport. "Despite the unprecedented COVID-related challenges faced in the first two years of the program, this initiative has already proved to provide the tools and atmosphere needed to open new doors and further coaching development in the U SPORTS ecosystem in the name of equity and diversity. This program is built to foster the success of our proud alumnae who look to become coaches themselves in the future."
Kits is the third Spartan alum to be part of this program, following in the footsteps of current TWU women's volleyball assistant coach Alicia Perrin ('15), who was selected in 2020-21, and current Calgary women's basketball assistant coach Sarah Neufeld ('13) who was also selected in 2020-21.
A total of 37 applications were received for the 2022-23 edition of the program, with 18 apprentice coaches selected for the third consecutive year. Eight of the 12 sports are represented – including football, rugby, soccer, cross country, track and field, hockey, basketball and volleyball – as well as all four U SPORTS member conferences.
This marks the first year a former student-athlete was selected to coach men's football as part of the program. All participants in the program will be a member of the coaching staff at their respective schools and where possible, will provide feedback to colleagues as well as student-athletes, while taking part in team activities. Each apprentice coach will also attend at least one National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), with the option to also take additional professional development courses and seminars in the field of coaching.
The 2022-23 U SPORTS Female Apprentice Coach Program begins on Apr. 1.
