Hope College has hired Keagan Pontious to be the new equipment manager for the athletic department, Director of Athletics Tim Schoonveld announced.
Pontious replaces the retiring Gord VanderYacht as equipment manager, whose last day was December 15. Pontious will continue in her role as head women’s lacrosse coach.
“Keagan has been an outstanding addition to our women’s lacrosse program. She is driven, motivated, hard working and gifted in her present role. Adding the equipment manager position allowed us to make her a full-time employee,” Schoonveld said. “It has been exciting to watch her impact on our women’s lacrosse student-athletes, and she is a great fit on our staff.
“We feel blessed to have her continue at Hope and know that she will continue to enhance our department as she leads both the lacrosse program and handles the equipment manager role.”
Pontious will be responsible for overseeing all of Hope’s athletic laundry and equipment needs for Hope’s 22 varsity teams. She will supervise a staff of three part-time employees as well as several student workers.
In addition, Pontious will serve as the athletic department liaison to the Hope College Physical Plant for the college’s outdoor facilities and help coordinate practice and game schedules on outdoor fields.
She is excited about the opportunity to expand her work at Hope.
“I think Hope Athletics has some amazing staff members and student-athletes whom I am thrilled to work alongside,” Pontious said. “I know I have some big shoes to fill as Gord was the guy behind-the-scenes who knew it all. It has been a great experience learning from him these past few weeks. He will be missed.”
Mary VandeHoef, Dow Center director and head softball coach, said Pontious will thrive in her new role.
“Keagan has been such a great addition to the Hope College Athletic Department since she arrived as our women’s lacrosse coach. She is a perfect missional fit for Hope,” VandeHoef said. “She wants to see all of Hope Athletics be successful. This new role will allow her to serve all of our student-athletes and impact their experience. It is a perfect role for Keagan.”