Jenna Kalwa Hired As Next Head Women's Soccer Coach

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Jenna Kalwa has been named the next head coach of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's soccer program, it was officially announced on Wednesday by Director of Athletics Amanda Devitt. Kalwa becomes the fifth head coach to lead the Blue Jays in program history and started on August 9th.

"Jenna's energy, enthusiasm, and vision make her a perfect choice for our program, and to lead our student-athletes," said Devitt. "We are thrilled to have her as part of our team and look forward to a bright future."

"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Amanda Devitt, Associate Athletic Director Wole Oke, and everyone else on the search committee and who have been so welcoming at the University of Saint Joseph," stated Kalwa. "I couldn't be more excited to join the Blue Jays' family and lead the women's soccer program. I am confident in our abilities to work together to make USJ an environment student-athletes can be academically and athletically successful."

Kalwa takes over the reigns of the USJ women's soccer program after most recently spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Division I University of Rhode Island (URI) under head coach Megan Jessee. At URI, Kalwa aided in all facets of the program from student-athlete development, recruiting, academics, admissions, administrative needs, and operation requirements. She was primarily responsible for player development and recruitment of URI's midfield, attacking set pieces, team training schedule and execution, game day preparedness, and assisting with goalkeeper sessions. During Kalwa's time on staff, the Rams' RPI increased 68 spots, results increased by 45%, and goals against decreased by 72%. Additionally, Kalwa served as the primary contact for all academic matters and admission processes, which she saw 25 out of 26 student-athletes make the 2020 Spring Dean's List.

In addition to her role with URI, Kalwa also served as the head coach for the Rams FC U15 and U16 teams based out of Kingston, R.I. There, she readied youth women's soccer players for competitive games by teaching technical and tactical fundamentals, while implementing coordinated regimens of practices and physical conditioning.

Prior to URI, Kalwa spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the director of operations for NC State's women's soccer program under head coach Tim Santoro. In her time with the Wolfpack, Kalwa organized in-season travel and team nutrition. She also assisted with the organization of NC State's recruiting and helped out with summer camps, budgeting and women's soccer alumni events. While on staff, the Wolfpack made the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament and NCAA Tournament each year, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2016.

In addition to her role with NC State, Kalwa served as the head coach for the North Carolina Football Club's U17 Classic team. In that role, she taught the technical, tactical, mental and physical aspects of the game while also providing player evaluations. Kalwa also spent time as both a referee and coach for XL Sports World, working with youth and adult players alike.

As a student-athlete, Kalwa was a two-year member of the Penn State women's soccer team (2012-13) before transferring to NC State for her final two seasons (2014-15). During her freshman year, the Nittany Lions went 21-3-2, won the Big 10 Conference, and advanced to the NCAA title game. As a player for the Wolfpack, Kalwa appeared in each of the team's 38 games in the midfield, making 36 starts. She was the NC State's 2014 MVP and was selected as a team captain for the 2015 season.

Originally from Pennington, N.J., Kalwa earned her bachelor's degree in social work from NC State in 2016.

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