Ethel Walker School
Randall Sho Northrop
Randall Sho Northrop
Chris Hague
Chris Hague
Ashley Bonet
Ashley Bonet
Kathy Kleis
Kathy Kleis
Kenzie Hine '16
Kenzie Hine '16
Colin R. Griggs
Head Coach
Colin R. Griggs
Erin Ott
Assistant Coach
Erin Ott
Kenzie Hine '16
Assistant Coach
Kenzie Hine '16
Ashley Bonet
Assistant Coach
Ashley Bonet
Toby Way
Assistant Coach
Toby Way
Colin R. Griggs
Head Coach
Colin R. Griggs
Colin R. Griggs entered the coaching ranks at Walker’s during the fall of 2022 when he took on the role of Head Coach for both the varsity soccer and squash programs. Prior to arriving at Walker’s, Colin spent time as the head coach of the Black Rock FC Residential Academy team at High Mowing School from 2019-2021 and was at Hebron Academy from 2010-2019. At Hebron, Colin coached over 400 athletic contests in soccer, basketball and tennis and reached the NEPSAC Final in all three sports over the course of those nine years. As a coach, Colin is an enthusiastic supporter of his athletes and tries to always find the best opportunities for them to succeed both on and off the fields and courts. During his playing career, Colin played both soccer and tennis at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. From a personal standpoint, Colin has attended five World Cups and is an avid Liverpool FC fan. He grew up in Guilford, CT and now resides in Granby with his wife, Sarah, and two sons, Raleigh and Henry.
Jeff Magnoli
Head Coach
Jeff Magnoli
Jae Kirkland Rice
Assistant Coach
Jae Kirkland Rice
Jae Rice joins the Walker’s coaching staff for the first season this winter. He is passionate about athletics and works with college-bound athletes on campus who are looking to improve their strength and conditioning as they prepare for collegiate-level competition. As a student at Brown University, he competed in club rugby, participating in the Ivy League 7s series and the 15s collegiate circuit, where his team earned berths at nationals twice in four years. Coach Rice joined the Walker’s community in the fall of 2021 as an English teacher and Upper School co-advisor. He lives in Cluett with his dog, Sprocket.
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Alex Pape
Alex Pape
Alex Pape joins the Walker’s winter coaching staff for the 2021-2022 season as the JV Squash coach. Coach Pape fell in love with squash while attending Westover School where she played on the varsity level for several years before graduating in 2012. After Westover, Pape played for the University of Edinburgh’s Women’s Club team in Scotland where she constantly got into trouble for using the US scoring rules – whoops! She has also coached squash during summer programs for boys and girls at Westover and Taft.
Coach Pape currently teaches 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English at the Montessori School of Greater Hartford and manages the student business at the program’s Millstream Farm. She is really excited to be working with both new and seasoned squash players at the JV level, and can’t wait to share her love of the sport with her team.
Karim Mabrouk
Head Coach
Karim Mabrouk
Beth McWilliams
Head Coach
Beth McWilliams
Coach McWilliams joined the coaching staff for the 2021-2022 season. Prior to working at Walker’s, Coach McWilliams has coached basketball for various schools and organizations for over 20 years and at various levels (1st grade through 12th grade). At Walker’s, she serves as the CFOO.
Darrell Carrington P'02
Assistant Coach
Darrell Carrington P'02
Coach Darrell Carrington has taught at Walker’s for 39 years and has coached over 25 other teams, including varsity soccer, basketball, and softball. His ‘86 and ‘88 softball teams and ‘13 golf teams won Founders League championships. He is a former collegiate and professional athlete and an experienced multi-sport official. Coach Carrington is a math teacher, varsity golf coach and serves as an Upper School advisor.
Melissa Bernardo
Head Coach
Melissa Bernardo
Dr. Bernardo joined the Science Department at Walker’s in 2017. Dr. Bernardo is a dorm parent in New Dorm, an Upper School advisor, and newly a class dean. Dr. B has also coached JV softball while at Walker’s. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Wesleyan University.
Jeff Magnoli
Assistant Coach
Jeff Magnoli
Dr. Patrick Durning
Dr. Patrick Durning
Kara Ingram P'28
Co-Coach
Kara Ingram P'28
Kara Ingram joins The Ethel Walker School this year from Korea. Over the past three years, she assisted in creating an afterschool soccer program for Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju. Ingram is an avid fan of the Jeju United Soccer team, and she’s played at the club collegiate level in Texas in addition to earning several district-level awards in high school. Coach Ingram is passionate about soccer as a player, a coach and a spectator.
Karim Mabrouk
Assistant Coach
Karim Mabrouk
Bethany Davis
Bethany Davis
Bethany Davis played golf at the collegiate level where she played under the direction of LPGA Teaching Professional Laura Brown at Daytona State College and continued her collegiate career with LPGA Teaching Professional Maria Lopez at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where she was named the NAIA Region XIV Player of the Year as well as the Florida Sun Conference Player of the Year, becoming the first Eagle to claim each award. While in college, Bethany’s summers were spent helping teach junior golfers at the Jim Tennant Jr. golf camps at Westwoods Golf Course in Farmington. Bethany has also spent many years working in the golf industry at private country clubs such as Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and Heathrow Country Club in Heathrow, Florida, where she was able to work with members such as PGA Tour Players Chris DiMarco and Zach Johnson (before and after he won The Masters). Bethany is the College Counseling Administrative Assistant and also serves as an Upper School co-advisor.
Abby Wollenberg
Head Coach
Abby Wollenberg
Jonathan T. Bui
Head Coach
Jonathan T. Bui
Coach Bui joins Walker’s for the 2020 fall season as the head varsity volleyball coach. He has extensive coaching experience, coaching for 10 years in various positions including at the collegiate, high school, and club levels. Prior to coaching in college, he coached girls, boys, and men’s teams. Coach Bui also played for the Club program at UCONN, competing in the NCVH Division 1. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. Outside of Walker’s, Bui is also an active coach for Husky Volleyball, a prominent club program in the area. He will emphasize strong skill development on the court as well as a focus on academics as the full student-athlete.
Isabel Ceballos
Head Coach
Isabel Ceballos
Isabel Ceballos is returning to coaching volleyball as the head coach to the middle school volleyball program. Coach Ceballos recently coached in the varsity program in the 2018 season. Outside of volleyball, Coach Ceballos is the Head of the Middle School and also is the Executive Director of Horizons at the Ethel Walker School.
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Daniele Ness
Assistant Coach
Daniele Ness
Daniele Ness began working at The Ethel Walker School in 2018. Mrs. Ness earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas and worked as an engineer prior to becoming a math teacher. Outside of coaching JV volleyball, Mrs. Ness also coaches JV Softball and teaches in the math department. Mrs. Ness is a proud Dial, undefeated for three years in a row at Dogswood Day and in her one season coaching JV Softball 2019.
Ben Barker
Head Coach
Ben Barker
Coach Barker joined Walker’s for the 2014 season after coaching in the Simsbury Soccer Club for 7 years. In most recent years, he has held simultaneous Head Coach positions in both Travel and Recreational leagues, winning a CJSA League Champions title. He holds the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association’s State Youth Module and State ‘E’ coaching certificates.
Coach Barker is a graduate from the University of East Anglia in England in Environmental Sciences and is a lifelong advocate and player of the ‘beautiful game.’ He encourages a love of soccer in all players irrespective of skill level, and uses soccer to promote confidence and self-esteem in individuals. His players learn to appreciate the benefits of belonging to a group where teamwork is paramount and all team members are important.
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Mimi Duran P'18
Mimi Duran P'18
Mimi Duran has 30 years of coaching experience, both in independent and public schools. She began her tenure at Walker’s in fall 2007 leading an aggressive field hockey effort, winning seven CISAC League titles, six CISAC Tournament titles, and the Class C WNEPSA Championship title in 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Her teams have appeared in the WNEPSA Field Hockey Tournament in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2014 through 2019.
Mimi most recently worked as varsity field hockey coach at Cheshire High School where her team was a finalist in the State Tournament. Prior to that, she was coach at Wamogo High School in Litchfield, CT. While coaching at Wamogo, her teams made six CIAC semi-final appearances, and won six Berkshire League Championships. Mimi is a Coach of the Year recipient from both CHSCA and CFHCA. She is a NFHCA 200 Victory Club Award recipient, and has been selected to membership in the New Agenda: Northeast Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2015, Mimi was inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2019, Mimi received recognition from the NFHCA for her 300th career win and recently was awarded the M.D. Nadal Award for Sportsmanship, given annually by heads of school and athletics directors from the Founders League.
Mimi holds a Connecticut coaching certification, Level 2 United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) coaching certification, and is a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (USFHA), the Connecticut Field Hockey Coaches Association, and a USFHA “future’s coach.” Mimi has taken nine teams to the National Field Hockey Festival and has traveled with her teams to play in Europe and South America. Several of her former players have earned Founders All-League, WNEPASFH and NEPSAC Field Hockey recognition, Regional All-American recognition, NFHCA All–Academic recognition and have played Division I, II and III field hockey at the collegiate level. Several alumnae have pursued coaching and currently coach at the high school level.
In addition to her coaching duties, Mimi Duran is Associate Athletic Director. She holds a Master’s degree in Professional Sports Management from Georgetown University.
Jade Dennett
Assistant Coach
Jade Dennett
Coach Dennett began coaching field hockey at Walker’s in the fall of 2018. Dennett was a four-year Division I Colgate player, specializing in defense. Prior to college, she was a four-year member of Futures Field Hockey, a four-year member of Hudson Valley Travel Team, and was selected for Empires in the Hudson Valley, NY region. Dennett was a two-time All-State All-Selection player in high school where she competed for John Jay in Hopewell Junction, NY.
Outside of field hockey, Coach Dennett serves as the Assistant Director of College Counseling and is an Upper School advisor. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, cooking, going to yoga classes, and just being outdoors. She also coaches for HTC Field Hockey.
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David Thacker P'24, '27
Assistant Coach
David Thacker P'24, '27
Kim Hillman
Varsity Coach
Kim Hillman
Gretchen Sonju
Head Coach
Gretchen Sonju
Gretchen Sonju is a teacher in Avon, head U16 Coach at Mohawk Mountain in northwest Connecticut, and co-director of summer ski camps at Leadchangeracing. As a racer, she competed in Tri-State, USSA, and FIS and raced at Saint Michael’s College. Coach Sonju ran a division of the Missoula Ski Education Foundation in Montana before moving back east to Maine, where she coached the Falmouth High School team and ran the Shawnee Peak race program and adaptive programs. She is USSA Level 200 certified.
Carol Clark-Flanagan P'93, '97
Assistant Coach
Carol Clark-Flanagan P'93, '97
Darrell Carrington P'02
Head Coach
Darrell Carrington P'02
Coach Darrell Carrington has taught at Walker’s for 39 years and has coached over 25 other teams including varsity soccer, basketball, and softball. His ‘86 and ‘88 softball teams and his ‘13 golf team won Founders League championships. He is a former collegiate and professional athlete and an experienced multi-sport official. Coach Carrington is a math teacher, chair of the Math Department, and serves as an Upper School advisor.
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Daniele Ness
Head Coach
Daniele Ness
Daniele Ness began working at The Ethel Walker School in 2018. The 2021 season is her third season coaching softball at Walker’s. Coach Ness helped lead the 2019 JV Softball team to an undefeated season! Coach Ness has an extensive background as a softball player, specializing as third baseman and catcher. She played competitive softball for over 15 years including high school and college intramural, and continued in a women’s adult league. Coach Ness earned her B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and worked as an engineer prior to becoming a math teacher. Outside of coaching JV Softball, Coach Ness is also the head JV volleyball coach, teaches math, and is a Middle School advisor.
Melissa Bernardo
Head Coach
Melissa Bernardo
Dr. Melissa Bernardo is in her third season coaching JV softball and also coaches JV volleyball in the fall. Coach Bernardo is a dorm parent, an Upper School advisor, and advisor to the Environmental Club on campus. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Wesleyan University.
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Suzanne Piela P’22
Head Coach
Suzanne Piela P’22
Suzanne Piela is coaching the JV tennis team for the 11th year at Walker’s. Outside of tennis, Coach Piela chairs the science department, is an upper school advisor and a dorm affiliate for the New Dorm and lives on campus with her family.
Ned Edwards P’07, ’10
Assistant Coach
Ned Edwards P’07, ’10
Ned joined the coaching staff for the spring 2021 season as the assistant in the Varsity Tennis program. Coach Edwards is the Dean of Faculty and the Director of the Capabilities Approach Program, Walker’s unique program dedicated to disrupting gendered mindsets and empowering girls to achieve their personal and professional goals. He has previously coached Varsity and JV Tennis and general fitness. Coach Edwards also teaches Ethics and is an Upper School advisor.
Brendan O'Dwyer
Brendan O'Dwyer
Coach O’Dwyer helped to coach the Varsity Tennis team to the NEPSAC tournament in the 2017-2018 season. In addition to coaching tennis, Coach O’Dwyer is also the Head Skiiing Coach, where he has helped lead Walker’s to three NEPSAC titles from 2017-2019. Coach O’Dwyer teaches in the History Department and serves as an Upper School advisor.
Brendan O'Dwyer
Brendan O'Dwyer
Coach Brendan O’Dwyer began working at Walker’s in 2015. As a lifelong skier with a passion for the sport, he is honored to be returning to such a strong and successful program. In addition to coaching skiing, Coach O’Dwyer is a member of the History Department at Walker’s and is the head coach of the Varsity Tennis team.
Julia Sheldon
Assistant Coach
Julia Sheldon
Dr. Julia Sheldon has been teaching at Walker’s for 22 years. This spring, she is excited to join the tennis program for the first time. Coach Sheldon also coaches varsity swimming and is a member of the science department.
Read Full ProfileJulia Sheldon
Assistant Coach
Julia Sheldon
Julia Sheldon enters her fourth year as an assistant coach in the swim program. She has been swimming her entire life and at this point probably has more chlorine in her veins than anything else. She swam competitively from elementary through high school and her swim career culminated with a top eight finish in the 100 backstroke at the Central California Sectional meet during her senior year. Outside of coaching, Dr. Sheldon serves as a teacher in the science department and is an upper school advisor. She also coaches JV tennis in the spring.
Kati Eggert
Assistant Coach
Kati Eggert
Kati Eggert began working at The Ethel Walker School in the summer of 2018. She has coached varsity and JV softball for nine years. Coach Eggert played softball for Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway, NJ before her collegiate career at Drew University. She specialized in middle infield while at Drew. Outside of coaching softball, Coach Eggert serves as the athletic director, aquatics director and varsity head swim coach, and is a Middle School advisor.
Read Full ProfileKati Eggert
Head Coach
Kati Eggert
Coach Eggert enters her fourth year as head coach to the swim program. Most recently in 2020, Walker’s swimming was named finalists at the Division III New England Championship meet. Walker’s has been the host of the championship meet for five consecutive years. In the 2020-2021 season, the team was able to hold several virtual meets, including one official meet where the team earned NISCA Silver-Team and one senior was named NISCA Academic All-American. Eggert is also the athletic director and aquatics director, coaches varsity softball, and serves as a Middle School advisor.
Prior to Walker’s, Coach Eggert was the swim coach and assistant athletic director at Westover School where she coached since 2011 field hockey, swimming, and softball. In her final season as head coach, she led Westover to the school’s first CISAC athletic conference championship in 2017. Prior to her tenure at Westover, she was a three-sport varsity athlete at Drew University. Her sports included field hockey, softball, and swimming. While at Drew she earned All-Academic Conference recognition, served as captain to the swim team, and medaled in multiple Landmark Conference Championships. She earned her B.A. in Art and Secondary Education from Drew University, teaching certification from the College of St. Elizabeth, and earned her Master of Science in Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University.
Scott Frey
Head Coach
Scott Frey
John Monagan
John Monagan
Coach John Monagan enters his 14th year coaching the Varsity Softball team as either the head or assistant coach. Throughout his years at Walker’s, the team has won two Western New England titles and has made the tournament in multiple seasons. Coach Monagan is the Interim Athletic Director, teaches history, and is an Upper School advisor. Coach Monagan is also the Varsity Basketball head coach.
John Monagan
Head Coach
John Monagan
Coach John Monagan is in his 16th year in the Walker’s basketball program. During his years at Walker’s, he has led the Varsity team to the NEPSAC Class C tournament five times. His philosophy centers around playing fast and having a strong offensive attack. In his playing years, Coach Monagan led his prep school basketball team to two New England Championships.
Megan Mulhern
Head Coach
Megan Mulhern
Megan is no stranger to the field hockey field. Coach Mulhern joins Walker’s coaching staff after several years of coaching at Westminster School, and teaches in the English department. Prior to joining Walker’s, Coach Mulhern taught several English courses at Westminster School and the YK Pao Secondary School in Shanghai, China, where she developed a school-wide reading program. Coach Mulhern also taught at The Lawrenceville School, The Emma Willard School and worked for the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her B.A. in English from Brown University and her M.A. in Literature from Middlebury College.
Chris Semk
Assistant Coach
Chris Semk
Sarah Edson
Head Coach
Sarah Edson
Sarah Edson has been coaching cross country at Walker’s since 2014. Having raced distances from 5Ks to marathons over two decades, Coach Edson brings her passion for and experience with running to Walker’s cross country program. She is committed to helping each girl achieve her personal best while advancing the team’s potential and performance. Members of Walker’s cross country discover that competitive running fosters empowerment, endurance, and resilience, traits that will serve each girl well over the course of her lifetime.