Two new coaches have been hired by the athletic department at Lakeland: Adam Galla (men’s and women’s soccer head coach) and Kim Bukowski (women’s volleyball head coach).
Adam Galla was a player and top assistant coach at Central Methodist University before accepting the position as head soccer coach at Lakeland. At Central Methodist, Galla helped establish the women’s program as a competitor, taking the Lady Eagles from a 3-12-3 overall mark in the 2010-11 season to a 14-3-2 record in the 2011-12 season. He led the Lady Eagles to a 4-2-1 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference and a No. 3 seed in the HAAC Tournament. Galla stresses his talent for recruiting players. His major improvement for the soccer program at Lakeland is the roster size of next year’s team on both men’s and women’s groups. He wants his team to be more prepared and organized in the upcoming year.
Galla brings seven years of coaching experience at various club soccer teams in Missouri. He served as head coach for the Columbia Pride U-18 Boys’ team and an assistant coach for the 1996 Girl’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. Gala holds his USSF (United States Soccer Federation) “D” License, and in June 2010 he earned his NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Diploma.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with everyone at Lakeland and take the programs to the next step,” said Galla. “I look forward to taking over both programs and establishing them as top contenders in Division III, as well as in the conference.”
Calm, organized, and connected is what Galla would consider his kind of coaching style. “Know your roles and expectations on and off the field,” said Galla.
Kim Bukowski’s previous experience includes being a four year student athlete at Valparaiso University were she is recorded as the third leading person to assist for a point in Valparaiso school history. She was also a graduate assistant at both Valparaiso University and South Dakota University.
“I come from a program, both as a player and coach, that is steeped in tradition with a history of winning records,” said Bukowski.
“I will need to evaluate the Lakeland volleyball program in order to determine areas of focus for improvement. To continuously perform at a high level takes hard work and dedication, and I am confident that is what I will get from this program.”
Bukowski’s goals for the ladies’ volleyball team this upcoming season are to win conference and possibly the NAC tournament. A long term goal that Bukowski would like to see is the women’s volleyball team move back to the top of the conference.
Bukowski expressed her great concern of making sure that her team is a family.
“This is what will make our team successful,” said Bukowski.
Both new head coaches are ready to get started with the upcoming season next fall.