Becca Main Named Akerstrom Chair of Athletics

She takes the helm of KUA’s storied athletics and recreation program at an exciting time for the Wildcats. This year, two teams – the Boys’ Varsity Soccer and Boys’ Varsity Hockey – won their respective NEPSAC Championships and many boys’ and girls’ teams advanced in post-season play.

 

“Becca has a career that has included success in working with coaches, athletes, and colleagues at the highest level of NCAA competition to the grassroots developmental stage of sports,” says Head of School Tyler Lewis. “Her vision for supporting our coaches to create a consistently positive environment for all our students to develop, to compete, and to find joy through athletics will build on KUA’s tradition of excellence. As KUA’s first female athletic director, she will also be an authentic advocate for the equity of access and experience in athletics that is core to our mission.”

 

Main comes to KUA with almost three decades of experience in athletics, health and wellness, both as a coach and as an administrator. Most recently, she served as the director of coach education and member services for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), an organization which she served since 2005 in various capacities.

 

Prior to the NFHCA, Main led a storied coaching career at Quinnipiac University where she pioneered the school’s first-ever field hockey and lacrosse teams, transforming them into top-tier mid-major Division I programs. She served as head field hockey coach from 1995 to 2023.

 

"I am honored to embark on a journey within a community committed to cultivating leaders not only in the classroom but on the field, court, rink, arena, and slopes,” says Main. “I am inspired by the dedication and professionalism of the KUA community, as well as the vigor of the student-athletes. I recognize change comes at the pace of trust and will work to build relationships and define the culture. Key priorities at the outset of my tenure include fostering the growth of junior-varsity programs, enhancing coach education, and advocating for women and girls in sports.

 

Main graduated with a B.S. in health education and exercise science from Penn State University where she was a four-year standout in field hockey, played in three National Championships, was a two-time national All-American and a Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year. After graduation, Main competed on the U.S.A. Women’s National Training squad, where she was a reserve member of the squad that earned a bronze medal at the 1994 World Cup. A member of the NFHCA and USA Field Hockey Association, Main was actively involved in the Nexus program and the U.S. High Performance Training Centers along with developing the coach education for the NFHCA Ready2Coach clinics and NFHCA virtual and annual convention programming. She holds a M.S. in organizational leadership from Quinnipiac.