BRIDGEWATER, Va. - When the diploma lands in the graduate's hands while the degree is plastered across the resume, some may discover opportunities to branch out away from their alma mater; but at Bridgewater people stay well past graduation day. 

Why is that? Why do so many of the athletics staff stay for the long haul? The simple answer: people stay where they belong and are welcomed with open arms. 

From athletic directors, to coaches, to athletic trainers; they have one thing in common; they represented the Crimson & Gold in college and now in the professional world right here on campus. They each saw the immediate impact they would have with the opportunity to stay working at Bridgewater past graduation day. 

Curt Kendall, the Bridgewater College Director of Athletics, has been serving in the role for more than five years, as well as holding the title of baseball head coach for 34 years accumulating highly regarded awards along the way and making an appearance on Hall of Fame walls. Most importantly, he's been doing it all under Bridgewater's guidance. Kendall graduated in 1981. 

"Bridgewater College has provided me an opportunity to grow professionally starting with my coaching career and now as the Director of Athletics," Kendall said.  

Another baseball coach and the current head coach of the program, Ben Spotts, also graduated from Bridgewater and began working as the head coach after graduating in 1997. He worked for some time at EMU but returned to Bridgewater to become the head coach. This will be his fifth season at the helm. 

On the football staff, Dustin Green ('21 G, "23 M) and Peyton Allen ('19) both graduated from Bridgewater and are now football assistant coaches. Green is the Defensive Pass Game Coordinator, and Allen is the Defensive Coordinator. In addition to the staff, Derrick Jenkins ('23), Deion Richardson ('22), and Kevin Barr ('17) also went to Bridgewater and are assistant coaches. Along with those names and alumni is 2020 grad Emily Bagby Witzke who is in her first season as the field hockey head coach and Connor McLean, a 2023 grad who has been serving as the men's lacrosse assistant coach since 2023. 

New to the coaching staff this year is tennis head coach Noah Hughes. Hughes graduated in 2024.  

In administration, Leyton Pullin graduated from Bridgewater in 2022 and immediately after graduating accepted the role of Associate Director of Athletic Media Relations after working in the athletic department as a student worker for three years. He is now in his second year as the Director of Athletic Media Relations.  

"Bridgewater College allowed me to make connections as a student during my time here and continues to allow me to do that while providing me with a community feeling that I have never been a part of before," Pullin said. 

On the aquatics staff, '09 Grad Brooke Hodges has been working as the Director of Aquatics for the athletics department and graduated from Bridgewater.  

Even if you stretch further into the athletic department away from coaches and assistant coaches, you will still find plenty of fellow Bridgewater alumni who are happy to continue working for the Crimson & Gold after receiving their diploma.  

The athletic training staff also started out at Bridgewater beginning with the head athletic trainer, Meghan Harris, a 2014 graduate, along with Keirsten Kennedy ('21 Grad, '23 Master's) and Billy Tucker ('20 Grad, '23 Master's). Both Jillian Maddra and Joseph Cockrell are also alumni of the Bridgewater Eagles. Cockrell and Maddra graduated in 2020, becoming a part of the AT staff in the summer of 2022. Maddra commented that Bridgewater has a positive atmosphere, and the community is always supportive.  

"I decided to come back to work at Bridgewater because of the positive atmosphere that I experienced here as a student," Maddra said. "I have stayed the past few years because of the community and continued support that Bridgewater athletics has created for its staff and athletes."  

Being at Bridgewater isn't just for college life; it's also for long-lasting friendships and professional connections afterward. The alumni embrace the core values of being a Bridgewater Eagle and bring that into their careers at what they would consider their second home and most importantly are proud to serve in athletics at their alma mater.