Middletown, NJ — Trinity Hall, an independent, all-girls high school in the Catholic tradition, kicked off its athletic program on Aug. 17 with team practice, a tour of the newly-renovated school building and a continental breakfast. Soccer and cross country practice began for enrolled students on the school’s campus at 900 Leonardville Road, Leonardo, NJ. Students and their families had the opportunity to meet with the entire coaching staff as well as the school’s faculty.
“We are very excited to start our sports teams here at Trinity Hall,” said Ken Santos, director of athletics. “It is a unique opportunity to begin from step one, and the coaches and players have responded with a very good week of training in preparation for the upcoming games and meets. We expect to be competitive at sub-varsity levels and hope to start a tradition of winning with class, dignity and sportsmanship.”
Trinity Hall is a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and the New Jersey Independent School Athletic Association (NJISAA), and will compete against public, parochial and independent schools in Monmouth County and throughout the state. As enrollment grows with the addition of a new grade each year over the next three years, athletic teams will participate in the Shore Conference by 2015-2016.
Coaching Staff:
Ken Santos, Athletics Director, Head Coach: Soccer
- Former girls’ varsity soccer coach for Red Bank Catholic
- While at RBC, the girls won the Shore Conference Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and the State Championships in 2005 and 2010.
- Current teacher at Markham Place School, Little Silver, NJ
- Has been teaching for 11 years and coaching at the high school and college levels for 16 years
- Former men’s soccer assistant coach at Monmouth University
- B.A., Sociology: Villanova University; MSEd: Monmouth University
- Inducted into Villanova’s Athletic Hall of Fame, 2011
- Played professional soccer in both the United States and Portugal
Melissa Fairchild, Assistant Coach: Soccer
- Former junior varsity soccer head coach, varsity soccer assistant coach, lacrosse assistant coach and swimming assistant coach for Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, NJ
- Additional coaching experience includes Madison, NJ town league (three seasons); U10 and U12 club teams in Connecticut (four seasons)
- B.A., Spanish: Muhlenberg College; M.A., Spanish Language and Literature: Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT and Madrid, Spain)
- Played soccer for Muhlenberg College
- Currently plays competitive soccer
Tony Avallone, Head Coach: Cross Country and Track
- Former boys’ cross country and track coach for Red Bank Catholic
- While at RBC, the boys won the State Cross country Championships (1996) and Outdoor Monmouth County Championships
- Former boys’ and girls’ track and cross country coach at Sacred Heart High School, Yonkers, NY
- Elected to the Sacred Heart High School Hall of Fame, 1992
- B.S., Economics; MBA: Manhattan College
- Manhattan College career: member of the Indoor NCAA Track Championship team; an IC4A Indoor medalist; student assistant to Hall of Fame Coaches Fred Dwyer and Frank Gagalino coaching non-scholarship middle- and long-distance runners
Katie Andree, Assistant Coach: Cross Country and Track
- B.A., English: College of the Holy Cross
- Holy Cross career: four-year runner for the cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams; four-time Patriot League Championship competitor; steeplechase competitor in track; team captain during senior year
- Red Bank Catholic career: 11-season athlete at RBC for cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams; runner-up Cross Country State Champions and sixth place in MOC; in track: four-time Nationals competitor, 2008 Catholic Conference runner-up, All-American (sixth place finish at Nationals in the 4xMile), broke school records for Distance Medley and 4x800, four-time Penn Relays competitor
- Completed several half-marathons during the past year and is currently training for a 2014 marathon
Alyssa Morreale, Head Coach: Swimming
- Former assistant swimming coach for the nationally-ranked Peddie School and Peddie Aquatics teams in Hightstown, NJ
- While at Peddie, the boys and girls teams won multiple Eastern Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships and set numerous state and national scholastic and club swimming records.
- B.A., American Studies and Pre-Medicine: University of Notre Dame; M.A., Journalism: Indiana University
- Notre Dame career: four-year scholarship swimmer, specializing in freestyle and individual medley but competed in almost every event for the Fighting Irish; Beeler-Hipp Award recipient, freshman year
- High school career: NISCA All-American; two-time finalist in Florida High School 3A State Championships; captain of Bishop Moore Catholic High School (Orlando, FL) team during senior year; member of Bishop Moore Sports Hall of Fame
Katie Gillen, Assistant Coach: Swimming
- Former varsity swimming assistant coach for Chatham High School in Chatham, NJ
- Former junior varsity and varsity field hockey coach at Mount Saint Mary Academy
- B.A., History: Providence College
- Providence College career: four-year member of the Division I swim team; women’s team co-captain (2003-2004); Big East Academic All-Star for three consecutive seasons
- Former instructor for the lifeguard-in-training program for the Ship Bottom Beach Patrol
- Certified by the NHFS in the Fundamentals Of Coaching
Kelly Van Zile, Head Coach: Lacrosse
- Former girls’ lacrosse head coach for Ocean Township High School
- Former women’s lacrosse head coach for Monmouth University
- While at Monmouth University, led team to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament titles in 2006 and 2007, and regular season conference titles in 2006 and 2008. Twenty-three of her players were named to conference teams, two were named Players of the Year and two were named Rookies of the Year.
- B.A., Sociology: University of Notre Dame; M.S., Educational Counseling for Higher Education: Monmouth University
- Notre Dame career: All-Big East Conference performer; four-year starter (defense) who started every game during her career; co-captain during senior year
- High School career: three-year varsity starter in field hockey and lacrosse at Henderson High School, West Chester, PA; captain in both sports senior year; All-American in lacrosse
- National Team: member of 1999 U-19 National Team who won the World Championships in Perth, Australia; MVP of game vs. Australia
About Trinity Hall:
Trinity Hall is an independent all-girls high school in the Catholic tradition assisting in the spiritual, moral and integral formation of every student while maintaining high standards of academic excellence. In a technology-rich learning environment, a superior faculty and a challenging interdisciplinary curricular program fosters leadership, respect, perseverance and faith. For more information, visit www.trinityhallnj.org.
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