ROME, Ga. (July 23, 2020) — Berry College Director of Athletics, Angel Mason, announced today the hiring of Kathy Insel Brown (95C) to serve as the new Berry women's soccer head coach.
"I am thrilled to welcome Kathy back home to Berry College," Mason said. "Kathy stood out in what was a very competitive national search with her infectious energy and clear passion for the program and her alma mater. I look forward to her leadership and support of the program in this next chapter."
"It is a pleasure to welcome Kathy Insel Brown home," Berry Chief of Staff Debbie Heida said. "Her history as a player and a coach position her well to take on the mantle of leadership for our successful Vikings soccer program. Her commitment to excellence, on the soccer field and in the classroom is a great match for Berry."
Insel Brown will join as the fifth head coach in program history after accumulating 22 years of coaching experience and a 279-114-13 (.703) overall record. She attended Berry from 1991-1995, serving as a starting defender on the 1993 NAIA National Championship team that finished the year 18-4-1. From her defensive position, she helped Berry to nine shutout victories that year.
"It is impossible to explain how excited I am to return to Berry College as the head women's soccer Coach," Insel Brown said. "I would like to thank Angel Mason, President Stephen Briggs, Chief of Staff Debbie Heida, Ginger Swann and everyone else involved in the hiring process for putting their trust in me."
"I have big shoes to fill. I am very proud to join the list of legendary Berry women's soccer coaches. I will work tirelessly to continue the tradition of success both on and off the field while chasing the championship dream. I consider myself blessed beyond measures to have an opportunity to not only do what I love, but an opportunity to do what I love at Berry College."
She most recently served as the women's soccer head coach at NCAA Division II Lock Haven University for three years where she led the Bald Eagles, a program that had won only three games in the previous three seasons, to newfound success.
LHU finished her final season at the helm 11-5-1 after advancing to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament for the first time in 12 years and the team's 11 wins marked the most for the Bald Eagles since 2004. Standout Marah Foltz earned All-America honors after claiming Player of the Year accolades in the region and conference. In all, LHU crowned four All-Conference players that year, the most since 2007.
During her time at LHU, the Bald Eagles also earned four U.S. Soccer All-America Scholar Athlete honors, the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award and boasted the highest women's team GPA at LHU in 2016 and 2018.
Prior to Lock Haven, she began the women's soccer program at Young Harris College, serving as the head coach for 18 years. In 2006, her team claimed the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I National Championship and she went on to earn eight total Region Coach of the Year honors and the 2006 NSCAA National Coach of the Year award.
She was inducted into the Young Harris Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 and the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2019. In all, Insel Brown's teams at Young Harris advanced to six national tournaments, won eight regional championships and claimed six district championships. She led 11 players to All-America honors.
In addition to her coaching experience, Insel Brown held numerous support positions at Young Harris including Senior Women's Administrator, Community Engagement Coordinator, academic advisor, Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor and various other committee positions.
Immediately after graduating from Berry with a degree in psychology, she accepted an assistant position at NCAA Division I Jacksonville State University where she served for two years. She also received her master's degree in community agency counseling from JSU in 1997.
Kathy and her husband, Young Harris cross country coach Barry Brown, are the proud parents of four children.