Avon High’s new girls lacrosse coach is Catherine “Cat” Hanks. (Photo courtesy Avon Booster Club)
AVON – Avon High has hired three new varsity coaches and two will make their debuts this spring. Meg Goodwin has been hired as the new varsity softball coach while Catherine “Cat” Hanks has been tabbed to lead the girls lacrosse program. Alexis Safo-Agyeman has been named the new varsity cheerleading coach and will begin immediately.
Hanks, who played lacrosse at Westfield State, takes over for Sean Cole, who led Avon to three consecutive NCCC championships, three NCCC Tournament titles and semifinal berths in the Class M tournament the past two seasons. Cole, the director of Security in the Canton school system, took the Canton High girls lacrosse position.
The cupboard won’t be bare for Hanks. Two All-State players – Hannah Davey (94 goals) and Sammy Maniatty (62 goals) return along with several other experienced players. The Falcons went 17-3 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the NCCC.
Hanks was an assistant coach at Westfield State for six years. She was hired here in Avon in September as a sixth grade teacher at Thompson Brook School, specializing in reading. She was thrilled when this opportunity to coach again became available. “I love teaching but I really missing coaching,” she said.
Hanks looks forward to bringing the discipline and energy that have helped her succeed as a student, athlete and musician to Avon High.
“I have high expectations of my players, but I like to have fun, too,” Hanks said. “My mantra is ‘Practice like you play.’ So I’ll expect the girls to give their all whenever they’re on the field. And, I’m going to do just the same.”
Music is also a big part of Hanks’ life. When she and her twin sister were seven, they were bit by the Scottish music bug when their parents took them to a local festival. They spent the next years studying Scottish dance, then bagpipes and, ultimately settled on drums.
Since 2004, Hanks has played tenor drum in a Scottish bagpipe band that competes internationally. In 2011, her band Oran Mor, placed 12th overall at the world piping championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Presently, she plays in a new band out of Boston, and teaches drumming lessons and seminars throughout the northeast on weekends.
Avon’s new softball coach Meg Godwin. (Photo courtesy Avon Booster Club)
Godwin has a challenging opportunity in front of her with the Avon High softball program. She takes over for long-time coach Jon Snyder, who retired after five seasons leading the Falcons.
Avon was 2-18 a year ago and hasn’t qualified for the CIAC tournament since 2001 when they went 11-7 to earn a spot in the Class M tournament. Since 2002, the most that the Falcons have won in a single season is four games. In 2008, Avon didn’t have enough players to field a varsity team.
Teaching will be a priority in year one. “I want to see where my players are now, and help them develop and improve from there,” Godwin said. “Also, I want to start preparing for the big challenges of the CCC in 2016.” This is the final season for Avon in the NCCC. Next fall, they move to the Central Connecticut Conference.
Godwin is no stranger to the diamond. She played softball at Manchester High and was a four-year starter in softball and in soccer at Eastern Connecticut State University. She was the starting shortstop in softball and a center back in soccer where she walked on to the team.
After graduating, she remained in the sport. She is currently the coach of the Connecticut Eliminators, a three-season, U-14 travel softball team out of Rocky Hill. She also plays for the Eliminators’ U23 and U30 adult softball teams. Her U-14 team said that Godwin is a tough but fun coach. Her focus is on the basics.
Godwin is a paraprofessional at Avon Middle School.
Avon High cheerleading coach Alexis Safo-Agyeman (Photo courtesy Avon Booster Club)
Safo-Agyeman is stepping in to lead a cheerleading program that has been without a coach for most of the season. She wants to get them back on the court for the final three home basketball games of the season.
“I’m very excited,” she said. “I love cheering and I know what good cheering looks like, what it can do for the athletes on the squad, and how it can really boost school spirit.”
Safo-Agyeman graduated from Conard, where she was a member of its award-winning cheerleading squad. She was a cheerleader at Eastern Connecticut State where she introduced the team to competitive cheering.
She is an admissions counselor at American International College in Springfield and was formerly the assistant coach of the top-rated Conard cheerleading squad. “At Conard, and at the collegiate level, cheerleading is a sport,” she said. “It demands a lot – fitness, flexibility, stamina and coordination. I want to show the Avon squad and their classmates how exciting and athletic cheerleading can be.”
Content from an Avon Booster Club news release was included in this story.
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