JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Women's Soccer coach Simon Duffy announced Monday afternoon one of the final members to his coaching staff for the 2020-21 season with the hiring of Graduate Assistant Coach Kennedy Rankin.

When asked about returning to Carson-Newman, Rankin said "I am so excited to be back at Carson-Newman after having an amazing senior year as a transfer. I love the atmosphere and environment the school and Coach Duffy provide for the team."

Rankin returns to Mossy Creek after wrapping up her collegiate playing career as part of the Eagles team in 2018, her senior season. In her lone season as a member of the Eagles, Rankin racked up a total of four goals, with a pair of assists, over a total of 18 shots. Most notably, Rankin scored a brace against Lee University including the game winner in an eventual 3-2 victory for the Eagles.

When asked what stuck out to him about Rankin, Coach Simon Duffy said "she was a fantastic player for us here. Unfortunately, she was only here for one year, but she made an immediate impact in that one year. She integrated into the squad so effortlessly that it was a no-brainer to bring her onto the staff once she was ready to come back."

Prior to coming to Carson-Newman, Rankin played her first three years at Alderson Broaddus University where she led the team in goals and shots during the 2017 campaign. In her first two years at ABU, Rankin played 19 games as a freshman scoring a goal before playing in 15 games as a sophomore, starting in 14 of 15, and scoring two goals and adding an assist.

Beyond her time as a player for the program, one of the key attributes that Coach Simon Duffy brought up when describing Kennedy Rankin was balance. Coach Duffy said "it is vital to have good balance in our staff, so I think bringing her on allows the players to relate with her and vice versa. Building that trust, especially in a sport like women's college soccer, goes such a long way."  

When talking about what it means to be becoming a coach for a program like Carson-Newman, Rankin said "I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to influence a great experience for the players coming through the women's soccer program here at Carson-Newman."

Carson-Newman has won at least seven conference games in each of the first three seasons under Coach Simon Duffy, including setting multiple school and conference records and reaching the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships in Duffy's first year at the helm in 2017. The Lady Eagles are coming off a strong year in SAC conference play, including being tied for the third-most goals (18) in conference play while amassing the fourth-most shots (198) during all of SAC play.

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