Lethbridge College and Kodiaks Athletics are pleased to announce Avery Harrison as the new athletics manager.
“We’re excited to have Avery step into the role of athletics manager and it’s a natural fit for him,” says Associate Vice President and Registrar, Susie Kennedy. “Avery’s belief of developing people and using sports as a teaching tool about life is an excellent fit for Lethbridge College.”
Harrison came to the college in 2010 as the women’s basketball head coach and has been serving as interim athletics manager since February of this year. His rich athletic history includes 19 years in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) as a head coach for basketball and nine years as an assistant coach. He is the only coach in the ACAC to have won the Coach of the Year award with three different schools, Lethbridge College, SAIT and Mount Royal. Harrison has also been named CCAA Canadian Colleges Coach of the year on two occasions.
Kennedy adds that Harrison’s contributions extend far beyond the basketball court. “Avery gives so much to the communities that he has called home over the years,” she says. “Whether it’s mentoring other coaches or volunteering in the community, he is willing to get involved and make a difference.”
Harrison’s appointment received praise from the province’s athletic conference. “Avery has extensive experience within the conference, having served as the longtime women's basketball coach and assistant athletic director at SAIT and lately in his roles at Lethbridge,” says ACAC General Manager Bob Day. “In his former capacity at SAIT, Avery served the conference well for several years as our basketball convener and ably represented his peers.”
Day goes on to say “we will expect him to provide key experience and leadership to the ACAC in his new role at the college. We wish him well and welcome him formally into the conference council.”
Harrison said he was thrilled to take on the new role at Lethbridge College. “I’m looking forward to working with our great Kodiaks teams,” he says. “There are a lot of talented students coming our way this fall, and so many ways our teams can give back to the community.”
Harrison will continue in his position as head coach of the woman’s basketball team at the college.