By Braedan Shea
@Braedan_Shea
The Springfield College gymnastics programs are going to have some familiar faces joining the sidelines for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Kael Donley, an alum of the men’s gymnastics team, and MacKenzie MacLeod, an alum of the women’s program, have been named full time assistant coaches for each of their respective former programs.
During his time on Alden Street, Donley was a four-year member and two-time captain of the men’s gymnastics program. Donley was also part of the only Division III men’s gymnastics team to qualify for multiple NCAA National Collegiate Championships as the Pride appeared on the national stage in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Donley received his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Sports Journalism in the spring of 2024 and was named as ECAC All-Academic in 2023. Out of the gym, Donley was a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team as a part of the Student-Athlete Enhancement subcommittee
“I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to be the new assistant coach of the Springfield College Men’s Gymnastics Team,” said Donley in a press release by the Springfield Athletics Department. “Being a part of this program’s success in the last four years as a student-athlete has inspired me to bring that same passion to this new role. I’m eager to apply my knowledge and energy to this already hardworking and dedicated team and to continue the tradition of excellence.”
As a student-athlete for the women’s gymnastics program, MacLeod was nothing short of outstanding. She was a 2023 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-American in floor exercise and is the campus record holder in the balance beam with a score of 9.875. Her collegiate career got off to a fast start as she was voted team Rookie of the Year in 2019, and was also a three-time recipient of the Proud Pride in Body award, given to exceptional women’s gymnasts who show high work ethic and commitment to health beyond gymnastics.
In 2022, MacLeod’s dominant season was capped off by being named as the team’s Most Valuable Player, as well as Springfield College’s Female Individual Sport Student-Athlete of the Year in a season where she was an integral part of getting the Pride to the NCGA National Championships.
“I’m incredibly grateful and blessed to take on my new role as an assistant coach with the Springfield Women’s gymnastics program,” MacLeod said in a press release with Springfield College athletics. “Having spent five years as a student-athlete and a year as a graduate assistant here, this program holds a special place in my heart. After receiving my master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Springfield last spring, I’m excited to apply my knowledge to support individual and team growth in spirit, mind, and body, and to give back to the Tradition of Excellence that has greatly influenced my development as both an athlete and a person.”
The men’s season gets underway on Jan. 10 as the team travels to West Point, N.Y., to compete in the West Point Open. The women’s season begins the following day on Jan. 11, as it travels to Cortland, N.Y., opening against SUNY Cortland.
Graphic by Braedan Shea/The Student