PERU – Peru State College has named a former soccer coach and sports administrator as the school’s next athletic director.

Kyle Pond, currently the associate athletic director at Peru State, said Athletic Director Wayne Albury prepared him by involving him in day-to-day tasks since January of 2022.

Albury will leave the athletic director’s position in June to concentrate on coaching the Bobcat’s baseball team.

Pond previously coached men’s soccer at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., for five years and was known for recruiting, retention and team development.

Here is the college’s press release:

Peru, Nebraska – Dr. Michael Evans, President of Peru State College, has announced that Kyle Pond will be the new Athletic Director. Pond, the current Associate Athletic Director, will take over for Wayne Albury. Albury will step down June 30, 2023, and focus on his duties as the Bobcats head baseball coach.

Pond is a former college athlete and soccer coach. His success as Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas from 2015-2020 led to a request for him to become the college’s Associate Athletic Director in December of 2020. His focus on recruiting, retention, team development, and improved academic performance helped the college achieve record recruiting classes and greater success in several sports. Pond joined Peru State in January of 2022.

“It has been a goal of mine to be the Athletic Director at Peru State,” said Pond. “The timeline happened quicker than I expected, but Wayne helped prepare me for this transition by involving me in the day-to-day activities of the Athletic Department since day one.”

Administration had not been part of Pond’s original plan.

“My original plan was to be a head coach until I was 70,” said Pond. “When the Associate AD position (at Southwestern College) was presented to me by my mentor Dean Clark, I thought I would miss coaching, but I have found this new career path to be extremely rewarding.”

Coaching stints prior to Southwestern included assistant positions at Sterling College and Bethany College, both in Kansas. Those positions were with Head Coach Jeff Kidd, another important mentor. Pond has a deep appreciation for the mentoring and support he has received throughout his career. He is also thankful for his great relationship with President Michael Evans and support from the entire Peru State administrative team.

“I have a video of President Evans jumping in the huddle after a basketball win,” said Pond, “where else do you see that? The support from the administration at Peru State is incredible and creates building blocks to enhance and modernize our program.”

Pond identified that it is a pivotal time for Peru State College and noted several improvements within the athletic department: the hiring of several great new coaches over the past year, the retaining of excellent veteran coaches that provide leadership and a connection to tradition, work on facilities, Project ROAR, graduation numbers, and the establishment of a winning foundation.