Newbury College Introduces Four New Coaches

The Newbury College department of athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of four new head coaches. Men’s assistant soccer coach Andrew Lafrenz has been named head coach of the Nighthawks men’s soccer team. Also promoted from assistant coach to head coach is Brook Capello, she has been named the head coach of the Nighthawks softball program. The department has two new additions Chris Taylor and Kraig Kupiec. Taylor will lead both the women’s and men’s volleyball programs while Kupiec will lead the baseball program. 

Lafrenz is entering his first season as head coach for the men’s soccer program after spending the 2009 season as assistant coach for the Nighthawks.  Lafrenz was a 2000 graduate of Johnson State College in Vermont where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.  Lafrenz comes to Newbury with an extensive coaching background in soccer, most recently as the Director of Coaching at North Shore United where he is currently the head coach of the U17 and U18 girls’ teams.  Prior to Newbury, Lafrenz was the first assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Johnson State College and was also the Head Coach of the women’s club team at the University of Vermont from 2002-2007.  During his tenure at UVM, Lafrenz lead the team to 2 consecutive Northeast Intercollegiate Club Championships and three straight National Championship Tournament appearances. Lafrenz currently resides in Cambridge, MA and is pursuing a master's degree in Education/Coaching at Boston University. 

Capello is also entering her first year as head coach of the softball program after spending the past four seasons as the Nighthawks assistant coach.  Capello is a 2006 graduate of Stonehill College in Easton, MA where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and was also a 4 year member of the Softball program.   During her time at Stonehill, Capello was a starter in the outfield and captain for the Skyhawks.  Throughout her time as assistant coach, Capello studied at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and earned her Master Degree in Social Work in August 2010.  Capello currently resides in Hanover, MA and also works in the Registrar Office for Newbury.   

Taylor is entering his first season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs and comes to Newbury with a tremendous amount of coaching experience.  Taylor is a 1999 graduate of Western Michigan University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and is also a 2008 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe where he received a Masters of Education degree.  Taylor comes to Newbury with both a Division 1 and Division 3 volleyball coaching background, most recently at McNeese State University in Louisiana where he was the assistant volleyball coach for the women’s program.  Taylor’s other Division 1 experiences came with stints at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Western Carolina University and Western Michigan University.  Taylor’s Division 3 coaching experiences began at Washington College in Maryland as the assistant coach of the women’s program and then Manchester College in Indiana where he served as the assistant women’s volleyball coach and recruiting coordinator.  Taylor currently resides in Boston, MA and will also serve as the Equipment Manager in the Athletic Department at Newbury.   

Kupiec is entering his first season as head baseball coach at Newbury after serving three seasons as the assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts – Boston.   During his time at UMass the baseball program was the Little East Conference Champions 2010, New England Division III Regional Champions 2010 and went onto the Division III College World Series also in 2010.  Kupiec earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics at Wake Forest University in 1995 and then went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1998.  During his time at Wake Forest, Kupiec was a four year member of the baseball program as a centerfielder and was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1991.  Kupiec is also a published Author/Coach for his book Hitting Made Simple: A Guide for Parents and Coaches, which was published in 2006 and currently has a 5-star rating by Amazon readers.  Kupiec currently resides in Lakeville, MA and will also serve as the recruiting coordinator for Newbury athletics.