Camelot in Ohio

John Green'00, Allison Janie '82, Laura Hillenbrand '89, Paul Newman '49, Josh Radnor '96, Rutherford B. Hayes 1842, Nick Petricca '09, Bill Watterson '80. How can a small college (1640 undergraduates) on 1,000 acres in rural Gambier, Ohio (picked by the Wall Street Journal as the most beautiful campus in America) have so many accomplished alums? Those from Kenyon would say that it's because Kenyon is special; Kenyon is Camelot.

After the fall 2014 season, Head Coach Kelly Bryan is likely a believer in fairy tales come true. Picked in preseason to finish sixth in the North Coast Atlantic Conference (NCAC), Kenyon instead finished with a single conference loss, a regular season co-championship, NCAC tournament title, and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. A little soccer in Camelot, indeed.

Coach Bryan, finishing her 14th season at Kenyon, was awarded her second NCAC Coach of the Year award for the 2014 season as well as the 2014 NSCAA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. Prior to becoming Kenyon's head coach, Coach Bryan worked as an assistant coach at Kenyon during the 1998 season. In 1999, she accepted the head coaching position at North Carolina Wesleyan College, her alma mater. She coached at NCWC for four seasons and accumulated a 56-24-7 record, three conference championships, and three NCAA tournament appearances. Playing at NCWC, Coach Bryan was a four-year starter and two-time team captain who made it to three NCAA tournaments, including one NCAA Final Four appearance. She was named team Most Valuable Player in 1996, as well as NCWC's 'Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year' in 1996-97.

The Kenyon Ladies (that's actually their official name - the men are the Lords) play in the very competitive (athletically and academically) North Coast Athletic Conference. Other ECS colleges in the conference include Oberlin, DePauw, and Denison.

About Kenyon College

Kenyon College's 1,000-acre campus rests on a hill in Gambier, Ohio, about 45 minutes north of Columbus and is consistently ranked as one of the most beautiful campuses in the U.S. The Kenyon Ladies' home stadium is Mavec Field; regarded as one of the best collegiate soccer fields in Ohio, it is known for its great playing surface on the 120 x 75-yard pitch. Kenyon also sports one of the most spectacular athletic facilities in college sports, the Kenyon Athletic Center (KAC). The KAC, completed in 2006 at a cost of $70 million, features the 200-meter indoor track, an Olympic-sized pool within the Kenyon Aquatic Center (Kenyon has won 55 DIII NCAA Championships in men's and women's swimming), a 1,600-seat basketball and volleyball arena, a 12,000 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center, and a 120-seat theater for game film review and team meetings.

As to be expected at a liberal arts college (but even more so here) writing and literature are important at Kenyon. Kenyon is the home of the internationally renowned Kenyon Review literary journal. That said, Kenyon offers 35 majors within traditional academic departments, as well as from majors or concentrations within 13 interdisciplinary programs.

Founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase and named for benefactor Lord Kenyon, Kenyon enrolls approximately 1,650 students from 49 states and 44 countries. Kenyon's admissions are highly competitive; its SAT 25th-75th percentile range is 1870 to 2130, and it accepts only around 24% of those who apply. Click on the following video for more insight into Kenyon...