Kennesaw State University

Kennesaw State University Athletics
590 Cobb Avenue Mailbox 0201 Kennesaw, GA 30144

Division 1 Georgia Southeast

Public Very Large National competitor

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Benji Walton

It did not take Benji Walton long to make an impact on the Kennesaw State women’s soccer program.

After assuming the role on Jan. 4, 2016, Walton immediately went to work, establishing a new culture and setting high expectations.

A veteran team responded to Walton’s leadership as the Owls posted a 10-8-1 overall record and advanced to the ASUN Conference Tournament semifinals in 2016, marking the eighth time in program history.

The solid play on the field resulted in four players – Isabella Contreras, Kim Fincher, Brittney Reed and Abby Roth – earning ASUN Conference second team all-conference honors. Contreras was also named to the all-freshman team, while Roth was selected to the all-academic team.

Walton’s impact and commitment to recruiting in state and locally resulted in the signing of 12 Georgia recruits, including six from Cobb County.

Kennesaw State continued to make strides in 2017 as it recorded an 8-7-4 mark and once again reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals.

Individually, senior defender Abby Roth earned United Soccer Coaches Association All-South Region Second Team honors and was named an All-South Region Scholar. She was additionally named first team ASUN All-Conference, while senior Ashtah Das was selected to the second team and Tiffany Sornpao garnered all-freshman accolades.

In 12 seasons as a head coach, Walton has compiled an overall record of 125-95-15 (.564) during tenures at Limestone College (2003-06), Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Kennesaw State (2016-pres.).

Walton brought more than 13 years coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels to Kennesaw State when he was named the second head coach in Kennesaw State women's soccer history on Dec. 18.

Walton joined Owl Nation after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. In his first season under new head coach Amy Berbary, Walton helped guide the Hoosiers to a 2013 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 15-7-1 record, establishing the best winning percentage (.674) in IU women's soccer history.

Walton also has 10 years of head coaching experience after leading programs at Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Limestone College (2003-06).

Walton joined the Indiana program with Berbary in 2013 and served as offensive coordinator for two seasons before assuming the role of director of set pieces and technical development prior to the 2015 season. He served as liaison between the coaching staff and academic staff, monitoring the academic progress of the program's student-athletes.

In his first season at IU, Walton helped the Hoosiers establish single-season program records for goals (43), assists (46) and wins (15). The record-breaking season continued as the Hoosiers earned their first Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament appearances since 2007.After advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Indiana earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round.

In his three years at Indiana, Walton mentored two National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-Region players, one All-Big Ten Conference second team honoree, 45 Big Ten Conference All-Academic selections and four Capital One Academic All-District V picks. The Hoosiers also were honored with the NSCAA Team Academic Award each season and the 2014 team posted a 3.561 grade-point average, the highest GPA among IU's 24 sports.

Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Walton served six seasons as head coach at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama. During his tenure, Walton led the program through the transition from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division III. His teams won at least 10 games each season and totaled an overall record 69-38-5 (.638) as he became the program's all-time winningest coach. In 2012, BSC shared the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC) regular season championship.

During Walton's tenure at Birmingham College, four players earned NSCAA All-Region honors and five student-athletes were recognized as NSCAA All-Region Scholars, including two that went on to be named NSCAA Scholar All-Americans.

Walton's first head coaching job came at Limestone College where he coached four seasons and turned around a struggling Division II program. After the team posted a total of 11 wins in his first two seasons, Walton led the Saints to a 17-16-5 record over the next two seasons, posting a pair of fifth-place finishes in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference.

A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Walton spent time as a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia for two seasons (2002-03) while earning a master's degree in Education with a focus on sports administration.

Walton played collegiately at Reinhardt College (1997-2001) where he helped the Eagles to a 21-1-1 record and trip to the NJCAA National Championship game as sophomore. He was named second-team all-conference and received NCCAA All-America Honorable Mention as a senior.

Walton earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Reinhardt in 2001.

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Chevy Chevalier

Chevy Chevalier begins his third season as an assistant coach on Kennesaw State head coach Benji Walton’s staff. Chevalier was named to his current position on January 21, 2016.

Chevalier, who has coaching experience at three different levels, came to Kennesaw State after serving as an assistant coach at North Georgia where he worked under head coach Chris Adams and helped the Nighthawks to a 16-4-1 overall record and second-round appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2015.

In his first season as an assistant coach at KSU, Chevalier helped guide the Owls to a 10-8-1 overall record and an appearance in the ASUN Conference Tournament semifinals.

The solid play on the field resulted in four players – Isabella Contreras, Kim Fincher, Brittney Reed and Abby Roth – earning ASUN Conference second team all-conference honors. Contreras was also named to the all-freshman team, while Roth was selected to the all-academic team.

Chevalier also aided the program’s recruiting efforts as Kennesaw State signed 12 Georgia recruits, including six from Cobb County, this past spring.

Prior to joining the North Georgia staff, Chevalier coached Michigan Jaguars boys and girls youth teams from 2012-15 following a two-year stint as an assistant with the Atlanta Silverbacks women's semi-pro team. He also spent three years (2010-12) as a youth coach with the Atlanta Spurs.

Chevalier entered the coaching ranks after a four-year professional career in the United Soccer League with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2006-07) and Atlanta Silverbacks (2008-09). He also spent two seasons with the Premier Development League's Albany Blackwatch Highlanders (2002-03).

A four-year letterwinner and two-year captain at the University of Albany, Chevalier earned second team All-American East Conference honors as a senior in 2002 after leading the Great Danes in points and goals as a senior.

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Kiawna Mounts

Kiawna Mounts enters her first season at Kennesaw State in 2019.

Mounts joins the women's soccer staff following her graduation from Grambling State in 2019. While at GSU, Mounts played three seasons in the midfield for the Tigers, including earning a captainship her senior season. Originally from Laveen, Ariz., she helped lead Grambling State to a SWAC Conference Championship in 2018.

Mounts graduated from GSU with a Bachelors in Biology.

Before that, she received her Associates degree in Science at Phoenix College where she played for the 14th-ranked NJCAA Bears, earning back-to-back Academic All-American honors.

Mounts also played two seasons in the Women's Premier Soccer League for the Phoenix Del Sol (2018) and Utah Arrows SC (2019).

While at KSU, Mounts is working towards a Master's Degree in Applied Exercise and Health Science with a concentration in Exercise Physiology.