SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- Drury University Vice President and Director of Athletics, Corey Bray, announced Ben Kenyon as the first-ever head coach for the men's ice hockey program.
 
Kenyon joins the Panthers with over eight years of experience in college coaching and athletic administration.  He arrives from Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL where he worked with incoming student-athletes as the Athletic Admissions Liaison for the college's 16 NCAA Division II sports.  Before his stint at Spring Hill College, Kenyon founded the NAIA hockey program at Concordia University Ann Arbor as the Cardinals' first head coach.  While at Concordia, Kenyon guided the Cardinals to a national tournament appearance during the team's inaugural season.
 
Prior to Concordia, he served three seasons as the assistant coach at Lindenwood University-Belleville where he assisted in developing and operating the men's hockey program.  During his tenure, the team recorded three-straight American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II Central Region first place rankings and a combined 83-17-2 overall record.  While at Lindenwood-Belleville, Kenyon recruited and coached four ACHA All-Americans and seven ACHA Scholar Athletes.
 
Kenyon began his college career at Bowling Green State University as a member of the BSGU club ice hockey team.  He completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sports Management at Lindenwood University.  Kenyon worked as the Assistant Director of Student Life Sports where he assisted with the athletic administrative and sports communication duties for the department's 20 non-NCAA sports, including the men's ice hockey and roller hockey programs.  He also served as the play-by-play broadcaster for LU's NCAA Division I women's ice hockey team.  He holds a USA Hockey level 4 coaching certification.
 
"I want to thank Drury University President Dr. Cloyd, Director of Athletics Corey Bray, Associate AD Kevin Boyer, and the entire search committee for this amazing opportunity," said Kenyon.  "The opportunity to build a competitive hockey program at Drury University is an incredible honor!  The university's rigorous academics, vibrant campus life, central location in Springfield, and top-quality facilities all come together to create an amazing College Hockey experience.  I am excited to build upon the successful tradition and strong culture of Drury Athletics and recruit talented student-athlete who exemplify the Panther way!"