UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's hockey program and head coach Jeff Kampersal have announced the hiring of its new assistant coach Makenna Newkirk Monday, Aug. 1.
Newkirk, a standout women's hockey student-athlete at Boston College, joins the Nittany Lions after spending the previous season as an assistant coach for Brown women's hockey in the ECAC.
"We are thrilled to work with Makenna," said Kampersal. "She was an elite player and now she is passionate and genuine role-model, mentor, and teacher. We will all learn from her maturity and wisdom. She is competitive, she will bring championship habits and add accountability. We're excited for her to get started!"
Newkirk joins Penn State after having a positive impact behind the bench for Brown in 2021-22, where she helped the Bears to their best overall record in the last five seasons, including their most wins in ECAC play since 2008-09 and highest finish in the ECAC standings in a decade.
The Scottsdale, Ariz. native shined in her collegiate career at Boston College from 2015-19 as one of the most consistent point producers and playmakers in the nation. She finished her BC career ranked fifth on the program scoring list in points (189), sixth in goals (73), third in assists (116) and fourth in game-winning scores (14) and was a two-time captain.
Newkirk also competed for USA Hockey on the U22 National Team, was an invitee to the Olympic Tryouts for the 2018 Pyeongyang Winter Games and attended three National Team Festivals.
She was the seventh overall draft pick in the 2019 NWHL Draft and played two seasons in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association in the New Hampshire Region.
Newkirk has had additional coaching experience with the North American Hockey Academy at the U16 and U19 levels. She also was an assistant coach for Milton Academy in 2019-20.
Tickets are on sale for the 2022-23 Penn State women's hockey season at Pegula Ice Arena. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit here: 2022-23 Season Tickets.
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