Georgia Highlands College

Kerry Edwards joins Georgia Highlands College as the Assistant Director of Athletics, bringing a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in collegiate sports administration and coaching. With a dynamic career spanning coaching, compliance, and student-athlete development, Edwards is dedicated to fostering excellence both on and off the field.

 

Prior to this role, Edwards served as an assistant coach for women’s soccer at Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference. Before that, she was the head women’s soccer coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Georgia Southwestern State University. In this dual role, Edwards managed compliance, student-athlete services, and game-day operations, in addition to leading the Hurricanes soccer team to unprecedented success.

 

In her role as Assistant Athletic Director at Georgia Southwestern State University, Edwards was instrumental in ensuring student-athletes maintained academic and athletic eligibility. She worked closely with the compliance department to develop and implement strategies that adhered to NCAA and institutional regulations, safeguarding the integrity of the program. Edwards also provided guidance and support to student-athletes, fostering their personal and academic growth.

 

Additionally, she played a pivotal role in game-day operations, ensuring events ran smoothly and professionally. Her responsibilities included coordinating logistics, managing personnel, and serving as the site representative for major events like the 2023 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Basketball and Baseball Tournaments. Her organizational skills and attention to detail significantly enhanced the department's operational efficiency.

 

As the head womens soccer coach, the Hurricanes achieved a school-record seven wins, earned their first-ever Peach Belt Conference Tournament appearance, and transformed into a competitive force, winning more conference games in three seasons than the program had achieved in the prior 15 years combined. 

 

As a player, Edwards was a standout goalkeeper at Dallas Baptist University, where she led her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in 2011. She remains one of the most decorated goalkeepers in NCAA Division II history, ranking second all-time with 48 career shutouts and third in career minutes played. Her accolades include four-time All-Heartland Conference, All-South Central Region honors, and two NCCAA All-American selections.

 

Edwards’ coaching journey began as a graduate assistant at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2015, followed by stints at the University of North Alabama and the University of South Alabama. Her teams consistently excelled, with numerous conference titles, tournament wins, and NCAA Championship appearances.

 

A native of McKinney, Texas, Edwards earned her undergraduate degree in kinesiology from Dallas Baptist University in 2015 and a master’s degree in sports management from the University of North Alabama in 2018. She remains passionate about fostering growth, resilience, and excellence among student-athletes.