AMHERST, N.Y. - Bridget Niland, Director of Athletics at Daemen College, announced today the hiring of Jennifer Kinyon as the first Head Women's Bowling Coach for the department, taking charge of Daemen's newly-established program, the addition of which was announced last April.

"Daemen Athletics is thrilled to welcome Jennifer to our staff," Niland said.  "Her love for bowling and Western New York, along with a background in sport administration and education make her a great fit for Daemen which passionately adheres to the NCAA Division II philosophy of 'Life in the Balance'.  The enthusiasm and interest Jennifer has shown in helping the College build a quality Division II bowling program has been impressive."

Although Kinyon enters the coaching world for the first time, she's no stranger to the local lanes.  The Lockport, N.Y. native put together a tremendous scholastic career, earning six varsity letters for Lockport High School in the mid-1990's.  While there, she helped the Lady Lions to four Niagara Frontier League championships and was a first-team All-NFL selection during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons.  As a senior, Kinyon helped the team capture the Section VI and New York State championships.  She was inducted into the Lockport High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

"I feel fortunate and excited to be joining Daemen Athletics.  This is an incredible opportunity to build a brand new collegiate program for Daemen and the Western New York community, especially with Daemen's move to full-time status in Division II, and with our league, the East Coast Conference, sponsoring the sport for the very first time this season.  I am very grateful to Bridget Niland, and her talented staff for granting me this position."

Kinyon comes to Daemen with experience in both the education and sports industries.  Most recently, as an educator, she's held teaching positions at Nardin Academy and DeSales Catholic School, while also working for a time as a faculty advisor at Niagara County Community College.  Before entering the education field, Kinyon began her professional career in the athletic department at Canisius College, working as a ticket manager and external affairs assistant.  She later moved on to the sales coordinator position for the Buffalo Bisons.

Kinyon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from Canisius, and has gone on to add three Master os Science degrees, one from Niagara University (Education, 2005) and a pair from Canisius (Educational Leadership, 2013; Educational Technology and Emerging Media, 2015).  She is also currently working toward a Master of Science degree in Sports Administration from Canisius.

For continuing coverage of the Daemen women's bowling team throughout its inaugural season, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenBowling on Twitter.