Latoya Powell, Head Cheerleading Coach

Latoya Powell enters her first season as head coach of the Chowan Competitive Cheer program for the 2022-23 season.

Powell comes to Chowan after owning and operating her own dance studio, Breathe Dance Studio in Franklin, Va.  While running her own studio, Powell was the Head Coach of the Cheerleading team at Franklin HS.  During the 2018 season, she led the Broncos to being named Most Improved Cheer team at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) competition.

Prior to Breathe Dance Studio, Powell was the dance instructor at New Mount Zion Baptist Church where she helped with the cheerleading team, youth male dance team, along with the praise dance and mime ministry programs.

The Franklin, Va. native attended St. Augustine’s, where she received a scholarship as a majorette.  While at St. Aug’s, Powell participated as a Blue Chip cheerleader, on the CIAA Competition Cheer squad, and a member of the Lady Unique Dance team.

Madison Kruse, Head Acrobatics & Tumbling Coach

Madison Kruse enters her first season at the helm of the Chowan Acrobatics and Tumbling program for the 2022-23 season.

Kruse comes to Chowan after a stellar career for national powerhouse Baylor.  During her time as a student-athlete with the Bears, Kruse helped the program to a 33-1 overall record and three NCATA National Championships.  Kruse was also a member of the 2019 Tumbling Quad Pass National Championship event.

The Oviedo, Fla. native also tallied accolades in the classroom earning Academic All-Big 12 Second Team in 2019 and 2020, along with Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2018.  Kruse was named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2017.

Kruse graduated from Baylor in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Kinesiology and Leisure Studies.

The Hawks Volleyball team capped off a 10-20 overall record and a 6-11 record in Conference play. Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Conference member, Diana Rodriguez, led the league with 440 total digs. She is the first volleyball player to ever win a major postseason honor in the Conference Carolinas. The Hawks swept rival Barton this year as well.

The Men’s Soccer team capped off their season with a 4th place finish in the Conference and a 6-6-5 overall record. The Hawks were led by Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year Harri Lovett. This is the third consecutive year where a Hawk was named Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year. Tren Drexhage was named First Team All Conference after his 10 goal season while James Randall received Second Team All Conference selections. Both Drexhage and Lovett were named to the D2CCA All-Region Team.

Harri Lovett would be named D2CCA Second Team All-American.

The Women’s Soccer team finished off their season with a 5-10-2 record and a 5-5-2 record in league play. The Hawks held strong against some very tough regional opponents this season. Destiny Makanjuola was named to Second Team All Conference while Lieke Van den Akker was awarded Third Team All Conference.

The Chowan Cross Country team wrapped up their season with a 13th place finish on the men's side while the women competed individually. Andrew Garrison finished his freshman campaign posting two top five times in program history.

The Women’s Basketball team looks to build off of last year's first ever Conference Carolinas semifinal appearance. Coach Lenise Stallings and the Hawks come off of a 18-10 overall record and a 17-7 record in league play. The Hawks return seven solid players from a year ago, including Destiny Robinson who has been named Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week two times this season so far.  A slew of new players and transfers round out the Hawks roster this season.  Look for the Hawks in action with seven doubleheaders as we head into the New Year. At the time of this newsletter, the Hawks sit at 4-2 overall with one conference loss. The team has two home doubleheaders in December.

Coach Rob Burke enters his second season as head coach for the Blue and White. Chowan finished with an 8-18 overall record and had a 8-15 record in conference play last season. The Hawks will look to Redshirt Sophomore Christian Koonce and Graduate student Jay Estime to lead the team this year. Burke brought in a group of new players who are already contributing to the overall success of the team early on. At the time of this newsletter publication, the Hawks posted two back-to-back home wins and host three home games in the month of December.

Coach Matt Lynch has the Hawks development team playing well, led by senior guard Jaren Reid. Reid, a native of Suffolk, Va., has posted two games with 25 points this season. Chowan sits at 2-2 on the development team side with one game left in the month of December.

The Women’s Swim team looks to make a run in the Conference Carolinas Championship this season. Under new Head Coach John Nunnelley, the Hawks look to returners Ashley Mayes and Erica Mock to hold strong for the women. The swim team has their only home meet scheduled for January 21 where they will host Catawba.

The Men’s Swim team, under new leadership, looks forward to another successful season this year. The Hawks will turn to new members Jan Gastal and Alexsei Belolipetskii to lead the team in the pool. The team will look to defend their home territory as they host their only home meet of the season on January 21.