WILMINGTON, Ohio — Wilmington College women’s soccer coach Nick Kinder has announced two new additions to his coaching staff for his first season as head coach in 2022 as Maria Paparella and Alex Farmer join the Fightin’ Quakers.
Paparella comes to Wilmington from Michigan’s upper peninsula where she spent four years as a student at Northern Michigan University. During time at NMU, Paparella both played and coached the club team as well as serving as the president for the 2021-22 academic year. Having been involved with the club in some capacity since 2005, she coordinated and planned matches with other clubs, coordinated travel, organized practices and managed the team’s budget.
“I am extremely excited to join the Wilmington College staff as soccer has been apart of my life for as long as I can remember,” said Paparella. “This opportunity is a dream come true for me, not only to continue working with the sport I love but to also help the team reach their full potential.”
Paparella graduated from Northern Michigan with a degree in business management. As part of her major, Paparella served as a market research intern for a startup company in Marquette, Mich.
“Maria is a fantastic addition to our coaching staff,” said Kinder. “She brings with her experience coaching at this level during her time at Northern Michigan. Her attitude and energy will have a huge impact on our program.”
Farmer comes to WC from the Centerville United Soccer Association where she’s served as the goalkeeper director for the club as well as coaching two different teams. Farmer is no stranger to the Ohio Athletic Conference as she was a four-year starting goalkeeper for Heidelberg from 2015-18. Farmer played in 72 games played with 57 starts, made 491 career saves and won 24 contests. A four-time All-OAC honoree which included second team recognition as a junior and senior, she is fourth in program history in career wins (24), second in shutouts (23), third in saves (491) and third in goals career average (1.49).
“After playing in the OAC, I am blessed to have the opportunity to switch roles from player to coach,” said Farmer. “I am very excited to hit the ground running this fall and to help put plenty of ‘Ws’ in the results column. Thank you Nick Kinder for this opportunity and go Quakers.”
Farmer has two degrees from Heidelberg — a bachelor’s degree in criminology (2019) and a masters degree in business administration (2020).
“I am very excited to bring Alex Farmer onto the coaching staff,” said Kinder. “Her experience as a player in this conference will be invaluable to our players because she knows what it takes to compete and be successful in the OAC. Additionally, Alex already has several years of experience as a coach.”
Wilmington opens its 2022 season against Oberlin College at home Sept. 3.
