--Courtesy of CMS Athletics--

Piers Kowalski, who played four years of soccer and one year of golf at CMS from 2001-04, has had a distinguished career as a certified mental performance consultant, and has frequently returned to Claremont to speak to the CMS athletic department, including during preseason camp this past August.

In 2002, Kowalski was named the MVP of the CMS women’s soccer team, helping the Athenas to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth with a penalty kick shootout win over Cal Lutheran as the team’s goalkeeper, earning first-team all-league honors. In the spring, he competed for the CMS men’s golf team under legendary head coach Bim Jollymour, before concluding his collegiate athletic career by earning first-team All-West Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2004 for the Athenas. 

Kowalski’s current expertise is in corporate training, consulting, and coaching on resilience, leader development, and high performance mindset and culture, teaching athletes, coaches, and teams to formally train their mind to maximize potential and improve performance in competitive environments. After beginning his professional career as a soccer coach, he has spent the last 10 years working with military, and other high-risk occupations, in addition to athletic organizations, helping individuals and teams improve their mental performance, resilience, and leadership.

Kowalski earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Claremont McKenna in 2005, and went on to earn a master’s degree in kinesiology, sport and exercise psychology from Chico State. He currently resides in Colorado Springs, with his wife and two children.