--Courtesy of Chapman Athletics--

Katie Bell ’17, ‘22 was an All-SCIAC selection and SCIAC semifinal hero during her time as a student-athlete at Chapman. After her time as a student-athlete, she has pursued a career in athletic administration and now serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Student-Athlete Services and Senior Women’s Administrator at St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Brooklyn Campus.

After earning All-SCIAC honors as a freshman, she battled through a serious knee injury to return to the pitch and score one of the most crucial goals during her years at Chapman. A one versus four matchup brought the Chapman women’s soccer team as heavy underdogs to Pomona-Pitzer for the 2016 SCIAC semifinal matchup. After 110 scoreless minutes, the match was set to be decided in penalty kicks.
Both goalies were up to the task as the first seven PKs taken were either saved or missed the mark entirely. Bell stepped up for Chapman’s fourth attempt and sent a rocket into the upper 90 to give Chapman the lead. Kristin Kleinow made her fifth shootout save moments later and the Panthers advanced to the SCIAC Championship match.

Beyond her success on the field, Bell had a transformative experience as a student-athlete and immediately wanted to pursue a career in administration to provide the same student-athlete experience for the next generation. She was hired as the Assistant SID at Chapman following her graduation and took on the role of Administrative Supervisor in February of 2020.

In 2022, she made the cross country move to become the SWA at St. Joseph’s in Brooklyn where she has also served as an interim soccer coach and put her skills as an SID to use in time of transition to help the department. The guiding light has always been to create the same positive experience for student-athletes that she enjoyed during her time at Chapman.

“My time at Chapman University was the best four years of my life. Not only did I meet incredible professors and classmates who went on to be mentors and friends, but I also got the opportunity to continue my soccer career while getting a top-level education. My teammates became my closest friends, and I am so lucky to still call them my best friends today. We are bridesmaids in each others' weddings and still remain close to this day.”