WASHINGTON, Pa. – With the start of the first official athletic competitions of 2023-24 just around the corner, Washington & Jefferson College has had several new additions join the athletics staff during the month of August. 

Those additions are as follows: Tara Byrnes (Intern Assistant Coach for Field Hockey), Asya Carney (Intern Assistant Coach for Women's Soccer), Mollie Charlton (Sports Information Intern Assistant), Paul Collier (Intern Assistant Coach for Cross Country and Track & Field), Anna Mathis (Intern Assistant Coach for Volleyball) and Pat Rogers (Intern Assistant Coach for Men's Soccer).
 
Tara Byrnes – Intern Assistant Coach for Field Hockey
Tara Byrnes joins the W&J field hockey program as its Intern Assistant Coach for the 2023 season.

Byrnes was a three-sport student-athlete at NCAA Division II member Molloy University in Long Island, New York. Byrnes competed for the Lions' field hockey, softball and track & field programs. She excelled as a starter in multiple sports.

A two-year starter in field hockey, Byrnes was selected to the NFHCA Senior Game after ranking fifth nationally in save percentage, eighth in saves per game and 15th in goals against average. She started all 19 contests in net and posted a 12-7 record. Byrnes recorded three shutouts and tallied 123 saves including a season-high 19 at Southern New Hampshire (Sept. 23). She ended the season with a 1.58 goals against average and a .804 save percentage.

Brynes was a four-year member of the softball program. She appeared in 105 games (62 starts) during her career.

She was a member of both the NFCA and NCHCA Academic honors lists.

Byrnes earned a bachelor's degree from Molloy in May 2019. During her time as an undergrad, Byrnes majored in Social Work and minored in Political Science. Additionally, she earned a Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Non-Profit Management from Long Island University - Post Campus in May 2020.
 
Asya Carney – Intern Assistant Coach for Women's Soccer
Asya Carney joins the women's soccer program as its Intern Assistant Coach for the 2023 season.

Carney was a three-year member of the women's soccer program at Wheeling University. A goalkeeper during her playing days, she started 10 games during the 2018 season for the Cardinals. She was also a member of the track & field program at Wheeling. She ranks among the best in the High Jump, Pentathlon and Javelin events during her time with the Cardinals.

She has held positions with Wheeling Hospital as a Fitness Consultant, as well as coaching positions at the Highlands Sport Complex, Wheeling University and John Marshall High School.

Carney earned her bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology while graduating Cum Laude from Wheeling in May of 2021.
 
Mollie Charlton – Sports Information Intern Assistant
Mollie Charlton joined the Washington & Jefferson Department of Athletics in August of 2023 as its Sports Information Intern Assistant. 

Charlton served as a Student Assistant with the Sports Information office at W&J during her undergraduate years. During this time, Charlton performed a variety of duties on gamedays, which included assisting with statistical compilation and serving as a producer during webcasts of W&J athletic events. Charlton also assisted the office with several design projects, utilizing Adobe Photoshop and Scoreshots.

During her time at W&J, Charlton was a four-year participant as a student-athlete with the softball team. She appeared in 75 games (64 starts) with most her action coming as an outfielder.

Charlton earned a bachelor of arts in Computing and Information Studies and Studio Art from W&J in May of 2023.
 
Paul Collier - Intern Assistant Coach for Cross Country and Track & Field
Paul Collier, a recent graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, joined his alma mater as Intern Assistant Coach for the Cross Country and Track & Field programs in August of 2023.

Collier excelled both in the classroom and in competition during his time in the Red and Black.

Earlier this year, Collier served as a team captain as the Presidents captured their first-ever PAC Men's Indoor Track & Field Championship. Collier was a captain for both cross country and track & field during both his junior and senior seasons.

As a sophomore, he captured an individual title in the 10K with a time of 34:29.30 at the 2021 PAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. For his efforts, Collier earned All-PAC First Team honors.

He twice earned All-PAC honors as a member of the W&J cross country program. Collier claimed PAC Newcomer of the Year honors as a freshman when he finished in sixth place and All-PAC First Team status at the 2019 PAC Championships. Collier added a 12th place finish and All-PAC Second Team honors at the PAC Championships his sophomore season.

Academically, he earned a spot on the Dean's List in each of his eight semesters. Collier claimed both the John Livingston Lowes Prize in English and the James W. Gargano Memorial Prize for Best Capstone Essay in English.

Collier graduated with a bachelor's degree in English - Creative Writing in May 2023. He finished as a Salutatorian with a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average.
 
Anna Mathis – Intern Assistant Coach for Volleyball
Anna Mathis joins the volleyball program as its Intern Assistant Coach for the 2023 season.

Mathis was a three-year playing member of the volleyball program at Centre College in Kentucky. Mathis served as a student assistant coach for the program in 2022.

She was a member of the SAA Academic Honor Roll. Mathis was involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a Spanish tutor and a student representative for the Psychology department at Centre.

During her on-campus involvement with SAAC, Mathis served on executive team for two years as Secretary of Resources. She facilitated resource direction for various programs and community service initiatives like food drives at home games, annual Centre College fire sale, and more. She worked closely with Centre College's Assistant Athletic Director for Development to implement a variety of mental health and wellness initiatives, programs and speakers for student-athletes and the greater campus population

She earned her degree in Psychology from Centre in the spring of 2022. Mathis also minored in Sociology in Centre.
 
Pat Rogers – Intern Assistant Coach for Men's Soccer
Pat Rogers joins the W&J men's soccer program as its Intern Assistant Coach in August 2023.

This past summer Rogers worked with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds as a Summer Associate. During his time with the Riverhounds, he performed a number of duties for the club.

In addition, he served as President and Team Administrator for the California FC Men's Soccer Club.

Rogers earned his undergraduate degree from PennWest California in May 2023. His degree was a bachelor of arts in Political Science. He is currently pursuing a MBA in Applied Economics from PennWest California.