Kish College hires John Karpowicz as head golf coach

Kishwaukee College hired John Karpowicz as the next head coach of the Men’s and Women’s Golf teams. Karpowicz will start the Spring 2025 season at the helm of the Kougars’ program.

With more than 30 years of coaching experience across various sports, Karpowicz arrives at Kish having coached at youth, high school and collegiate levels. Former coaching stops include Benedictine University, Driscoll Catholic High School (Addison) and Glenbard West High School, where he has worked for the past 26 years. While he has coached football, baseball, and track and field, Karpowicz recently pivoted his focus to golf as the head coach of the Glenbard West girl’s team. Karpowicz plans on retiring from Glenbard West this spring and saw Kish’s program as an option to stay connected to the game.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity and am interested in seeing what we can build and create here. We have students looking to play at four-year schools, and I want to help them learn, develop and reach their goals,” Karpowicz said.

Karpowicz said an initial goal is to continue adding local talent to the Kish roster as the program builds on past success. In recent years, the men’s and women’s programs have had individual qualifiers for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship, and the women’s team placed 15^th in the nation for the 2021-2022 season.

“We will focus on recruiting and let people know that Kishwaukee College is on the map and a viable option for people looking to play golf at the collegiate level. Kish is a quality, affordable option for anyone looking to advance their game,” Karpowicz said.

With a focus on player development, Karpowicz also stressed the importance of academics for Kish student-athletes.

“It’s important to teach these athletes to manage their time and schedules. Success in the classroom is paramount. If they want to continue playing golf at a four-year school, they will need the grades. The better grades they get, the more opportunities they will have after Kish,” Karpowicz said.

For more information on the Men’s and Women’s Golf programs at Kishwaukee College, contact John Karpowicz at jkarpowicz@kish.edu or 815-825-9412 or visit kishkougars.com. Learn more about Kishwaukee College at kish.edu.