Kayla Groth comes to Hartwick after working as a Recreation Assistant for the Town of Hamlin, New York. During her time in the Recreation Department, Groth developed, advertised, and hosted several athletic programs, including youth lacrosse and youth beginner archery. She was also a physical education teacher for homeschooled children in the town ages four through eighteen.
Prior to her time there, she served as Student Assistant Coach for Field Hockey as well as the Director of Operations Intern at her alma mater, Wells College. She was directly responsible for spearheading a field hockey archival project, planning the Wells Field Hockey Alumni Game, managing the team’s social media, and facilitating off-season training.
In addition to this, Groth made waves in the sports information department as the only female member of the Wells Broadcast Club, often appearing in post-game interviews with Express athletes via social media. Here she also combined her two passions of communications and athletics by publishing several game recaps and stories through the department.
She has also held an internship in the Sports News Department at Channel 8 WROC-TV in Rochester during the summer of 2023, where she had expanded her knowledge of sports media through coverage of events such as the Iglesias Free Basketball Camp and Buffalo Bills training camp.
During her career as a student-athlete with the Express, Groth appeared in three seasons of field hockey, tallying several defensive saves as a defensive midfielder while also training as the Express’ backup goalkeeper. She was named captain in her senior season, and her commitment to the team earned her the Most Improved Player Award for field hockey as well as the Kathryn S. Maloney Senior Scholar-Athlete Award following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Along with her athletic accolades, Groth dominated her time in the classroom, being named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad as well as earning NFHCA Division III Scholar of Distinction titles in every season she played.
Groth also spent time on the Wells women’s lacrosse team in 2023, where she earned her first collegiate goal as an attacker before becoming the Express’ starting goalie. With a cumulative total of over 60 saves in the 2023 season, Groth was named Defensive Most Valuable Player for women’s lacrosse with the Express. She also appeared in one season of softball at Wells, playing third base.
Groth graduated summa cum laude with Distinction in English from Wells College in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing.
