Kelly McDurmon and Kent Harrison ('01) have each received Coach of the Year honors for their respective work with the wrestling and softball teams in 2012-13. These awards are voted on annually by fellow varsity head coaches and awarded by the athletic director.
McDurmon has coached varsity wrestling at Darlington for 10 years. Last spring, he led the wrestling team to an eighth-place finish in the state duals. The team had two individual state champions, Hayden Cook (’15) and Jule Peek (’14), and a third-place finisher, Jordan Beck ('15). In his tenure at Darlington, McDurmon has coached 10 individual state champions and the Tigers have finished as high as fourth in the state. Previously, McDurmon coached wrestling for nine years at his alma mater, Rockmart High School, leading the team to two state championships. As a student at Rockmart, he was a member of three state championship teams and won a couple of individual titles. At Darlington, McDurmon also teaches Upper School history and is an assistant coach for varsity cross country and JV football.
Harrison is entering his second year as Darlington's head softball coach and his fourth year as head baseball coach. Last fall, he led the softball team to the Final Four. He is an ASA-certified umpire and a certified Little League umpire with eight years of coaching experience. Prior to his arrival at Darlington in 2006, he coached baseball at Paulding County High School and Heard County High School. He also coached junior high basketball and golf at Rockmart Middle School. In addition to his coaching duties at Darlington, Harrison teaches math at the Upper School and serves as an assistant athletic director.
