National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk Athletics named Grant Gartner as interim head
soccer coach this week. Gartner will serve as the Nighthawks’ second head men’s and
women’s soccer coach.
A Hot Springs native, Gartner earned All-State honors and competed for two Class 5A
state titles at Lakeside High School before advancing to play college soccer at Hendrix
College for four seasons. A longtime volunteer with the Hot Springs Soccer Association,
Gartner served as NPC’s assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach in its inaugural
season.
“We are very fortunate to have a quality soccer coach already on our staff in Coach
Gartner,” NPC Athletic Director Jason Hudnell said. “It was an easy choice for me
to move Coach Gartner into the interim head coach position. He has been with us during
our inaugural year, he has played the sport at the collegiate level, and he was instrumental
in recruiting many of these student-athletes to NPC. I am confident that Coach Gartner
and NPC soccer will make significant strides this fall.”
“I cannot be more excited to work with both teams for our second season together,”
Gartner said. “I am humbled by the opportunity to continue to work with our men and
women in the town that I was born and raised in. I am very much looking forward to
the progress National Park College soccer will make and the hard work we will be contributing
to make it a reality.”
Gartner succeeds Kevin Tello, who served as head men’s and women’s soccer coach last
season before accepting the assistant coach position with University of Memphis men’s
soccer this summer.
“I am happy for Coach Tello and the opportunity that he has been given to go coach
at the NCAA Division I level,” Hudnell said. “It is a testament to his hard work,
skill level, and knowledge of the game. As an athletic director, I want to hire coaches
that have high ambitions and who are not afraid of a challenge. We have had two head
coaches now that have had the chance to work at the NCAA division I level after their
time with us at NPC. I want to thank Coach Tello for the groundwork he laid here for
Nighthawk Soccer. Building a program from the ground up is not easy, and Coach Tello
met the challenge head on. I am proud to call him a Nighthawk and more importantly,
a friend.”
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk men’s soccer and Nighthawk women’s soccer online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
