SE: New K-State Soccer Assistant Benton Brings Strong Familiarity, Passion for Program
Aug 09, 2019 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Kat Benton grew up in California, played at Kansas Wesleyan in Salina, but she knows K-State soccer.
K-State's new assistant coach has been part of the program, in some ways, since the beginning. In others, she's known it before it even started.
When the K-State Soccer Founders Club was created in February of 2015, Benton was one of the first to sign up and donate. When K-State hosted its first ID camps to start building a roster, Benton was there at Anneberg Park — K-State's field was still being grown — to help run them.
"I've been a fan of the program for a long time," she said.
The source of her fandom: K-State's coaching staff. Namely, head coach Mike Dibbini and assistant coach Gabe Romo.
Benton played for Dibbini at Kansas Wesleyan from 2007-08, when the Coyotes won an NAIA Region IV title — a first for a KCAC team — and twice made the NAIA National Championships. Romo played for the KWU men's team from 2005-08, "so we've had a friendship there since the beginning," Benton said.
To Benton, Dibbini is more than her former coach who she used to list as her emergency contact because he convinced her to move from California to what she first thought of Kansas, "the middle of nowhere," she said, laughing.
More than a decade later, Benton described him as a "mentor" and a big reason why she became a coach. While she thought she had a post-playing career in event planning, marketing or, maybe, communications, Dibbini had other ideas.
"He's the one who was, like, 'You have a really good approach. You're very adaptable. You're great with kids,'" Benton recalled. "He's the one who encouraged me to start doing it more and more. When I graduated, he asked me to be a student assistant, and then I was a grad assistant, and then everything kind of evolved from there.
"I just couldn't stop what I was doing. I was so passionate about it. I loved it. I loved that feeling of the intangible piece, of you're working hours and hours on end for one moment in a game where it translates into something positive, whether that was a goal or a good moment or a confidence piece. That, to me, was addictive, that feeling when you're coaching and it all comes together. From there, I was hooked."
From 2009-13 Benton coached alongside Dibbini at KWU, the last three seasons with Romo on staff. When Dibbini left for Cal Poly Pomona, Benton spread her coaching roots. She led the Kansas Olympic Development Program, was the head coach of the Sporting Kaw Valley Premier team and served as a Technical Director for SKV in Salina.
Benton took over as KWU's head coach in 2017 and amassed a 27-11-4 record in her two seasons there. Last season, her team swept the KCAC regular season and tournament titles. Benton planned on repeating that feat this season until, while on vacation in the Florida Keys, she saw former K-State associate head coach Jess Smith announce she was stepping away for personal reasons.
Within a few hours, Benton was texting Dibbini, asking what he was looking for in the new hire. His responses somewhat mirrored her resume.
"He kind of told me some of the checkpoints that had to happen for the program to move forward," she said. "When he was talking, I was, like, 'Huh? That sounds like me. Huh? That sounds like me.'"
High among the checkpoints was someone who understood and believed in his plan for the program. Benton, in some ways a product of that plan, was an obvious fit.
"I think he was in a First Aid Closet at Kansas Wesleyan when he recruited me, but I believed the words he said and I believed in his vision. Part of that is believing in what you're doing. I've seen him turn that program around and win 20-plus championships in eight years, which is ridiculous," she said. "I think he's one of the best coaches ever in the KCAC, let alone NAIA."
Benton said she plans to reinforce the cultural components that led to that success, as well as add her own strengths to the staff. She said develop attacking midfielders and forwards, for instance, is her "specialty."
To get the most out of players on the field, Benton said it starts with a strong relationship off of it. It's the foundation of her coaching approach.
"I think the thing that I, maybe, turned on its ear (at KWU) was I really looked at the whole student-athlete," she said. "Yes, we get results, but it's a byproduct of what we do day in and day out, which is in the details. Do you get up when you're supposed to? Do you eat what you're supposed to? Do you give your all at training?
"People won't commit to a cause, to a person, to a program if they don't feel connected and they don't feel like there's a relationship there."
These relationships start years before players ever get on campus. When recruiting, Benton said K-State's staff will be looking for a specific brand of player, too. It's the type of player she was and that helped create success everywhere K-State's staff has been.
"We want players that are bold, that are confident, that want to build this bridge with us, want to build this opportunity with us, and those kids come in mentally strong because they have forged their own path. They're pioneers," she said. "Those kind of culture kids are going to be important because they're to drive that piece for us, like a Katie Cramer."
These players may be hard to find, but they are out there. And that's why Benton said you won't see K-State's coaches in their offices much during the offseason.
"You have to go out and pace the pavement for those players," Benton said. "You can't call them. You can't email them. You have to see them. You have to invest, and I think that's where Coach Dibbini, Coach Romo and I…we're not afraid of rolling up our sleeves and doing those pieces. I think when they see that, when they feel that, they'll know we're in their corner."
Her plan from there? Get them to Manhattan. It worked on her.
"If we can get student-athletes on campus, we can sell them, because it's a feeling. And that's why I came to K-State. K-State is a feeling. When you're here, you know, and it feels big time," she said. "The people are so genuine. You cannot deny the feeling you get when you walk on campus.
"I think the selling point is you have an opportunity to make history. You have an opportunity to make a name for yourself. You don't have to follow in anybody's footsteps; they're going to follow in yours."
Kat Benton grew up in California, played at Kansas Wesleyan in Salina, but she knows K-State soccer.
K-State's new assistant coach has been part of the program, in some ways, since the beginning. In others, she's known it before it even started.
When the K-State Soccer Founders Club was created in February of 2015, Benton was one of the first to sign up and donate. When K-State hosted its first ID camps to start building a roster, Benton was there at Anneberg Park — K-State's field was still being grown — to help run them.
"I've been a fan of the program for a long time," she said.
The source of her fandom: K-State's coaching staff. Namely, head coach Mike Dibbini and assistant coach Gabe Romo.
Benton played for Dibbini at Kansas Wesleyan from 2007-08, when the Coyotes won an NAIA Region IV title — a first for a KCAC team — and twice made the NAIA National Championships. Romo played for the KWU men's team from 2005-08, "so we've had a friendship there since the beginning," Benton said.
To Benton, Dibbini is more than her former coach who she used to list as her emergency contact because he convinced her to move from California to what she first thought of Kansas, "the middle of nowhere," she said, laughing.
More than a decade later, Benton described him as a "mentor" and a big reason why she became a coach. While she thought she had a post-playing career in event planning, marketing or, maybe, communications, Dibbini had other ideas.
"He's the one who was, like, 'You have a really good approach. You're very adaptable. You're great with kids,'" Benton recalled. "He's the one who encouraged me to start doing it more and more. When I graduated, he asked me to be a student assistant, and then I was a grad assistant, and then everything kind of evolved from there.
"I just couldn't stop what I was doing. I was so passionate about it. I loved it. I loved that feeling of the intangible piece, of you're working hours and hours on end for one moment in a game where it translates into something positive, whether that was a goal or a good moment or a confidence piece. That, to me, was addictive, that feeling when you're coaching and it all comes together. From there, I was hooked."
From 2009-13 Benton coached alongside Dibbini at KWU, the last three seasons with Romo on staff. When Dibbini left for Cal Poly Pomona, Benton spread her coaching roots. She led the Kansas Olympic Development Program, was the head coach of the Sporting Kaw Valley Premier team and served as a Technical Director for SKV in Salina.
Benton took over as KWU's head coach in 2017 and amassed a 27-11-4 record in her two seasons there. Last season, her team swept the KCAC regular season and tournament titles. Benton planned on repeating that feat this season until, while on vacation in the Florida Keys, she saw former K-State associate head coach Jess Smith announce she was stepping away for personal reasons.
Within a few hours, Benton was texting Dibbini, asking what he was looking for in the new hire. His responses somewhat mirrored her resume.
"He kind of told me some of the checkpoints that had to happen for the program to move forward," she said. "When he was talking, I was, like, 'Huh? That sounds like me. Huh? That sounds like me.'"
High among the checkpoints was someone who understood and believed in his plan for the program. Benton, in some ways a product of that plan, was an obvious fit.
"I think he was in a First Aid Closet at Kansas Wesleyan when he recruited me, but I believed the words he said and I believed in his vision. Part of that is believing in what you're doing. I've seen him turn that program around and win 20-plus championships in eight years, which is ridiculous," she said. "I think he's one of the best coaches ever in the KCAC, let alone NAIA."
Benton said she plans to reinforce the cultural components that led to that success, as well as add her own strengths to the staff. She said develop attacking midfielders and forwards, for instance, is her "specialty."
To get the most out of players on the field, Benton said it starts with a strong relationship off of it. It's the foundation of her coaching approach.
"I think the thing that I, maybe, turned on its ear (at KWU) was I really looked at the whole student-athlete," she said. "Yes, we get results, but it's a byproduct of what we do day in and day out, which is in the details. Do you get up when you're supposed to? Do you eat what you're supposed to? Do you give your all at training?
"People won't commit to a cause, to a person, to a program if they don't feel connected and they don't feel like there's a relationship there."
These relationships start years before players ever get on campus. When recruiting, Benton said K-State's staff will be looking for a specific brand of player, too. It's the type of player she was and that helped create success everywhere K-State's staff has been.
"We want players that are bold, that are confident, that want to build this bridge with us, want to build this opportunity with us, and those kids come in mentally strong because they have forged their own path. They're pioneers," she said. "Those kind of culture kids are going to be important because they're to drive that piece for us, like a Katie Cramer."
These players may be hard to find, but they are out there. And that's why Benton said you won't see K-State's coaches in their offices much during the offseason.
"You have to go out and pace the pavement for those players," Benton said. "You can't call them. You can't email them. You have to see them. You have to invest, and I think that's where Coach Dibbini, Coach Romo and I…we're not afraid of rolling up our sleeves and doing those pieces. I think when they see that, when they feel that, they'll know we're in their corner."
Her plan from there? Get them to Manhattan. It worked on her.
"If we can get student-athletes on campus, we can sell them, because it's a feeling. And that's why I came to K-State. K-State is a feeling. When you're here, you know, and it feels big time," she said. "The people are so genuine. You cannot deny the feeling you get when you walk on campus.
"I think the selling point is you have an opportunity to make history. You have an opportunity to make a name for yourself. You don't have to follow in anybody's footsteps; they're going to follow in yours."
Players Mentioned
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