Aurora University today announced the addition of Grant Kimball as head coach of the AU women's hockey program. The AU women's hockey team will begin play in the 2017-2018 season, becoming AU's 23rd collegiate sport.
 
"Having a coach with Grant's resume lead the women's hockey program at AU is exciting," said Director of Athletics Jim Hamad. "We are confident that he will be able to build a competitive program."
 
Kimball comes to AU after spending the previous seven seasons as the Associate Head Women's Ice Hockey Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Vermont. He has a vast amount of experience coaching at the Division I and Division III level of women's hockey, having been an assistant coach and associate head coach since 2001.
 
"'I would like to thank President Dr. Rebecca Sherrick, Senior Vice President Dr. Lora de Lacey, and Director of Athletics Jim Hamad for this wonderful opportunity as Aurora University's first head women's hockey coach," said Kimball. "The ability to give our student-athletes a first-class NCAA Division III experience and build a program from the ground up is extremely exciting. I can't wait to get started and build a tradition of academic and athletic success here at AU."
 
In his 15 seasons of coaching collegiate women's hockey, Kimball has made stops at Vermont, University of North Dakota, Wayne State University and Lake Forest College, finding success at all of his endeavors.
 
Kimball has additional experience serving with several other girls' teams at various levels. He was the director of the Michigan Regional Girls Development Camp in 2005 and 2006; co-coach of the USA Hockey Girls National Select U-14 Camp in 2005; head coach of Team Michigan in the Chicago Showcase Tournament in 2004 and 2005; and head coach of Team Illinois Girls U-15 and U-19 teams from 1996-2000.

He played his collegiate hockey at Lake Forest College and was a defenseman for the Foresters from 1992-95. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1996.

AU women's hockey will become an official NCAA Division III program in 2017-2018 and will play as an official member of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) in 2017-2018 and be eligible for the Slaats Cup Playoffs and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. According to the NCAA, 58 women's varsity programs competed in Division III competition during the 2015-2016 season. AU will become just the second NCAA Division III women's program in the state of Illinois, joining NCHA peer Lake Forest College. Women's hockey competes in the winter, with the regular-season schedule running from October through March.
 
Aurora University currently sponsors 22 sports; all of the 18 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) sponsored sports as well as men's hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, and women's bowling. Men's teams in the NACC include baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. Women's NACC squads are fielded in basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball.
 
Aurora University is located in Aurora, Illinois – the second largest city in the state – about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. The women's hockey team will play and practice at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, located just north of Aurora. The arena houses two ice sheets (NHL and Olympic), a hockey shop, training center and restaurant.