Earl Walker, Ed.D. - Director
Dr. Earl Walker holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, specializing in Sport and Exercise Psychology and is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Personal Trainer. He has taught sport psychology, sociology of sport, exercise physiology, health education, and fitness education at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. He has also served as an assistant wrestling coach at Boston University for six hears, coaching several NCAA tournament qualifiers, and one eventual NCAA All-American.
As a competitor, he achieved Division I NCAA College Wrestling All-American status, was a former #1 Nationally ranked collegiate wrestler, National High School Wrestling Champion, and 2x Delaware State Wrestling Champion. He was also honored as the male collegiate athlete of the year at Boston University in 1993 and has been inducted into three athletic hall of fames (Delaware Wrestling, South Jersey Wrestling and Boston University Athletic).
Utilizing his athletic experience and academic training, Dr. Walker developed the Self Realization Model and Approach, which focuses on improving the most essential components of optimal performance and helping one reach his/her potential. Some of his other areas of research include exploring predictors of sexual aggression and the influence of athletic identity on performance.
Oliver Eslinger, Ed.D. -- Basketball and Counseling
Dr. Eslinger holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology, specializing in Sport Psychology. He has taught sport psychology at Lasell College and the University of New Hampshire and presented his research at several nationally recognized conferences. Dr. Eslinger has also consulted with athletes and coaches from all levels of athletics including service as a Sport Psychology Consultant for the 2003 Women’s World Cup.
He is in his second year as an assistant men's basketball coach at MIT and also stays actively involved in camps and clinics at all levels, making significant contributions over the last 12 years to clinics hosted by Bentley, Harvard, Boston University and Rising Star. His coaching reach has extended throughout Massachusetts and New York.
Dr. Eslinger played high school basketball at Bethlehem (N.Y.), and continued his
career at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., where he was a starting guard. He has maintained his high playing ability, currently starting for teams in competitive leagues throughout Greater Boston.
Matthew Fortune -- Football and Wrestling
Matt Fortune holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Mexico and currently teaches Physical Education and Health at Framingham High School. At Framingham High School, he has also been the Head Freshman Football coach and Quarterbacks coach since 2002. His past football coaching experience also includes serving as the head Football coach for the Oak Hill School from 1997 to 1999 and the linebackers coach at Albuquerque High School from 1994 to 1997.
Matt is also the Director of Team SR, an assistant wrestling coach at Boston University, and assists in coaching the Newton Jr. Wrestling program. He has served as the head wrestling coach for both the Boston Latin School and Albuquerque Academy. In addition, he has been an assistant coach for over six years at various high schools in New Mexico, as well as being a staff member of the World class Wrestling Camp since 1997.
Warren Haines -- Wrestling
Warren is currently working towards BA/MA in Environmental Studies with a concentration in project planning and evaluation at Boston University (BU). He is also one of three team captains of the Boston University Wrestling Team. He founded and coached the Crimestoppers Youth Wrestling Club in Alexandria, VA and serves as the Lead Instructor of the Team SR Wrestling Club. Warren wrestled in Virginia where he was an all district and all region selection as well as a two year captain of TC Williams High School Varsity Wrestling team.
Lara Gibson, M.S. -- Strength & Conditioning/Speed & Agility
Lara Gibson earned her Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from Auburn University in Alabama and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA) and Level 1 Club Coach (USWF). She currently teaches Physical Education at Framingham High School and works as a Sports Performance Coach.
Lara has worked closely with athletes of various ages and skill levels. Formerly, as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Hopkington High School, she worked with middle school and high school athletes on agility, power, strength, speed, and injury prevention. While at Auburn University, she developed and implemented strength and conditioning programs for diving and cross-country, while assisting with basketball, tennis, swimming, golf, and soccer at Olympic Sports. Finally, while at Holy Cross, Lara interned under renowned strength coach Mike Boyle, working with high school, college, Olympic and professional athletes with a primary focus on ice hockey, football, soccer, field hockey, and basketball.
As an athlete, Lara competed at the College of the Holy Cross where she was a four-year letter winner and senior captain of the women’s basketball team. The Crusaders won three Patriot League titles in her career and qualified for the NCAA Division I Tournament three times.
Heather Nichols, M.A., ABD -- Counseling & Swimming
Bio coming soon
Joe Rivera -- Wrestling
Joe is a senior at Boston University (BU) majoring in Psychology and is one of three team captains on the BU Wrestling Team. He was voted the Most Outstanding Freshman for BU for the 2001-02 season and Most Outstanding Wrestler for the 2003-2004 season. In high school, he was a team captain and four-time state place winner for Stroudsburg High School in Pennsylvania where he still holds the record, at 137, for career wins.
Steven Welham, Ed.M. -- Soccer and Counseling
In his first year at Kings Point, Assistant Coach Stephen Welham trains the Mariners' goalkeepers and serves as the Department’s Assistant Academic Coordinator.
Welham earned his Master’s Degree at Boston University in Counseling with a specialization in Sport Psychology. While with the Terriers, he helped devise a strategy with the head Men's Soccer Coach for building a winning mentality which concentrated on team building and goal-setting techniques throughout the year. In addition, Welham counseled individuals on a one-on-one confidential basis and helped train the goalkeepers.
Prior to his stint at Boston University, Welham served as a goalkeeper with the South Jersey Barons, a D3 professional soccer team.
Welham earned his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from Seton Hall University in 1999, graduating Magna Cum Laude. While at Seton Hall, he was a member of the men's varsity soccer team for five seasons. He was named the 1999-2000 Seton Hall University Male Scholar Athlete of the Year in his senior year. He was also a recipient of the 2000 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Award. Welham earned Big East Academic All-Star Team honors for the 1995-96, 1997-98, and 1998-99 seasons. He served as the Co-Conference Chair of the Seton Hall chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society for Psychology, and was a member of the American Criminal Justice Association. Welham was a volunteer for the New Jersey Special Olympics and was a Seton Hall University Student Athlete Mentor.
