Fairmont alum Hunt to lead Tornadoes volleyball program

FAIRMONT — One of the last decisions Michael Baker made as Fairmont’s athletic director before retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year was who would succeed him as the Golden Tornadoes’ head volleyball coach.

Whoever took the job would have the often-difficult task of replacing a legendary figure — one the school’s gymnasium is named for. But who would understand that task better than someone who played for and coached alongside Baker?

Kaitlyn Hunt, a Fairmont alum who has been working as an assistant coach in volleyball and girls basketball, will lead the Golden Tornadoes as the team begins the 2024 season next week.

“Someone told me the other day, those are big shoes to fill,” Hunt said. “I just told them, yes, those are big shoes to fill, but that’s his shoes and now I’ve got my own shoes. I’m standing in my own shoes and I’m going to create this platform in my shoes, not his shoes. … No one can ever fill his shoes, because of what he’s done in the community and for young ladies through the volleyball program, but I’m just here to create my own platform with what I’ve learned from all the coaches I’ve coached under.”

Hunt graduated from Fairmont in 2020 after a playing career as a three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and softball. She has been a volleyball assistant for the last two seasons alongside Baker, while also serving on Marcus Thompson’s girls basketball staff; her day job is in child nutrition.

“Kaitlyn played for me, and even when she was a player she was under me, trying to get all the knowledge she could get,” Baker said. “When she got through playing, she came back to help. And the girls respect her. We went to camp, I thought she had such knowledge of the game — she loves the game, and she has such a knowledge — but her mannerisms are so great. She was a leader in high school. … I told (the team last year), if anything comes up, go to Kaitlyn first, unless it’s something really bad; I’m just out here driving the bus.”

While it was Baker who made the decision to promote Hunt to head coach, new athletic director Thompson is also fully on board.

“I was in total agreement with (Baker),” Thompson said. “She works so hard, and she understands the game, and she’s going to push the girls to be the best that they can be. She’ll get the most out of them. But I think I saw it and Coach Bake saw it and realized she’s perfect for the job.”

Hunt says her coaching style will be a combination of the things she’s learned from Baker and Thompson, along with some of her own ideas.

“It’s a totally different ballgame from being a player to being a coach, but it’s just helping young ladies develop,” Hunt said. “As a coach, my goal is — winning is great, I want to win, but at the end of the day I also want the young ladies to get something out of it, as in the leadership and being a team to being all together and being a family.”

“She’s got great ideas and things for the future, a camp here, a clinic here,” Hunt said. “And all the little clinics and camps I went to, she went with me, and she was gaining all the knowledge she could when she went to those clinics. All the coaches in the conference know her, and they like her because she’s very personable. But she’s very competitive.”

Fairmont reached the state playoffs in 2021, but has won just five total games over the last two seasons, including a 2-14 mark last season.

Hunt is determined to improve on that record by ensuring the Golden Tornadoes play together.

“My goal is to believe we can do anything, trust each other and fight for it,” Hunt said. “So no matter what, we’re going to fight to the end.”