It did not take Benji Walton long to make an impact on the Kennesaw State women’s soccer program, and now the Owls are back playing for championships.
In seven seasons at the helm at Kennesaw State, Walton has a record of 65-53-13 (.546) since taking over the program. In six of the seven seasons under Walton’s watch, the Owls have finished .500 or better in each campaign.
Under his leadership, KSU made three straight ASUN Conference Finals from 2019 to 2021 and has the Owls on the cusp of breaking through for a conference championship.
In 17 seasons as a head coach, Walton has compiled an overall record of 162-131-24 (.549) during tenures at Limestone College (2003-06), Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Kennesaw State (2016-pres.).
Walton brought more than 13 years coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels to Kennesaw State when he was named the second head coach in Kennesaw State women's soccer history on Dec. 18.
Walton joined Owl Nation after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. In his first season under new head coach Amy Berbary, Walton helped guide the Hoosiers to a 2013 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 15-7-1 record, establishing the best winning percentage (.674) in IU women's soccer history.
Walton also has 10 years of head coaching experience after leading programs at Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Limestone College (2003-06).
Walton joined the Indiana program with Berbary in 2013 and served as offensive coordinator for two seasons before assuming the role of director of set pieces and technical development prior to the 2015 season. He served as liaison between the coaching staff and academic staff, monitoring the academic progress of the program's student-athletes.
In his first season at IU, Walton helped the Hoosiers establish single-season program records for goals (43), assists (46) and wins (15). The record-breaking season continued as the Hoosiers earned their first Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament appearances since 2007.After advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Indiana earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round.
In his three years at Indiana, Walton mentored two National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-Region players, one All-Big Ten Conference second team honoree, 45 Big Ten Conference All-Academic selections and four
Capital One Academic All-District V picks. The Hoosiers also were honored with the NSCAA Team Academic Award each season and the 2014 team posted a 3.561 grade-point average, the highest GPA among IU's 24 sports.
Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Walton served six seasons as head coach at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama. During his tenure, Walton led the program through the transition from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division III. His teams won at least 10 games each season and totaled an overall record 69-38-5 (.638) as he became the program's all-time winningest coach. In 2012, BSC shared the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC) regular season championship.
During Walton's tenure at Birmingham College, four players earned NSCAA All-Region honors and five student-athletes were recognized as NSCAA All-Region Scholars, including two that went on to be named NSCAA Scholar All-Americans.
Walton's first head coaching job came at Limestone College where he coached four seasons and turned around a struggling Division II program. After the team posted a total of 11 wins in his first two seasons, Walton led the Saints to a 17-16-5 record over the next two seasons, posting a pair of fifth-place finishes in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference.
A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Walton spent time as a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia for two seasons (2002-03) while earning a master's degree in Education with a focus on sports administration.
Walton played collegiately at Reinhardt College (1997-2001) where he helped the Eagles to a 21-1-1 record and trip to the NJCAA National Championship game as sophomore. He was named second-team all-conference and received NCCAA All-America Honorable Mention as a senior.
Walton earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Reinhardt in 2001.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BENJI WALTON
"Benji exemplifies all the qualities of an outstanding college soccer coach. First and foremost, he cares deeply about his student-athletes, and is a very bright, technical coach, who won a Conference championship for us here at Birmingham-Southern. Benji is a person of high moral character and I believe will be highly successful at Kennesaw State".
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Joe Dean, Jr., Athletic Director, Birmingham-Southern College
"I have known Benji since he was a high school player at Brookwood. He is a very good soccer coach and an even better person. I am certain he will do a fantastic job at Kennesaw State."
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Todd Yelton, Head Women's Soccer Coach, Samford University
"Benji is a man of tremendous character, as well as an extremely knowledgeable coach who looks to push each individual player to the top of her game. I will forever be grateful for the time he spent by my side at Indiana University. The Hoosiers wish him only the best as he prepares for this exciting new chapter at Kennesaw State."
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Amy Berbary, Head Women's Soccer Coach, Indiana University
BENJI WALTON'S COACHING HISTORY
| Year |
Team |
Position |
Record |
| 2001 |
Georgia |
Volunteer Assistant Coach |
13-6-1 |
| 2002 |
Georgia |
Volunteer Assistant Coach |
8-11-1 |
| 2003 |
Limestone College |
Head Coach |
4-14-0 |
| 2004 |
Limestone College |
Head Coach |
7-12-0 |
| 2005 |
Limestone College |
Head Coach |
9-10-0 |
| 2006 |
Limestone College |
Head Coach |
8-6-5 |
| 2007 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
12-6-0 |
| 2008 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
11-6-2 |
| 2009 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
13-7-0 |
| 2010 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
11-7-0 |
| 2011 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
10-5-2 |
| 2012 |
Birmingham-Southern College |
Head Coach |
12-6-1 |
| 2013 |
Indiana |
Assistant Coach |
15-7-1 |
| 2014 |
Indiana |
Assistant Coach |
7-11-1 |
| 2015 |
Indiana |
Assistant Coach |
3-10-6 |
| 2016 |
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach |
10-8-1 |
| 2017 |
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach |
8-7-4 |
| 2018 |
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach |
12-6-1 |
| 2019 |
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach |
11-7-2 |
| Spring 21 |
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach |
8-8-0 |
Fall 2021
Fall 2022 |
Kennesaw State
Kennesaw State |
Head Coach
Head Coach |
9-8-2
7-9-3 |
Head Coaching Record at Limestone College: 28-42-5 (.407)
Head Coaching Record at Birmingham-Southern: 69-38-5 (.638)
Head Coaching Record at Kennesaw State: 65-53-13 (.546)
Career Head Coaching Record (16 Years): 162-131-24 (.549)
