"She ruined my love for the sport. She never communicated when needed and never explained why she was doing something to you, even when you are obligated to know. The first year I got there she praised me and played me in every game never took off the field. My second year she completely ignored me and I saw the field for maybe 20 minutes the whole season. She acted like I didn’t exist even over the summer when I texted her, she wouldn’t answer my texts. She is mentally abusive and lies about everything. If you want a happy environment and happy team I would strongly encourage to not have her as your coach!!!! When asked a question in person with no previous warning she completely freaks out and has to go regulate her emotions. Then comes back 2 minutes later with a different answer. She is truly a horrible person and only cares about how she looks at practice, constantly talking about her hair and her weight. "
"Coach Terwilliger’s coaching has deeply damaged my love for field hockey. Instead of creating a supportive and motivating environment, she has repeatedly benched players by leaving them in the bleachers without explanation, making them feel excluded and unvalued. Her treatment of players often feels targeted, especially toward those who are more vulnerable, which creates a climate of fear rather than growth. Rather than building confidence and teamwork, her actions have made the sport feel stressful and discouraging, turning something I once loved into a source of anxiety and disappointment."
"Terwilliger is a danger to young athletes. I played for Kelly for two and a half seasons and nearly three years as a collegiate athlete. Those three years were some of the most mentally draining years of my life. Day after day I had to witness the mental health of my self and each one of my friends dwindle. I watched her pressure athletes to talk about their sex lifes, political opinion, and other personal information. Kelly is extremely manipulative and unprofessional. I was constantly told I was only on the team for my personality and she made me feel like I was a waste of space. She would constantly talk about players with other players and encourage it. She told the captains that I was one of the most judgmental people she had ever met and constantly would talk to my teammates about me. I was never once confronted about this topic. She once asked my roommate if she would be a better athlete if she was not friends with me. To my face it was all smiles until the monthly meetings where she would rip apart my athletic ability and personality. Going to practice was a constant battle. At one point I thought I was getting menopause at the age of 20 because every time I would walk on the field I would get a heat flash. I told Kelly this and she goes “that’s anxiety.” For the next two months every time I walked onto the field I would shake and get an immediate heat flash. Instead of coaching she would strut around the field for photo opportunities and then randomly scream phrases such as “be an athlete” or tell the entire team that we lost because of one specific person. In my opinion she only cared about us for photo opportunities and everything was for PR purposes. Playing for this woman was one of the worst decisions of my life. THIS WOMAN SHOULD NOT BE AROUND YOUNG ATHLETES. "
"Angry, abusive, and divisive coach that cannot manage a Division 1 Men's Golf Team. Disorganized, always late, and drives the team van at excessive speed for long periods of time without rest, putting the players at risk. Was placed on Administrative Leave but reinstated without any explanation from the Athletic Director or the University. Promises a lot during the recruitment process but doesn't deliver any of his promises, and he has lost several talented players in the first 3 years of the program due to his favoritism to certain players and mistreatment of players he dislikes. Abusive to restaurant employees, golf course professionals, and other service workers causing embarrassment to the team. "
"Kelly Terwilliger excluded me from the team; she isolated me, destroyed my confidence, and made me feel unwelcome and like a nobody. She didn't let me travel to away games, wear my uniform, or even sit on the bench or be on the sideline. She was ashamed to have me on the team and pushed me away. Nobody else was experiencing what I was going through. I was only allowed at practices and lifts; I had to do the punishment runs after losing games that I wasn't allowed to be at. She has favorites and even treats them poorly at times. She has ruined so many of my teammates' love for the game and has made them never want to pick up a stick again. Do not play for her. She now coaches at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)."
"I was at the wedding.
We overheard you.
You’re beyond unprofessional.
From what we heard it’s on you. Why put your nose in a job you left. Why stir up drama. That legacy is on you. I don’t get it. "
"I had a lot of respect for you and your program but after what I’ve witnessed with one of your closest friends, Ronda Varnesdeel, your connection with her and what Davenport is all about, I absolutely no longer have any respect for you or your program. Absolutely sickening and disturbing to have a strong association with such a corrupt individual and institution. "
"Likes to talk s**t about all her players behind their backs…. If some of them even knew the horrible things she has said about their playing abilities. Fire up though! "
"She consistently demonstrated a lack of integrity, often prioritizing personal gain over ethical standards. Her success was built not on merit or respect for the game, but on bending the rules whenever possible. Unfortunately, she operated under the protection of a close friend in leadership, who turned a blind eye to misconduct and enabled behavior that compromised the values the program should stand for.
This lack of accountability fostered a toxic environment where favoritism and manipulation were rewarded over hard work and fairness. For those seeking a coach who upholds honesty, transparency, and respect for athletes, this is not someone who should be held up as a model of leadership"
"There has been a ton of CMU players in the portal the past few years. She not only plays favorites but she plays mind games. Turns out she can’t coach a highly rated recruiting class very well either. Terrible decision making and major lacking of softball IQ at the D1 level. Other than that she recruits like she’s still at the NAIA level. It’s harder to win when you can’t cheat I guess. The best player on the team just transferred out and the best coach on the team just left. Safe to say she hasn’t lived up to the hype in a mediocre conference.
"
"Embarrassing coach, she literally put my life on display in front of all my friends and peers and humiliated me. Does not care about mental health at all. I literally had to go to therapy after being humiliated. "
"Ask everyone that transfers from CMU, didn’t even give us the time of day, we were just a number to her. The starters get all the reps. How can anyone prove themselves if we don’t get the time of day?"
"If I could put a score of 0 I would. Who is this guy and how is he still hired. Came into a decent program and loved soccer and he absolutely destroyed it. Look at the last seasons past 3 records. The results alone should show you how manipulative he is. As a starter/star player this was my experience. He has no care for anyone. "
"Took the love for the game from me and many of my former teammates. Instead of asking you to transfer/leave the team she’s mentally abuse you till you’d break. CMU opened an investigation on her and found her guilty of mentally abusing her players. The only reason she didn’t get fired was b/c her husband was the head athletic trainer. Instead they gave her a head up to resign. She will never be a good coach and will always have a losing record. "
"Definitely and emotional distressful above coach. Would comment on several players bodies in front of others and say things emotionally above infront of other players. Would also make players have wrestling matches (no soccer balls involved) during practice in order to either get points (as he ranked every player by their points in the locker room) or to make a travel roster for a game. He didn’t dress all players for home games and instead would have them come with the rest of the spectators and watch from the bench. He only had the starting 11 come to pre game meals and do team walk throughs. Definitely the most divisible coach to team dynamics. I would say it is best not to play soccer in college then play under him for any amount of scholarship. You will lose your self worth and slip into depression. Several girls attempted while playing for him and he had no idea. Cause he doesn’t care. "
"Wish I could rate her lower, she chooses favorites and bullies the girls she "doesn't like". I think she has a dangerous coaching style and is dangerous to women's sports and athletes mental health."
"There is no doubt that Mike Cummings is knowledgeable of the game and is very passionate about the sport, but he stands as the most unpleasant coach I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. Cummings is an Offensive Line coach but will verbally attack players of other skill positions he does not oversee for no real reason at all other than to assert some sort of perceived dominance. In the three years I knew him, I watched him make disparaging, offensive and homophobic remarks about players that go beyond the game. If this was intended as motivation, it was completely lost on me as well as my teammates.
As a recruiter, Cummings is self interested. He will make sure the guys he recruits see playing time over the individuals he did not recruit. He will push to move his lackluster recruits up the depth chart for his own self interest even if it's a detriment to the team. In preseason conditioning tests, if he did not like you, he would falsify your marks in the hopes that you get penalized by the head coach for not meeting physical performance standards. If he could find any reason to run you off the team if he didn't like you, he would try to do it. I was also witness to him verbally attacking a campus staff member who had little to do with the football program - which was completely uncalled for and extremely unprofessional. I've known players to transfer out due to the fact that he they just don't want to play for or even share the room with him. When your antics outweigh your skillset, some reflection is needed.
I hope Cummings take this as constructive criticism. Cummings is old school and I'm sure he's strong enough to take the feedback. I doubt he will ever read this and I'm not sure at his age he will be willing to change but I do want student athletes to be prepared for his style of coaching and realize there are better coaches and motivators. I sincerely hope he has evolved as a coach and a person. "
"This coach’s approach and behavior raise serious concerns about her ability to lead effectively. She seems to be a prototype for narcissism—lacking empathy, poor communication skills, and unable to form genuine relationships with her players. On top of that, her total lack of lacrosse knowledge makes her unfit to be a coach. This is not someone you want to be learning from if you care about developing your skills or thriving as an athlete. Instead of fostering a supportive community, she seems more interested in exercising power and telling people what to do, which robs the D1 athlete experience of the growth and enjoyment it should bring.
Many players have stayed under her leadership due to the constant warning that ‘the grass isn’t always greener,’ but I can assure you, anywhere else will offer a more supportive and effective leader. No athlete should have to endure the toxic environment that exists here, and staying only diminishes your potential to thrive. A coach who truly values her players’ development and well-being would never lead like this. Trust me—wherever you go, you’ll have a much more rewarding experience.
On recruitment visits, players are instructed to speak positively about the coach, but let me tell you what the players are really thinking: DO NOT COME HERE. The reality is that they are all struggling under the weight of a toxic, unsupportive leader who doesn’t have the best interests of her players at heart and lacks basic knowledge of the game. They're told to put on a front, but the truth is, you’ll find a better environment anywhere else. The D1 experience should challenge you, but it should also help you grow as an athlete and as a person. Save yourself the disappointment and look elsewhere—this coach is not worth it."
"This coach’s approach and behavior raise serious concerns about her ability to lead effectively. She seems to be a prototype for narcissism—lacking empathy, poor communication skills, and unable to form genuine relationships with her players. On top of that, her total lack of lacrosse knowledge makes her unfit to be a coach. This is not someone you want to be learning from if you care about developing your skills or thriving as an athlete. Instead of fostering a supportive community, she seems more interested in exercising power and telling people what to do, which robs the D1 athlete experience of the growth and enjoyment it should bring.
Many players have stayed under her leadership due to the constant warning that ‘the grass isn’t always greener,’ but I can assure you, anywhere else will offer a more supportive and effective leader. No athlete should have to endure the toxic environment that exists here, and staying only diminishes your potential to thrive. A coach who truly values her players’ development and well-being would never lead like this. Trust me—wherever you go, you’ll have a much more rewarding experience.
On recruitment visits, players are instructed to speak positively about the coach, but let me tell you what the players are really thinking: DO NOT COME HERE. The reality is that they are all struggling under the weight of a toxic, unsupportive leader who doesn’t have the best interests of her players at heart and lacks basic knowledge of the game. They're told to put on a front, but the truth is, you’ll find a better environment anywhere else. The D1 experience should challenge you, but it should also help you grow as an athlete and as a person. Save yourself the disappointment and look elsewhere—this coach is not worth it."
Fill out the form below and we’ll try to help you out as best as we can. More details of contact info below.
Subscribe to unlock this feature.
Level up to make the right college athletic decision. Become a 2aDays member for as low as $5 a month.
Gain access to tools that take your college search and recruiting process to the next level.
Create an account to use this feature
Create a 2aDays account or subscribe for as low as $5 a month.
Subscribe to power up your recruiting and college sports experience.
Are you sure?
You are about to remove Central Michigan University from your saved schools.
