Archambault sets Phillips milestone

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Kassie Archambault

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March 19, 2013

Archambault sets Phillips milestone

Former Big Blue standout served as assistant coach

By Dave Dyer ddyer@eagletribune.com The Eagle Tribune Tue Mar 19, 2013, 01:00 AM EDT

Although highly successful as a wrestler for Phillips Academy from 2004-2006, Kassie Archambault can’t quite match everything that Danielle Coughlin has accomplished in her four years at North Andover.

And her record against boys was also not quite as impressive as Whittier Tech’s Shannon Constantine, who now wrestles at King College.

But Archambault, who is originally from Methuen, has done something that others can only duplicate. At Phillips Academy this year, she became the first girls assistant coach on a boys team.

“I love the sport and when I got a job teaching here, I knew I wanted to coach,” said Archambault, a graduate of Dartmouth College who is an instructor in Russian. “I really enjoyed it.”

Archambault, who was the first girl to start at Phillips and the first to place in the league tournament served as the main coach for sophomore Alyssa Augustin, a 152-pounder from New Jersey.

Augustin, under Archambault’s guidance, showed tremendous improvement this year, wrestling in several varsity matches and eventually winning her weight class at the Girls New England tournament.

“I think it was partly about taking a year to figure out what it takes to be successful,” said Archambault, who won her weight class at the girls New England tourney. “She just needed the experience and to work at it. ... I think she’ll keep getting better.”

Archambault isn’t positive she’ll be at Phillips next year but, wherever she winds up teaching, she hopes to continue as a coach on the mat.

“There’s nothing like the sport,” she said.