EL DORADO, Kan. – Butler soccer head coach Adam Hunter announced Thursday the hiring of Kelia Gillispie as an assistant coach as well as the promotion of Travis Stipp to full time assistant coach.

Gillispie joins the staff following the departure of Butler assistant coach Junior Galvan who joined Oral Roberts University as an assistant soccer coach following the 2023 season.

A Newton, Kan., native, Gillispie joins the Grizzlies from Kansas State where she spent the last three seasons as a student-athlete on the Wildcats women's soccer team.

Across her three seasons in Manhattan, Gillispie played in six matches with 58 minutes of action. She was a three-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll member.

Prior to Kansas State, Gillispie was a Kansas 5A All-State second team selection in 2018 at Newton High School. She was also named a 2018 All-Arkansas Valley Chisholm Trail League (AVCTL) First Team selection before graduating in 2020.

Gillispie has ties to Hunter, playing with the Wichita Rush Soccer Club from 2010-15 where Hunter was coaching. She is majoring in kinesiology and integrative physiology, set to graduate in spring 2024.

She brings some coaching experience to El Dorado, having spent time coaching at Kansas State soccer youth camps as well as a WUPC youth soccer camp.

Stipp, a veteran of the Grizzly coaching staff, has now transitioned to a full-time assistant coaching position. The 2024 season will be his eighth on staff, having been a part of four national tournament teams ('16, '18, '20, '21), three Region VI championships ('16, '20, '21) and four KJCCC titles ('16, '17, '18, '21). Stipp oversees the goalkeepers and assists with the day to day operations of the program, primarily focusing on analytics and graphic marketing of the program.