How weight loss turned Butler High grad Kaleb Proudfoot into all-conference volleyball player at Thiel
GREENVILLE — To gain playing time, Kaleb Proudfoot knew he had to lose weight.
The Butler graduate and Thiel College sophomore men’s volleyball player accomplished the latter — and far exceeded expectations on the former.
“Coach and I had a long talk at the end of last season (2023),” Proudfoot said. “I knew I was overweight. I couldn’t jump well and I wasn’t very quick. I asked him how much weight I should lose.
“He told me 50 pounds.”
Proudfoot wound up dropping 75 pounds before the start of preseason camp for this past season. He’s still losing weight, the total pounds lost now up to 90.
“I went from being a third or fourth guy in the rotation as a freshman to being our No. 1 middle hitter,” Proudfoot said. “Now I rarely leave the court.”
Proudfoot was elected team captain by hs teammates for next season and was promoted to one of the Tomcats’ captains in the latter half of this season.
Thiel coach Dylan Lasher has no problem keeping the 6-foot-9 Proudfoot rotating to different positions on the court.
“Kaleb’s stamina is so much better,” Lasher said. “He’s quicker, much more athletic. He became a force on the court for us and one of the most productive middle hitters in the league.”
Proudfoot made second team All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference this season. He led the AMCC in hitting percentage. He recorded a program-record .810 hitting percentage in a match against Carlow, the second-best hitting percentage in any match in NCAA history, with a minimum of 20 attempts.
He also led the Tomcats with 191 kills and a .359 hitting percentage. He was second on the team in sets played with 88.
Thiel finished 14-14 this past season, losing in the AMCC semifinals. The Tomcats did not have a senior on the roster.
“Other than maybe making first team all-conference, all of my goals from here on in are team-oriented,” Proudfoot said. “I don’t want to leave this school without helping to put a championship banner on the wall in the gym.”
The Tomcats’ men’s volleyball program will switch to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference next season. The PAC is adding the sport as a league activity for the first time.
“We should be in the mix for that title, for sure,” Lasher said. “I loved the way we surged and came together at the end of this past year. Kaleb became a leader and he’s living proof that hard work pays off.
“Honestly, he’s become an idol to guys on our team. It’s going to be fun to sit back and watch how he progresses over these next two years. It’s a privilege to coach him.”
A history and secondary education major, Proudfoot is carrying a 4.0 grade point average. He wants to become a high school volleyball coach down the road.
“That’s the level I want to be a history teacher at, so I’d like to coach at that level as well,” he said. “Most guys don’t start playing volleyball until seventh or eighth grade, at the earliest. I like the idea of teaching the game and watching players develop.”
Butler High School coach Lew Liparulo was able to watch Proudfoot develop.
“He played basketball here, too, and with the COVID pandemic, Kaleb didn’t get to play as much varsity volleyball as he would have liked,” Liparulo said. “That delayed his development to a degree.
“Losing all of that weight shows how dedicated he is to the sport now. The sky’s the limit for him as a player now. He’s become well-rounded in all phases of the game.”
