Britton, Zagara claim junior college honors for second straight year

Tracey Britton, the women's coach at Monroe Community College, and Marc Zagara, men's coach at Georgia Perimeter College, each earned NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year as the roster of 28 honored coaches was announced Friday, Jan. 20, at a banquet held in conjunction with the 2006 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America recognizes national coaches of the year at each level of collegiate play, three levels of high school play and the competitive and recreational youth games.

NCAA Division I Men – Sasho Cirovski, Maryland
The 2005 season proved to be a memorable one for Cirovski. With a 20-4-1 record, his Terrapins claimed their first national title since 1968, and one of his players earned the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy and the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year awards. In addition, his vision of a national television package became reality when Fox Soccer Channel signed an eight-game deal with the NSCAA, which will grow to include women’s matches in 2006.

NCAA Division I Women – Paula Wilkins, Penn State
Wilkins led the Lions to a 23-0-2 record, their first No. 1 ranking ever and the team’s third College Cup in program history. She guided a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy finalist, three first team All-America selections and seven all Mid-Atlantic Region picks. Five Nittany Lions earned first team All-Big Ten honors this year, including the Big Ten Offensive and co-Defensive Players of the Year. Penn State finished its historic season at 23-0-2 with its highest final ranking ever (No. 2). Wilkins has a career mark of 101-14-8 in five seasons at PSU.

NCAA Division II Men – Jeremy Gunn, Fort Lewis College
A record of 22-0-1 led to the first national championship for the Fort Lewis men’s program. Coach Gunn’s team avenged its lone draw this season by defeating Colorado School of Mines three times, including back-to-back victories in the Rocky Mountain Conference tournament championship and the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Gunn now has a career record of 102-33-16 in seven seasons at Fort Lewis.

NCAA Division II Women – Don Klosterman, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Klosterman capped his 2005 season by guiding the Mavericks to their first-ever national championship and a 20-2-0 record. In seven seasons at UN-O, he is the only coach in NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer to have taken a team to the final four each of the last four years. The 2002 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, Klosterman has a career record of 124-26-4.

NCAA Division III Men – Larry Zelentz, Gustavus Adolphus College
A four-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Zelenz guided the Gusties to their most successful season in school history at 17-3-5 and a No. 2 ranking. The Gusties claimed a share of the MIAC regular season title and advanced to the final of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championships, falling 1-0 to defending national champion Messiah (Pa.). Zelenz is 224-96-39 in 20 seasons at Gustavus Adolphus.

NCAA Division III Women – Scott Frey, Messiah College
Frey guided the Falcons to their first-ever NCAA Division III national championship, completing the season with a 22-0-1 record. It was the third time in his six-year career that Frey completed a regular season unbeaten. He previously led Messiah to the national semifinals in 2002 and 2004. His career record is an impressive 137-18-8. Frey has been recognized as the NSCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year 2002, 2004, and 2005.

NAIA Men – Phil Wolf, Azusa Pacific
In his fifth season at the helm of the Azusa Pacific men's soccer program, Wolf posted a 20-5-0 record. He led the Cougars to their first ever NAIA National Championship game. Wolf’s 20 victories were a single season best and marked the second 20-win season in Azusa Pacific history. He improved his career mark to 70-20-11.

NAIA Women – Gerry Cleary, Martin Methodist College
Cleary guided his team to an NAIA Region XI championship and the NAIA national title in a 23-1-1 season, best in the program’s history. The NAIA national championship victory was the first in school history and Cleary’s 50th career win, giving him a 50-11-4 mark in three seasons at the helm of the RedHawks, his first head coaching position. He led Martin Methodist to back-to-back TranSouth Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships in 2004 and 2005.

NCCAA Division I Men – Joe Zackowicz, Mid-Continent University
Since Zakowicz started the Mid-Continent program in 2000, the Cougars have been one of the most successful programs in the nation. He has posted a 92-33-4 record during those six seasons, including the school’s first NCCAA national title in 2005. Zakowicz was named the Kentucky Intercollegiate Conference and NCCAA Mid-East Region Coach of the Year this season as well.

NCCAA Division I Women – Josh Lenarz, Trinity Christian College
In four seasons Lenarz has turned the fortunes of the Trinity Christian program around, posting a 50-34-4 record. He guided the team to its first-ever NCCAA national championship this season as they posted a school-best 21-5-3 record. A former all-American at Trinity Christian, Lenarz earned NCCAA North Central Region Coach of the Year honors this season and was the 2005 NAIA Region VII Coach of the Year as well.

NCCAA Division II Men – Sam Koleduk, Cincinnati Christian University
In his first year as a collegiate head coach, Koleduk led Cincinnati Christian to a 20-3 record and a national finals appearance in the NCCAA Men’s Division II Tournament. He guided the NCCAA player of the year and had four other players named all-Americans.

NCCAA Division II Women – Joy Moyer, Philadelphia Biblical
Moyer took her Crimson Eagles squad to the NCCAA Division II Women’s Final Four, posting a 14-7-1 overall record, losing to Clearwater Christian 2-1 in the third place contest.

Junior College Division I Men – Marc Zagara, Georgia Perimeter College
Zagara claims the award for the second consecutive year. The difference between last year and this year is that he has added a national championship to his collection. His team, led by NSCAA/adidas National Player of the Year Luis Campo, posted a 20-2-1 record and defeated five-time national champion Yavapai College 3-1 in the title game.

Junior College Division I Women – Tracey Britton, Monroe Community College
Britton guided the Tribunes to their second straight NJCAA Division I national title, posting a record of 21-2. Her squad was led by a two-time NSCAA/adidas junior college player of the year as well as the national tournament MVP. In all, Britton has won three national titles in six seasons at the Monroe helm. She has a career record of 115-9-7.

Junior College Division III Men – Pepe Aragon, Herkimer County Community College
Aragon took Herkimer to the NJCAA Division III National Championship, posting a 19-1-0 record. He guided a squad that included three NSCAA/adidas All-Americans as well as the junior college player of the year. In his eight seasons at Herkimer, Aragon’s squads have reached the national semifinals each year, winning the title on three occasions. His career record is 145-12-8.

Junior College Division III Women – Robert Fuqua, Springfield Technical College
Fuqua reached the pinnacle of success in 2005 as his team captured the NJCAA National Championship. In three seasons at Springfield Tech, he has won two district and three regional titles in addition to the national crown this year.

High School Boys Division I – Allen Baker, Klein High School, Texas
He guided Klein High School to a 32-1-0 record and the Texas High School Boys Class 5A state title. The 32 victories was a Texas state single season record. Baker’s teams have won three state championships and 12 regional crowns. He owns a 586-72-30 career record.

High School Girls Division I – John Amero Jr., Manchester West High School, N.H.
Amero’s Manchester West team posted a 17-1-2 record this past season, winning its unprecedented 15th New Hampshire Class L state championship. He has guided his squads to 20 state title games. Amero, who has a career 416-51-15 record, was named the National Federation national coach of the year in 1995.

High School Boys Division II – Alan Byrd, Pocomoke High School, Md.
Byrd's Pocomoke High School team posted a 19-0-1 record in 2005 and captured another Maryland State Championship. His teams have reached the state championship game four times in the last five seasons, winning three. This year's squad posted 13 shutouts, allowing only 8 goals on the season while scoring 84 times. Byrd has a 260-106-13 career record, with 5 state championships, in 26 seasons.

High School Girls Division II – Mike Redmond, Mahtomedi High School, Minn.
Redmond guided his squad to a 22-1 record and a successful defense of its state title. Architect of four state championship squads, he has posted undefeated conference seasons in 10 of the past 11 years and is a four-time NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year and six-time Minnesota Coach of the Year. He has a 219-53-23 career record in 14 years.

High School Boys Private/Parochial – Mike McLaughlin, St. Ignatius High School, Ohio
McLaughlin guided the St. Ignatius boys team to a perfect 23-0-0 record on the way to its second straight Ohio state title. It marked just the third time in state history a team went undefeated, and it was the second such instance of a team winning back-to-back state crowns. McLaughlin has a career record of 174-29-26.

High School Girls Private/Parochial – Craig Ewing, St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Kan.
Ewing took the St. Thomas Aquinas girls team to a 20-1-0 record and its seventh Kansas large class state championship. He led the Saints to a perfect 10-0 mark in the Eastern Kansas League. In his 26 years, Ewing has won 10 league titles while guiding his teams to eight state championship contests. He has a career mark of 519-163-32.

Youth Boys – Ed Rock, Athens Ga.
Rock has coached boys and girls youth soccer for 21 years in eastern Massachusetts and Georgia. He was named the 2004 Georgia Youth Boys Coach of the Year after leading his U-17 boys team to the state championship. He currently coaches two youth teams and the boys team at Oglethorpe High School.

Youth Girls – Tom Anderson, Bernardsville, N.J.
Anderson coached the PDA Wildcats to the U-15 National Championship in 2005. His U-16 and U-17 teams were regional champions, with the U-17 team reaching the national finals. He has posted a four-year mark of 163-22-23 with the Wildcat teams.

Recreational Coed – Tom Merchant, Harvey Cedars, N.J.
Merchant is a founding member and past president of Alliance FC and currently serves as its Director of Coaching and Player Development. He’s coached nearly 800 youth games in 18 years and proudly states the doesn’t remember more than a handful of scores.

Recreational Girls – George Castellanos, West Covina, Calif.
Castellanos has dedicated much of the last 12 years coaching numerous teams for the West Covina Youth Soccer Recreational League, serving as a positive mentor. He also has served as the league’s field manager for the past five years, directed the Labor Day tournament and even got certified to help address the annual referee shortage in West Covina.

College Assistant Coach – Paul McDonough, University of Conncticut Men
In his third year on the Connecticut men’s soccer staff, McDonough helped the Huskies to a 16-3-2 record and a spot in the third round of the NCAA College Cup. Connecticut’s nationally-ranked defense allowed an average of 0.56 goals per game while posting 14 shutouts. The Huskies gave up just two goals at home during the regular season and 12 overall. He assists in all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Husky soccer program with a particular focus on recruiting.

High School Assistant Coach – Forrest Wimberly, Augusta Prep, Ga.
Wimberly has played an integral role in the development of the Augusta Prep boys and girls programs into perennial contenders for the Georgia AAA state title. In the past seven years, the two teams have combined for a record of 102-53-9. He holds a NSCAA Premier and Goalkeeping Premier diplomas and was the site coordinator for the 2004 NSCAA Academy course in Augusta.

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