BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women’s soccer coaching staff, led by head coach Travis Connell, has been named the NCAA Division II West Region Staff of the Year, announced Tuesday by the United Soccer Coaches.
The WWU staff was one of eight NCAA Division II women’s soccer staffs to be recognized as a regional staff of the year and each staff will be recognized at the College Coaches Awards Reception on Jan. 18, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pa.
Each of the regional staff award winners will be placed on the ballot for National Staff of the Year consideration. WWU was named the National Staff of the Year last season after winning the 2016 national championship.
Connell has led WWU women’s soccer as head coach for the past 15 seasons and is assisted by Claire Morgan and Jamie Arthurs, along with Lonnie Lyon serving as athletic trainer.
“We are very honored to receive this award, as it is a marker of the great success our program has achieved,” Connell said. “We are lucky to coach such great student-athletes and have received wonderful support from the athletic department and the university.”
The Vikings have gone 220-66-26 (.747) since Connell took over the program in 2003. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last six seasons and has reached the West Region Final during five of the last six seasons, along with three Final Four appearances and winning the 2016 national championship during the stretch.
Over the last five seasons (2013-17), WWU has gone 99-7-7 (.907) as the second-best mark in NCAA Division II during that period of time. Connell has been named the GNAC Coach of the Year six times, including four straight years from 2013 to 2016.
WWU (18-2-0, 11-1-0 GNAC) recently concluded the 2017 season after NCAA II West Regional Final for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Vikings won the GNAC Championships tournament before entering the NCAA Championships as the No. 2 seed in the West Region, topping No. 3 seed Sonoma State, 2-0, before falling, 2-0, to No. 1 seed UC San Diego.