South Region Coach of the Year H onors for Virginia Wesleyan’s Bowers

            Less than a month ago Virginia Wesleyan College head women’s soccer coach Jeff Bowers was honored as the Coach of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.  A first for the Marlins program.

            Now Bowers is being honored with another first.  He has been selected as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III South Region Coach of the Year.  He was one of only seven coaches nationally to receive the 2003 regional honor and is now eligible to receive the National Coach of the Year award, which will be announced in January.

            The coaching award follows the most successful fall season of athletics in history for Virginia Wesleyan.  Women’s soccer played a major role in that success, with a program-best 20-2-3 record, a regular season championship in the ODAC, a South Region tournament championship, and a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division III championship tournament, another first for the program.

          Bowers’ success with the Marlins soccer team took VWC to a new level of competition, Elite 8 status in the NCAA championship tournament.  Not only did the Marlins advance into the final eight teams in the nation, they also hosted one of the quarterfinal games at the Trinder Center.  It marked the first time for any VWC team to advance to the final eight level of competition.

            The Marlins’ season stopped in the final eight, but a final 20-2-3 record gave VWC its first 20-win season in the 20-year history of the women’s soccer program.  It was a season filled with firsts, including the NCAA’s South Region tournament championship with a thrilling victory over arch-rival Washington and Lee University.  VWC set seven program records during the season, including goals (87) and points (216).  The Marlins’ success included an 11-game unbeaten streak to open the season and a program-record 13 shutout victories.

            Bowers completed his fourth season with the Marlins.  He now ranks second among the program’s all-time most successful coaches with a 55-22-7 record overall, including a 33-7-4 mark in ODAC competition.