KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Trinity University Assistant Coach Owen Collie has been named the NSCAA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year for the West Region as the Tigers prepare for their Final Four matchup tomorrow afternoon.
Collie, along with Head Coach Lance Key, has led the Tigers to an outstanding season as they currently sit at 24-0-2 and will take on Middlebury tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. CST in the National Semifinals.
Trinity is competing in the semifinals for the third tim with their two appearances coming in 2000 and 2002. It marks the first semifinals appearance under both Coach Key's and Coach Collie's leadership, and the first occasion the Tigers will play in the championship rounds in front of their hometown fans.
Collie is in his third season as the Trinity Tigers women’s soccer assistant coach. The Tigers are an impressive 61-2-5 since Collie joined Key's staff.
Collie has played a major role in the Tigers’ success during his brief tenure. Trinity has won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship all three seasons he has been on board, and competed in the NCAA Division III playoffs each one of those years. The Tigers recorded a 15-1-3 mark in the 2012 season, while advancing to the NCAA second round. In 2011, Trinity, which advanced to the postseason third round, finished the campaign with a 22-1-0 record, setting a school mark for victories in a season at that time.
Coach Collie is a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, and received a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2006 at University of Incarnate Word. He earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Incarnate Word in 2009, and received the Outstanding Kinesiology Student Award. He played college soccer at the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio, from 2002-2006, appearing in 57 games. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs each season he played, posting an overall record of 60-11-11 during his four years. In addition, UIW was ranked in the Top 25 each year, which included a No. 1 national ranking during the 2004 campaign.
Key was named SCAC Coach of the Year earlier this year while junior Emily Jorgens won Player of the Year, senior Jenni White took home Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman Endasia Love earned Newcomer of the Year as the Tigers swept the SCAC superlatives.
The NCAA Division III National Semifinals is at San Antonio’s Toyota Field, home of the MLS San Antonio Scopions. The winner will compete for the National Championship on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CST.
