California State University San Bernardino Athletics

    Cal State San Bernardino men's soccer head coach Noah Kooiman has been selected as the NCAA Div. II Far West Region "coach of the year" by his peers in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
    Kooiman, who led the Coyotes to a 15-6-1 record and their first NCAA tournament berth since 1991, will be presented with his award on Friday night at the NSCAA convention at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia.
    "It makes me feel that I have gained the respect from my peers for the work I and my staff have done as well as the accomplishments of our players on the field over the last two seasons, not just this one," Kooiman said.
    The Coyotes were picked to finish in the lower half of the CCAA for the second straight year but finished up conference play 11-4-1 to earn a berth in the conference tournament for the third time in the last seven years and second time during Kooiman's tenure as head coach.
    The team outscored opponents 50-29 and four of Kooiman's players earned all-Far West Region honors -- juniors Albert Cabrera and Obi Agwu and seniors Ryan Larson and Mark Peters.
    The team was 8-2-1 at home, 6-2-1 in the CCAA.
    "This award just magnifies what we're doing. We have a product that's taken off and people are talking about us and what we are accomplishing on the field," Kooiman said. 
     Kooiman just completed his sixth season as head coach after serving as an assistant to current Humboldt State women's soccer head coach Christian Johnson for three seasons. The Cal State Fullerton graduate and long-time club coach with the Alta Loma Arsenal said a big factor in the team's progress can be traced to the athletic department's decision to have separate head coaches for men's and women's soccer teams. Kooiman shouldered responsibility for both programs from 2004 to 2006.
     "That change from being the head coach for both teams to just handling the men has given me the time and effort to upgrade the men's program and bring in quality kids," said Kooiman.
    Kooiman arrives in Philadelphia tonight and will attend various coaching clinics and networking opportunities and soccer-related programs and exhibits designed to further improve the CSUSB program before attending Friday's awards banquet.
    The NSCAA will also honor Cal State Dominguez Hills women's soccer head coach Joe Flanagan as the women's Far West Region "coach of the year" for leading the Toros to the NCAA Div. II national championship match and the runnerup trophy.