Rich Chilcoat, Penn State York’s head soccer coach, was named Coach of the Year in soccer by the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) during the annual athletic awards luncheon Monday, June 1, at University Park. The winner of this award is selected by vote of his/her peers in a PSUAC sponsored sport. This award is typically given to the coach whose team wins the conference championship but this year the award was given to the second place finisher, Chilcoat, based on his outstanding season.
Under Chilcoat’s direction, the Penn State York soccer team finished second in the championship match of the PSUAC with a 1-0 loss to Penn College. This is the second consecutive year York’s soccer team has played in the championship match. The York team also finished fifth in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national tournament held in Pontiac, Michigan last October. In addition to outstanding team play in the USCAA, five soccer players were named to the 2008 Soccer All-American Team: Suhaib Alqaddomi, Tim Krohn and Justin Shaeffer; Ben Suarez, honorable mention; and John Suarez, National All-American team.
Chilcoat has been the soccer coach at Penn State York for four years and prior to this appointment served for four years as the assistant soccer coach under longtime coach George Miller. Chilcoat also coaches for FC York, instructing the 18-year-old boys and girls team and serves as trainer for the 15-year- old boys.
He has recently been selected to attend the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Premier Diploma coaching course at Bloomsburg University where participants must pass written, oral, and field exams. Only two coaches from Pennsylvania have been selected to attend this prestigious program.
For more information on Penn State York athletic programs contact Kerry Magni, athletic director, at (717) 771-4036 or kam24@psu.edu or , visit the Web site .