Terry Gurnett constructed a legacy for the women's soccer program at Rochester. Now, he intends to do the same for the other 22 varsity sports.

Gurnett will step down as head women's soccer coach after the 2010 season to devote more energy to his role as Associate Director of Athletics for Advancement. He enters the 2010 campaign as the winningest coach among NCAA Division III women's soccer coaches and third in victories among women's soccer coaches in all divisions. His career record stands at 410 wins, 131 losses, and 62 ties in 33 years.

"I am indeed fortunate to have been able to coach at a place like Rochester," Gurnett said. "I have been blessed with being able to do what I love to do, at an institution that I love, with people that I love for the past 33 years."

"I have always hoped that I would recognize when that 'time' comes and be able to step away at the time and place of my choosing. I feel that time is now. My children are grown and happy. Mary (his spouse) and I are still young, and now I will have the chance to focus on building and strengthening all of our programs at Rochester."

Thomas "Sike" Dardaganis, who has served as the assistant women's soccer coach for the past 14 years, will become the new head coach after the 2010 season.

The Yellowjackets finished 13-4-3 in 2009 and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Rochester shared the University Athletic Association championship with a 5-1-1 record. Rochester has an all-time record of 109 wins, 30 losses, and 15 ties in 23 years of UAA play.

Rochester opens its 2010 season with three straight home games: Wednesday, Sept. 1 vs. Brockport (7 pm), Saturday, Sept. 4 vs. Oneonta in the Flower City Tournament (1:30 pm) and Sunday, Sept. 5 vs. Medaille or Rutgers-Newark in the second round of the Flower City Tournament (third place game at 11 am, championship game at 1:30 pm).

"As a member of my senior administrative team, Terry has played an important role in our department," said Athletics Director George VanderZwaag. "The tremendous growth of the Friends of Rochester Athletics over the past 10 years has allowed us to develop facilities and programs that effectively serve our campus community and compete on a national scale."

Rochester won the first two NCAA Division III national championships in women's soccer (1986 and 1987). The Yellowjackets have appeared in the NCAA playoffs 19 times and have been selected for post-season play for the last 25 years (six in the ECAC playoffs).

With Gurnett walking the sidelines, Rochester has won 12 team championships in the University Athletic Association in 23 years. The Yellowjackets have 10 outright titles -- more than twice that of any other UAA school -- and shared two others.

"For 33 years Terry has been a stalwart of our athletic program. He has been a great coach and, more than that, a great inspiration to our students and alumni," said University President Joel Seligman. "Congratulations to Terry on a magnificent career as women's soccer coach. I am delighted that he will continue to serve as Associate Director of Athletics for Advancement."

Twenty-seven of his players have received 33 All-America honors through the 2009 season. His student-athletes achieve excellence in academic settings as well. Three Rochester players have been selected to the ESPN Academic All-America Team (as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America). Seven others have been named to the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete Team as chosen by members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. As a team, Rochester has earned the NSCAA's prestigious Team Academic Award every year since 1999. Two Rochester players have earned Fulbright Scholarships in the past four years.

Gurnett will have an expanded role in athletic development as the University embarks on a major fund-raising campaign. "It is very exciting that athletics will be an integral part of the upcoming campaign and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to devote my energies to make it a success," Gurnett said. "We will be renovating our outdoor athletic complex, building our athletic endowments, and making our athletic annual fund even stronger."

"I am grateful that Terry wants to dedicate all of his time and energies to the continued growth of the Friends," said VanderZwaag. "His enormous contributions to our department through his coaching role with women's soccer can only be replaced by his continued efforts to make our overall program as strong as it possibly can be."

The University administration fully supports the change. "Terry Gurnett is peerless as a coach, having consistently nurtured his teams and kept women's soccer at the top for an astonishing 33 years," said Peter Lennie, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. "While doing this, he has been instrumental in establishing Friends of Rochester Athletics as a powerful force for strengthening all our programs. I'm delighted that Terry's immense talents will now be fully deployed in preparation for our campaign."

Gurnett and his coaching staff have been named the UAA's Coaching Staff of the Year five times. He was selected as the NSCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2005 and the New York State Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006.

In 1991, the NCAA declared Gurnett as the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Coach of the Decade for the 1980s. The NCAA selected a coach in every division for every women's sport that season to celebrate the 10th anniversary of women's sports. Women's soccer was only five years old, but Gurnett was chosen based on his level of success. In 2010, Gurnett received a Letter of Commendation from the NSCAA at its annual convention in Philadelphia. It was awarded based on his longtime service to soccer, both on and off the field.

Gurnett is the National Chair of the NSCAA All-America Committee, a member of the Division III Ranking Committee, and a member of the ECAC Women's Soccer Tournament Selection Committee.

Stevens Institute of Technology, which captured the conference title with a goal in the 89th minute last year, is the choice of opposing coaches to capture its fourth Empire 8 men's soccer title in as many years in the conference. The Ducks, who finished second in the regular season in league play before winning the postseason conference tournament last season, have posted a 53-7-9 overall mark in the past three years.

Senior midfielder Nolan Sandberg was named Empire 8 Player of the Year, finishing the season with 11 goals and 25 points, including five game-winning scores last season. Stevens advanced to the sectional round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Senior goalie Zach Carr was named to the all-conference first team after recording 16 shutouts and allowing just seven goals all season, including one in the final eight games.

Nazareth College, which earned the top seed in the conference tournament last year and advanced to the title game, received one first-place vote and is the coaches' choice to place second this year. Forward Alex Manchev was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2009 and led the Golden Flyers with eight goals and 16 points, including the game-winning goal in the final regular season game to clinch the top seed.

Senior midfielders Rikesh Kotak and Mark Van Thof, and junior goalie Ryan Platt all earned second-team all-conference honors a year ago for the Golden Flyers. Kotak finished with 12 points and connected on all four of his penalty kick attempts.

Ithaca College, which finished fifth a year ago, received one first-place vote and is the coaches' selection to place third this season. The Bombers have advanced to the postseason in 21 of the past 25 seasons, including a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2008 after earning the top seed for the fifth time in seven years in the conference tournament.

Rochester Institute of Technology, which put together a six-game winning streak late last season, was selected to finish fourth in this year's preseason coaches' poll. Senior midfielder Dominic Colaprete was named to the all-conference first team in 2009 after leading the Tigers with seven goals and 15 points. The team is currently finishing up a trip to Spain where it trained with, and competed against, some of the top collegiate and club teams in the country.

St. John Fisher College is picked fifth in the preseason coaches' poll. Senior back Andrew McIntosh was named to the all-conference second team last season for the Cardinals, who captured the ECAC Championship.

Utica College, which lost five one-goal games in conference play a year ago, was selected to finish sixth in the coaches' poll. The Pioneers were also picked sixth each of the past two seasons, including 2008 when they placed third in conference play.

Elmira College and Alfred University were picked to finish seventh and eighth, respectively, in the coaches' poll. Empire 8 Coach of the Year Jeremiah Kneeland led the Soaring Eagles to a 3-4 mark in conference play last season. Sophomore midfielder Erik Lee was named to the all-conference second team. The Saxons return sophomore Francesco Mannino, who also garnered second-team recognition in his rookie campaign.

Only once since 2002 (Stevens in 2007) has the top-seeded team in the conference tournament won the Empire 8 title. From 2003-2006, the third or fourth seed won or shared the Empire 8 title, while the second-seeded Ducks won the last two championships.

Empire 8 Sports Information

Whitworth picked up six out of eight possible first place votes to top the 2010 Northwest Conference men's soccer coaches poll. The Pirates are aiming for a fourth consecutive NWC title.

Whitworth finished 16-3-3 last season and advanced to the NCAA Division III elite eight after winning its fifth conference title in six years. The Pirates will have to overcome the graduation of 2009 NWC MVP Elly Bulega, along with defensive standout Bryan Olson. First team All-NWC midfielder Justin Meyer and second team All-NWC midfielder Cameron Bushey return. Pacific Lutheran and Pacific each received one of the other first place votes with PLU edging the Boxers in the poll, 55 points to 52.

The Lutes return a potent offense led by first team All-NWC forward Chad Kearns and second team All-NWC forward Spencer Augustin, who combined to score 20 goals last season -- more than any other NWC combo. Pacific will rely on the stout defense of senior keeper Andrew Stevermer, the 2009 NWC Defensive MVP. Mike Iacolucci, an All-NWC forward, will lead the Boxers' attack.

Puget Sound is fourth in the poll with 37 points. The Loggers' always-tough defense will be led by second team All-NWC defender Ben Coffey. Linfield is fifth in the poll with 27 points. Michael Camacho, a second team All-NWC forward in 2009, returns for his senior season. Willamette (25 points) is followed by Whitman (23 points) in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Willamette returns Erick Kaufman, who scored nine goals last fall. Whitman welcomes back standout defender Cooper Crosby. George Fox is eighth in the poll with 10 points. The Bruins look for improvement behind defender Peter Luginbill.

The season gets underway Sept. 1.

Wheaton College (Ill.) head men's soccer coach Mike Giuliano thinks he might have the youngest team in all of NCAA Division III this season. Out of the 28 players on the roster, he estimates that 20-22 will be freshmen and sophomores. But he's looking at the lack of experience to be more of an opportunity than a problem.

Now entering his fourth year at Wheaton College in 2010, Giuliano wants to impose a style. And he has just the kind of roster makeup to do it -- a young, talented group of newcomers that can be molded.

"It's not important that they play my style. It's important that they play the same style," Giuliano said. "I want to play an up-tempo, high defensive pressure, quick counter attacking, crisp, quality possession at all times style. So I'm going to be a lot more demanding. One advantage of having a younger team is they will be very open-minded to what you have in mind. So really it's up to the coaching staff that we have to say, 'Boys, this is how we play soccer here. You need to buy in.'"

The Thunder kept its postseason streak rolling last year, compiling an overall record of 14-4-4 and qualifying for the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament for the 17th consecutive year. The team got there by capturing the CCIW Automatic Qualifier in double overtime with a 3-1 PK shootout triumph over Elmhurst College. Wheaton then lost in the NCAA First Round to eventual National Runner-Up Calvin College by a 2-1 score.

A total of six seniors graduated from the 2009 team, including tri-captains Matt Swartz, Damon Brown and Tyler Risma. "One unarguable fact of 2010 is the gap between our top player and our 20th player will be smaller than any year maybe of my career," Giuliano said. "The bad news about that is, who to start? The challenges will be to identify who gets the minutes and to get them to play together. Mesko and Drew Golz are certainly two obvious choices. Who joins them, and who is at midfield is still yet to be determined."

"Goalkeeper and defender are lines with a lot of quality players coming back," Giuliano said. "Bringing back four of the five defenders, I couldn't ask for more. And when you consider the new and returning quality defenders, it will be the strength of our team."

A large crop of new players will be vying to fill out the rest of the lineup for the Thunder. This year's incoming class has the veteran head coach excited about their potential, both immediate and future.

"I can honestly say that from what I have observed in the evaluation process, all 14 of these freshmen could be battling for a starting position," Giuliano said. "I honestly believe that. This is just that kind of year." Giuliano knows it will be an adjustment period for the freshman to get used to the collegiate level of play. He sees that most of the teams that make postseason runs are junior and senior laden teams. He hopes this Thunder squad will prove that maxim false.

"Every college coach tells you that the transition from high school to college is a lot bigger than it looks like," the Wheaton head coach said. "They don't realize the impact of the increased size, speed and work rate that you see in college. Can some of these guys transition quickly and be able to play with the increased demands pace wise and concentration wise. Even tactical sophistication, can they make the wise choices."

Wheaton has played one of the strongest strength of schedules in Division III the past two seasons, and Giuliano attributes part of it to the fact that the CCIW is growing very strong from top to bottom.

"I thought Elmhurst was every bit as strong as anyone we saw last year," Giuliano said. "Carthage gets better every year. Their coach is the most tireless recruiter I know. The best player in the conference is Kris Grahn from North Park. Illinois Wesleyan was like us this year -- they had a really good freshman class last year. And Augie had their best year in a while, and North Central and Millikin were much, much improved. That means when we get to the NCAA Tournament, no level of play is a surprise."

The Thunder starts its season by hosting the Bob Baptista Invitational on Sept. 3 and 4. Wheaton takes on Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology at 7:00 PM on Sept. 3 and faces Ohio Wesleyan University at 7:00 PM on Sept. 4.

By Nathan Lindquist, Wheaton College Sports Information Assistant (edited)

Wesley women's soccer player Julia DeFelice passed away on Friday, July 16, when she was struck by a minivan at an intersection in Dover, Del.

Defelice, 20, was one of the Wolverine program's all-time leading scorers entering what would have been her senior season. She was tied for 16th all-time at Wesley in goals, 17th in assists and 18th in total points. She was a starter in each of the past two seasons, including a sophomore year in 2008 in which she finished third on the club with 12 points (four goals, four assists). As a freshman, the Tinton Falls, N.J., native helped lead Wesley to a school-record-tying 12 victories. The Wolverines qualified for the Capital Athletic Conference postseason in two of her three seasons.

"Julia was an important part of the fabric of Wesley as a student, as an athlete and a member of our college community," said Wesley president Bill Johnston. "It is a shock to lose her and we will miss her greatly. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to have known her and to have her attend Wesley."

Both Wesley soccer teams are scheduled to travel to England and Scotland next month.

Earlier this month, Lynchburg's Anna Wright was also killed in a car accident.

Anna Wright, Lynchburg's starting goalie last season on a team which made the Final Four, was killed in a single-car crash, the News and Advance of Lynchburg, Va., reported. Wright had just turned 21 a month earlier.

Wright was coming off an outstanding junior season in which she was named to the ODAC All-Conference honorable mention team and started 23 of the team's 25 games.

She allowed just 10 goals all season and saved 64 out of a total of 142 shots she faced en route to a 17-3-3 record before tearing an ACL in the NCAA Tournament.

"Our hearts go out to Anna's family and the LC women's soccer team," the newspaper reported Stephanie McLemore, the school's chaplain and director of church relations, as saying.

Hanover (Va.) County sheriff's Capt. Michael J. Trice said the crash was reported at 7:19 a.m.

Heather Cato, a four-year starter for Arkansas, has been named women's soccer coach at Whitman. She replaces Scott Shields, who vacated the position this spring to coach the men's and women's cross country teams at Whitman.

Cato, 32, honed her soccer skills at an early age with Washington's Olympic Development Program. She started with the ODP at age 12 and was playing at the regional and national levels before leaving for Arkansas.

She kicked off her coaching career as an assistant at Arkansas-Little Rock from 2001 to 2003. Soon thereafter, she put that career on hold to help care for older brother James Trickey II, who was diagnosed in 2002 with Lou Gehrig's disease. Trickey, 43, died in the spring of 2007 at his home in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

While helping care for her brother, Cato worked as a criminal investigator for the State of Missouri. She completed her master's degree in criminal justice and sociology at Arkansas-Little Rock in 2003.

"It was the worst yet most rewarding experience I've ever been through," she says. "It wasn't easy watching my brother go through his ordeal, but he was so resilient through it all. His will to stay active and his desire to live were inspiring.

"One of the last things Jim told me was to live my dream, and coaching soccer is definitely my dream. It's not possible to put into words how thankful I am to have this coaching opportunity at Whitman.

"I could not be more happy than I am right now. My mom says the smile hasn't left my face since I was offered the job."

Cato, who expects to start work at Whitman on July 20, is no stranger to campus or to Mike Washington, the men's soccer coach at Whitman. She assisted Washington with summer youth camps at Whitman in 2003 and 2004. "Mike was also one of my premier soccer club coaches for several years when I was younger," she says. "The chance to coach alongside Mike is a huge plus with my new job.

"I think of Mike as the best coach I ever had during my playing career, from the Olympic Development Program through college. He really tries to get to know his players, and he's very good at getting the best possible efforts and results from everyone. That's what I strive to do as a coach."

Cato, who made the Academic Honor Roll as a player at Arkansas, says she looks forward to "working with some of the most intelligent student-athletes in the country at Whitman. The idea of coaching student-athletes who are students, first and foremost, is something that appeals to me.

"I want to encourage them to be just as competitive on the field as they are in the classroom. That's my job -- to push them, on and off the field."

Coaches derive the greatest satisfaction, she says, by helping young athletes become the best possible players and people they can be.

"What you learn as a college athlete are skills you can take with you into the rest of your life," she says. "As a coach, I want my teams to strive for perfection. We might not get there, but we're going to be a better team and better individuals because of the effort."

New Zealand team captain Ryan Nelsen and his Kiwi team tied Paraguay, 0-0, in its final group game today. Despite going unbeaten (0-0-3) the All Whites were eliminated from the World Cup. Nelsen was a Greensboro men's soccer player in 1997 and 1998.

Nelsen, the Goal.com World Player of the Week, was lauded for spearheading New Zealand's formidable defense. The All Whites allowed just two goals in its three matches.

New Zealand recorded three points and was one point behind Slovakia, which advanced with group winner Paraguay. The Kiwis placed ahead of defending champion Italy (two points).

"It has been absolutely fantastic what Ryan and his team have done for their country," said Darren Powell, Nelsen's coach on the 1998 national runner-up team. "Led by Nellie the All White's determination and spirit has been a great example for soccer."

A native of Christchurch, N.Z., Nelsen played under Steve Allison in '97 and earned Dixie Conference rookie of the year honors. He primarily played sweeper/defender. He also contributed 12 goals and 8 assists as well. As a freshman, Nelson helped the team to a 13-4-1 mark, Dixie Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.

In 1998, he helped propel GC to the national title game, finishing 19-4, and earning another conference crown. His goal vs. Rowan lifted the Pride to the championship final vs. OWU. During his time at Greensboro, Nelson received DIAC rookie of the year, two-time Dixie Conference first team, 1998 NSCAA Third team All American, and a member of the 1998 NCAA Final Four Team.

Nelsen spent his last two years at Stanford, starting 19 games his junior year and named MVP. He concluded his college career being named the 2000 Men's Soccer NSCAA Adidas Scholar Player of the Year. He received his Bachelor's degree in physical science from Stanford in 2001.

Nelsen was then selected as the third overall pick by D.C. United of Major League Soccer. Named team captain, he earned league defender of the year honors, was named to MLS First 11, and won the league championship in his third year with team. Nelsen signed with the Blackburn Rovers of the English Premier League in 2005 and serves as team captain. He also has been a long-time player for the New Zealand national side.

Nelsen was inducted into the Greensboro Athletics Hall of Fame in April.