Ronning And Staff Honored For Sweet 16 Run

Colgate men’s soccer head coach Erik Ronning, Associate Head Coach Mark Plotkin and Assistant Coach Tyler Keever have been tabbed as the Northeast Region Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches Association, the organization announced Tuesday afternoon.

Ronning, Plotkin and Keever guided Colgate to new heights this season as the Raiders made a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and claimed their second-straight and seventh-overall Patriot League Championship.

Each of the eight Division I coaching staffs receiving Regional Staff of the Year recognition will be honored at the College Coaches Awards Reception on January 18, 2018 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Independence Ballroom in conjunction with the 71st annual United Soccer Coaches Convention.

In addition, the Regional Staff of the Year recipients will be placed on the United Soccer Coaches ballot for National Staff of the Year consideration within their respective NCAA division. Voting for National Staff of the Year will begin Dec. 5 and end Dec. 12.

Ronning and his staff led the Raiders to a historic 2017 season. After beginning the season 5-10-1 overall and 2-4-1 in league play, Colgate rattled off a seven-game win streak to advance all the way to the program’s first-ever Sweet 16.

Wins against Navy and Boston University secured Colgate’s spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Raiders then became the first-ever six-seed to win the Patriot League Tournament as Colgate captured road wins against Bucknell, top-seeded Loyola and Holy Cross to claim the program’s second-straight Patriot League Championship. The Raiders picked up their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 2-0 win at UMass before putting together an epic 3-2 comeback victory at No. 13 Michigan in the second round to become the first Patriot League team to advance to the Sweet 16 since 2006. Colgate’s seven-game win streak from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19 was the program’s longest since the 1968 season. The Raiders suffered a 2-0 loss at No. 4 Louisville in the Sweet 16 Sunday and finished the season with a 12-11-1 overall record.

Ronning and his staff have led Colgate to three-straight 10-plus win seasons for the first time in program history (2015: 10-7-2, 2016: 13-7-2, 2017: 12-11-1). The Raiders have won two Patriot League Tournament championships and one regular-season championship during that time.

Colgate’s historic 2017 season marked Ronning’s 13th season at the helm of his alma mater. Plotkin finished his fourth season, while Keever completed his second.

United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year – NCAA Division I Men

Region School Head Coach
East New Hampshire Marc Hubbard
Far West California-Davis Dwayne Shaffer
Great Lakes Western Michigan Chad Wiseman
Midwest Indiana Todd Yeagley
Northeast Colgate Erik Ronning
South Wake Forest Bobby Muuss
Southeast Florida International Kevin Nylen
West Air Force Doug Hill

By martha

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