CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — In an unprecedented state of affairs, Campbellsville University has had nine - count them - coaches named as Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in their respective sports.
From cheerleading to volleyball, this is truly the year of the Tiger in the MSC.
In no particular order, these coaches have garnered the attention of their peers and were voted as the best at what they do: Scott Hortness, women's cross country; Adam Preston, men's soccer; Ginger Colvin, women's basketball; Shannon Wathan, softball; Beauford Sanders, baseball; Kyle Caven, men's tennis; Randy LeBleu, volleyball; Lindsay Newton Hines, women's golf; and Vanessa Adkins, cheerleading.
“I want to congratulate each of these men and women who have been selected by their peers as the Coach of the Year in their respective sport,” said Rusty Hollingsworth, Director of CU Athletics. “It is an honor for them to be recognized for their hard work and dedication to their sport, this university and their student-athletes.”
Scott Hortness just completed his first season as CU cross country coach and promptly led the Lady Tiger runners to the first-ever Mid-South Conference championship. Hortness isn't unfamiliar in the coaching ranks as he also doubles as an assistant baseball coach.
Adam Preston played soccer at Campbellsville and his coaching career began as an assistant at Campbellsville High. He joined CU in 2003 and has since been named Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008.
This year's squad produced the best record ever in the history of Tiger soccer with an overall 17-7 mark.
Ginger Colvin just completed her second season as head coach after nearly two decades as an assistant under Donna Wise.
But her 2008 version of the Lady Tigers won the MSC regular-season championship and her squad qualified for the national tournament in Jackson for the first time since 2003.
The Lady Tigers finished 26-7 and 11-3 in the Mid-South.
Shannon Wathan has been piling on the wins on the softball diamond for the past five season, but her 40-7-1 mark this year caught some peers' eyes.
CU was regular season MSC champ on '08 with a 19-2-1 mark, but altogether her teams have won 187 games in the past five season.
Beauford Sanders is an icon in Mid-South baseball with three regular-season and four (playing for a fifth) titles in the last five years.
Kyle Caven is a former CU player who, this season, sparked a 10-5 record from his men and a berth in the NCCAA tournament in Marion, Ind.
Caven also manages the Tuggles-Morris Wellness Center on CU's campus.
Randy LeBleu just completed his fourth season at CU. His squad finished 35-11 (10-2 in the MSC) and advanced to the semi-finals of the NCCAA National Tournament. LeBleu is also an assistant baseball coach.
Lindsay Newton Hines just completed her first year as women's golf coach, but her team finished runner-up in both the fall and spring conference tournaments.
Hines played her senior year at CU after transferring from Northern kentucky University.
Hines doubles as university swim coach.
“This is the most Coach of the Year awards we've had in a single season since I came to Campbellsville eight years ago,” Hollingsworth continued.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 “America's Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S. News & World Report. The university has also been named to America's Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.