Kevin Sherry Last College: Bangor University (Wales) Position: Head Coach Experience: Fifth Season E-mail: ksherry@latech.edu

Kevin Sherry begins his fifth season as head coach of the Lady Techsters and his 11th overall. Since he arrived in Ruston prior to the 2007 season, he has completely revamped the culture surrounding the soccer program by instilling the four pillars of Lady Techster soccer: Family, Passion, Respect and Fearless.

The native of Grantham, England is coming off a season that was without a doubt the most successful in Louisiana Tech's seven-year history. The Lady Techsters finished with a record of 15-6 overall and 5-3 in the Western Athletic Conference, both school records. After being picked last in the conference preseason polls, Tech finished tied for third, its highest finish ever.

Also for the first time ever, the Lady Techsters placed individuals on the all-WAC team and qualified for the WAC Tournament, which was held at the Lady Techster Soccer Field. In a season with so many great program accomplishments, Sherry recorded a personal milestone. With an 8-0 win over Grambling State on Sept. 1, 2010, Sherry won the 100th game of his career.

Tech has constantly been recognized for its work in the classroom during the previous year as they were awarded the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Team Academic Award for the third consecutive school year. The award recognizes teams that have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better.

Sherry's teams have always taken pride in sportsmanship as evidence of receiving the NSCAA Ethics/Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season in 2010. The award recognizes teams with less than five yellow cards throughout the season.

Sherry's Tech teams have improved every season, with two wins in 2007, 10 in 2008, 12 in 2009 and 15 in 2010.

In 2010, after winning their first 11 games, Sherry led Tech to a 12-7-1 record, including the program's first-ever Western Athletic Conference win. Tech scored the most goals (54), assists (45) and points (153) ever in a single season. In match play, the Lady Techsters set new single-game records in goals (12), assists (12) and points (36).

In 2008, the Techsters were recognized for their significant improvement from their 2007 campaign where they went 2-14-1. After Sherry and Co. posted a 10-5-5 record, the NCAA named the squad the most improved team in the nation. Only three other schools in the entire country earned the title. They also established a new shutouts record with 10 as they held their opponents to zero goals in nine of their 10 wins.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2008 season, Sherry and assistant coach Samantha Clark were selected to serve as U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development coaches. Sherry was given the responsibility of coaching the Louisiana U-16 team. He was also selected to instruct a coaching clinic for all high school coaches in the state of Louisiana.

Prior to the 2008 season, Sherry had been recognized by the NCAA as having the sixth-best winning percentage among active coaches with a minimum of five years as a collegiate head coach, but less than five years at the Division 1 level. At the time, he had an overall record of 75-43-15 (.620) in seven seasons, three at the Division 1 level.

Sherry spent two years as head coach at Western Illinois. He inherited a team that was 24-111-7 over its history, including a 3-12-3 mark in 2004, the year prior to his arrival. Between the 2005 and 2006 seasons, he compiled a 20-13-4 record, and the program was recognized as one of the NCAA's most improved. Before his arrival, the program had never experienced a winning season. That changed due to Sherry, his staff and his student-athletes as they put together a winning record in 2005 and a second one in 2006.

He led Western Illinois to its first Mid-Continent Championship finals in 2006. Even though the Westerwinds lost the conference championship in a shootout, they finished with an 11-7-1 record. Their 11 wins were the most victories in school history.

Sherry turned around another losing program as head women's soccer coach at Graceland University. Prior to his arrival, the Yellowjackets never had a winning season in its history. That changed as well. He coached Graceland to records of 12-7-1 and 16-2-3 before he led the team to an 18-0-5 record in his final season. Their success equated to the school's first undefeated season, the school's first-ever Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Championship and an appearance in the NAIA Final Four.

For Sherry's efforts, he was named NSCAA Central Region NAIA Women's Coach of the Year. His student-athletes also received numerous awards as he led two all-Americans, five all-region players, co-defensive players of the year and 12 all-conference players in the HAAC. In that year, Graceland achieved its highest national ranking in the program's history with a No. 7 rank by the NSCAA.

While coaching at Graceland, Sherry served as head coach for the Des Moines Menace U-15 Boys Super Y League and worked with the Iowa Olympic Development program.

Sherry has international coaching experience as well as he was the head men's soccer coach at Nagoya Gakuin University and the Aichi F.C. Nagoya junior youth head coach in Japan prior to his four-year stint at Graceland. During his eight years in Japan, Sherry earned his master's degree in sociology of sport and sports management from Leicester University in England.

Sherry worked as the director of soccer coaching and player youth development for the Al Nahda national schools organization in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 1992-93.

Sherry got his first head coaching job at Burlington Danes High School in London in 1987 and coached there through 1992. During his five years at the institution, the school won the West London area cup at every age level and also won the prestigious London Championship two straight years. One of his former players, Danny Dichio, currently plays for the Toronto FC in the MLS. Sherry also headed the West London Schools F.A. select teams from 1989-92. He served as the head coach for the U-16 select team from 1991-92 and the U-15 select team from 1989-90.

As a student-athlete, Sherry played for the West London Institute of Higher Education and won the British National College Championship in 1987. He was selected to play for the FISEC Great Britain U-18 team and went on to play for Bangor City in the United Kingdom and Morning Star in Hong Kong.

Sherry earned degrees in physical education/sports science and sociology from Bangor University in Wales, along with his master's from Leicester University in England. He possesses the United States Soccer Federation's "A" license and the U.E.F.A. "International" coaching license from England.