http://blog.oregonlive.com/cascadeconference/2015/02/afengus_champion_to_lead_mens.html
AFENGUS, CHAMPION TO LEAD MEN'S SOCCER, WOMEN'S WRESTLING PROGRAMS
By Cascade Collegiate Conference
on February 17, 2015 at 7:53 AM, updated February 17, 2015 at 7:54 AM
ASHLAND - The first head men's soccer and women's wrestling coaches in
Southern Oregon University history will be Biniam Afengus and Tony
Champion, SOU Director of Athletics Matt Sayre announced on Monday.
Afengus will lead the Raider men's soccer program following eight
seasons in the same role at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.
Champion, who was a three-time national champ in his wrestling days at
Portland State, has been the head coach at Ashland High the last three
seasons.
Both will begin recruiting immediately for the programs' inaugural
campaigns set for the 2015-16 school year.
"We're extremely pleased with the quality of coaches and people we've
added to the athletic department and can't wait to have them around,"
Sayre said. "They'll have a lot of work to do just filling the rosters
in such a short time, but after some thorough searches I'm confident
these are the right people to entrust with that responsibility."
Afengus, 38, amassed a record of 123-27-16 at Clark, winning one
Northwest Athletic Conference championship and five NWAC South Region
titles. He was the NWAC South Coach of the Year five times and the
NWAC Coach of the Year twice.
As a player at Concordia University (Ore.), Afengus earned NAIA
first-team all-region accolades in 1998 before receiving a bachelor's
degree in physical education. He also obtained a master's degree in
education with an emphasis in P.E. from Concordia.
"My first reaction when (Sayre) called to offer the job was just -
wow. There's a lot of excitement to be a part of what's going on at
SOU," Afengus said. "I really want to thank him and everyone else in
the department for this great opportunity. My family is excited to
become part of the Raider family for many years."
SOU's will be one of seven men's soccer programs competing in the
Cascade Conference for the first time in 2015: Multnomah (Wash.) and
Walla Walla (Wash.) were admitted by the CCC as full members last
summer (though Multnomah is still awaiting approval of its NAIA
application); Carroll (Mont.), Great Falls (Mont.) and Rocky Mountain
(Mont.) were recently granted associate membership for soccer and
softball; and Eastern Oregon will have a first-year program, too.
The CCC had eight men's soccer teams in 2014 but will lose Concordia
to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division II
level next season. Concordia had won 14 conference titles since 1998,
including the 2014 title.
"I see this as being one of the top programs in the Cascade Conference
and in the NAIA down the road," Afengus said. "But right now I have
zero players so I'm on the phone and emailing 24/7. I want to set a
foundation we can build on year after year, and that obviously makes
this first part really important."
Afengus holds a United States Soccer Federation National "A" license
and was a high school coach before taking over at Clark. As recently
as last summer, he was also the head coach of the Vancouver Victory,
which competes in the newly-formed Evergreen Premier League for
collegiate and post-collegiate athletes.
Afengus was born in Eritrea, Africa, and his family relocated to
Spokane, Wash., when he was a child. He and his wife, Irene, have
three children: Ahmon, Cierra and Elijah.
With the hiring of Champion, Raider men's wrestling head coach Mike
Ritchey will gain another title - director of wrestling - as he
oversees both programs.
Champion, 45, is a member of the Portland State Athletics Hall of
Fame. He was a part of two NCAA Division II title teams with the
Vikings and an All-American all four years.
At Ashland High, he brought five female wrestlers onto the team last
season and started this season with seven. Among the 2013-14 group was
Sadie Bailey, who won a state championship and is currently a wrestler
and soccer player at Southwestern Oregon Community College.
"I think getting this job is an absolute great honor, and I'm very
humbled by it," Champion said. "I also think SOU is a spot that can be
a springboard for women's wrestling. There's definitely a market and I
believe it's going to expand exponentially in the future."
Among other schools in the region that have recently added women's
wrestling are Menlo (Calif.), Pacific (Ore.), Simon Fraser (B.C.) and
Warner Pacific (Ore.). Women's wrestling is not yet an NAIA-sponsored
activity but is one of the fastest growing sports in intercollegiate
athletics.
"I've taken the same mentality that I use to train boys and
implemented it with females," Champion said. "They appreciate being
given that same respect, especially in what's been such a
male-dominant sport. In my experience, they've all felt like they have
something to prove and usually work harder than most of the boys
because of it."
Champion said he hopes to get 12 to 15 wrestlers on the roster in his
first year and up to 30 a few years down the road.
Champion also works as a commodity broker at ICCI in Medford. He is
engaged to be married to Sami Jo Hile and has two daughters: Madison,
a sophomore at the University of Missouri, and McKenzie, a senior at
Archbishop O'Hara High in Kansas City, Mo.
Received on Tue Feb 17 2015 - 19:56:40 EST