Lexington, Ky. (3/14/13) The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is pleased to announce its Thirty Under 30 Awards. This award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent at all levels of the sport.  To qualify for the award nominees had to be 30 years old or younger in 2012. The list of winners will be featured in the upcoming May edition of Coaching Volleyball 2.0.

Dominican College head women's volleyball coach, Stefanie Carrington, is one of the 2012 recipients.  This is her second consecutive honor as she was also a recipient in 2011.

Carrington is in her fifth season at the helm of the Lady Chargers volleyball program.  She has led the team to four consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament appearances and won the 2012 CACC Championship after posting a perfect 19-0 record, the first CACC Title in program history.  The team also earned the program's first berth in the NCAA East Regional Tournament and finished the season with an overall record of 26-8. 

Carrington is also a two-time CACC Coach of the Year, having earned the honors in 2012 and 2009.

"Sustainability is all about identifying rising stars and nurturing their career growth," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "This Thirty Under 30 class, the AVCA's fifth, is full of future leaders in the sport of volleyball.  We congratulate them and, through them, celebrate our potential."    
   
Of the thirty recipients, 12 are head coaches and 18 are assistant coaches. Nine are NCAA Division I women's coaches, nine in Division II, five are NCAA Division III, two are in high school, the NAIA and club while one is a Two Year College coach.


                                                                   Thirty Under 30 Award Recipients

Jenifer Bahner, Head Coach
Cowley College, Arkansas City, KS (NJCAA Division II)

Ryan Baumgartner, Head Coach
Dominican University, River Forest, IL (NCAA Division III)

Craig Boller. Club Director, Head Coach; Volunteer Assistant (University of Michigan)
A2 Volleyball Club, Ann Arbor, MI (Club)

Stefanie Carrington, Head Coach
Dominican College, Orangeburg, NY (NCAA Division II)

Julie Darty, Assistant Coach
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (NCAA Division I)

Jamie deTurck, Head Coach
Colleyville Heritage High School, Colleyville, TX (High School)

Brett Ferguson, Assistant Coach
Northwood University, Midland, MI (NCAA Division II)

Tammi Fries, Assistant Coach
Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC (NCAA Division II)

Kyleigh Gerlach, Assistant Coach
2012:  University of Indianapolis (NCAA DII), 2013: Virginia Commonwealth University (NCAA DI)

Michael Houlihan, Associate Head Coach
UMass-Boston, Boston, MA (NCAA Division III)

Anna Howle, Head Coach
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma (NAIA)

William Kline, Assistant Coach
Bethany College, Bethany, WV (NCAA Division III)

Jeff Lennox, Head Coach – Men and Women
Barton College, Wilson, NC (NCAA Division II)

James Lundgren III, Assistant Coach
Azusa Pacific University, Encinitas, CA (NAIA)

Daniel Mahy, Assistant Coach
Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Meyers, FL (NCAA Division I)

Matt McCarthy, Assistant Coach - Men
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL (NCAA Division II)

Monica McDonald, Head Coach
Otterbein University, Westerville, OH (NCAA Division III)

Jason Munoz, Assistant Coach
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Oklahoma (NAIA)

Jonathan Newman-Gonchar, Assistant Coach
2012: Loyola Marymount University (NCAA DI), 2013: Iowa State University (NCAA DI) 

Kimberly Olson, Assistant Coach – Indoor and Sand
College of Charleston, Charleston, SC (NCAA Division I)

Christine Pfeffenberger, Assistant Coach
University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN (NCAA Division I)

Chloe Quirk, Assistant Coach
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA (NCAA Division II)

Heather Roberts, Assistant Coach
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (NCAA Division II)

Brian Rosen, Head Coach
Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte, NC (High School)

Lauren Sands, Club Director, Head Coach
Atlanta Extreme Volleyball Club, Suwanee, GA (Club)

Aaron Smith, Assistant Coach
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (NCAA Division I)

Matt Ulmer, Assistant Coach, Head Coach - Sand
Long Beach State University, Long Beach, CA (NCAA Division I)   

Jennifer Vaden, Assistant Coach
Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA (NCAA Division I)

Erin Virtue, Assistant Coach
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (NCAA Division I)

Braden Zamore, Head Coach – Men and Women
Daniel Webster College, Nashua, NH (NCAA Division III)


                                                                                    
About AVCA
The AVCA, with its headquarters in Lexington, Ky., is managed by Associations International. The mission of the AVCA is to develop the sport of volleyball and its coaches. With a membership of over 6,400 and counting, the AVCA provides a professional network for those individuals and companies dedicated to enhancing and promoting the sport. Members include collegiate, high school, club, youth and Olympic coaches, as well as volleyball club directors. The AVCA provides education to volleyball coaches, recognition of elite players and coaches, promotion of volleyball competitions throughout the world, and networking opportunities for volleyball products and services providers. Further information is available at www.avca.org.