2023 NWAC Fall Coaches of the Year Announced

VANCOUVER, Wash. – The NWAC revealed the selections for the 2023 Fall Coaches of the Year awards, consisting of men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer and volleyball.

The Coach of the Year selections are Sean McLachlan of Spokane for men's and women's cross country, Jake Hughes of Peninsula for men's soccer, Omar Anderson of Columbia Basin for women's soccer, and Jayme Frazier of Linn-Benton volleyball.

Sean McLachlan • Spokane • Men's & Women's Cross Country
McLachlan led the Spokane men's and women's cross country teams to a sweep at the NWAC Cross Country Championships this season marking the first time the Sasquatch have won both titles since 2015. Spokane had last won the men's title in 2019 while winning on the women's side in 2018. The men's team won its 23rd title all-time while the women won their 19th, both NWAC records.

Under McLachlan, both cross country teams have each won seven NWAC titles. The men's team dominanted with a score of 46 points, led by individual winner Luke Hurd. The women's team impressed with an even lower score of 22 points, led by four runners placing second through fifth.

Jake Hughes • Peninsula • Men's Soccer
Hughes won his second NWAC Men's Soccer Championship as Peninsula head coach as the Pirates defeated Highline in a dramatic 11-round penalty kick shootout in the finals. The title is the sixth overall for Peninsula who last won in 2019 under Hughes. He previously helped the Pirates win their first-ever NWAC title as a player in 2010, also against Highline. 

Overall on the season, Hughes led Peninsula to the North Region title with an 8-3-1 record. He was named North Region Coach of the Year as Peninsula finished with a 14-4-1 overall record and 58-16 goal differential. The Pirates' road to the championship was a tough one, first defeating explosive Clark 3-0, followed by knocking off defending champions Columbia Basin 1-0 in the semifinals. Peninsula battled back-and-forth with Highline in the championship, resulting in a 2-2 score through regulation and overtime. The 11-round shootout resulted in one of the wildest finishes in NWAC history.  

Omar Anderson • Columbia Basin • Women's Soccer
Anderson led Columbia Basin to its first NWAC Women's Soccer title since 2008 and fourth overall. The win is the first for Coach Anderson who took over the program in 2016, building the Hawks into a formidable force year after year. The title comes on the heels of a final four appearance in 2022.

Anderson led CBC to an impressive 17-1-3 overall record and 10-1-3 in the East Region to take second place. The Hawks' lone struggles came against division rival Spokane as they went 0-1-1 against the Sasquatch during the regular season. However, CBC won the final of three matchups in the championship game, taking down Spokane 2-1 in a thrilling overtime match. All three goals for the Hawks in the final four were dramatic as they scored in the 88th minute to send the match to overtime, eventually winning just five minutes into OT. In the semifinals against Lower Columbia, the game-winner came in the 88th minute as well. The Hawks finished the season with the second best goal differential of 71-8.

Jayme Frazier • Linn-Benton • Volleyball
Frazier wins her second Coach of the Year award in three seasons as she led Linn-Benton to one of the greatest seasons in NWAC history, finishing with a 36-0 record and a third-straight NWAC title. The three titles are all the first-ever for Frazier and the Roadrunners as she has the program on an incredible run of success. They become just the fifth program in NWAC history to win three-straight championships joining Blue Mountain (2013-15), Mt. Hood (2000-02), Highline (1985-87) and Spokane Falls (1980-82).

The Roadrunners were not only undefeated, but won their matches in dominant fashion. LBCC won 108 sets while losing just 15 the entire season. They also only went to five sets in four matches, including in a thrilling semifinal matchup with Highline. The Roadrunners met up with one-loss North Idaho in the finals as they won in four sets. NIC's only two losses all season were to Linn-Benton. Frazier eclipsed 700 career coaching wins this season as she continues to cement herself as one of the best coaches in NWAC history. The Roadrunners will enter the 2024 season on a remarkable 55-match winning streak, dating back to September of 2022.

Each of the five Coaches of the Year will be invited to the NWAC Hall of Fame Banquet to receive their awards on May, 30, 2024 at the Courtyard Marriott Tacoma Downtown in Tacoma, Washington.

About Northwest Athletic Conference: 

The NWAC is the athletic governing body of two year colleges in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia. There are 15 men's and women's sports and 10 championship events.  Approximately 4,200 student-athletes compete in the NWAC representing a student population of over 400,000. Many NWAC student-athletes continue their academic and athletic careers at the NAIA-NCAA levels. The NWAC promotes the three ideals of Character, Competition, and Community. NWAC…..more than sports.

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