August 17, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - Ian Clerihew has been hired as the new Mars Hill men's soccer head coach, Athletic Director David Riggins announced today. Clerihew replaces Scott Donnelly who left to become an assistant men's soccer coach at Northern Illinois.

Athletic Director David Riggins stated, “Ian brings a wealth of experience gathered from stops at various institutions at various levels.  His experience as a division II student-athlete and as a division III head coach will pay dividends as he assumes the leadership of our program.  Under Ian’s guidance, we expect to see continued progress of our men’s soccer program.”

Clerihew spent last season as an assistant coach at Villanova University. His responsibilities included practice planning, game preparation and scouting. In addition, he was the recruiting coordinator, video coordinator and co-camp director for the Wildcats.

Clerihew stated, “I would like to thank David Riggins and the administration for the tremendous opportunity and challenge of coaching Men's Soccer at Mars Hill College.  I am excited to get to work right away with this group of talented student-athletes.”

Clerihew's stints as an assistant coach at Duke in 2007 and St. John's in 2006 included two straight Division I NCAA Tournament berths and a Big East Tournament Championship with the Red Storm. While at both universities, he was heavily involved in all aspects of the men's program.

Other coaching experiences include Northern Illinois, Akron and Linfield College. As a graduate assistant in 2002, Clerihew helped guide the Zips to a Mid-American Conference Championship and NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. Before that, he was an assistant coach on Linfield's 2000 NCAA Division III Final Four team and as head coach of Linfield was named the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year the following season.

Clerihew played college soccer at Seattle Pacific University from 1990-1993. During his four year career, the Falcons made four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, and in three of those years, (1990, 1992, 1993) they reached the Final Four. He and the Falcons won the Division II National Championship in 1993.

Clerihew earned his undergraduate degree in marketing in 1994 from Seattle Pacific and a Master's degree in sport science and coaching this year from Akron. He holds the United States Soccer Federation "A" National Coaching License.

Mars Hill College is a NCAA Division II institution and a member of the South Atlantic Conference. The league is comprised of schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

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