“Recognition by your peers is always special,” said FLC Director of Athletics Gary Hunter. “The amount of success that Oige has had in such a short period of time as a head coach is just extraordinary.”

In his three years at the helm of the Skyhawk men’s soccer program, Kenney has guided his squad to a pair of NCAA Division II national titles in 2009 and 2011.

Through his first three seasons, Kennedy has posted a 59-7-4 (.847) overall record and is 37-3-2 (.929) in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. His teams are a perfect 10-0-0 in the NCAA playoffs and 4-0-2 in the RMAC tournament (two ties ending in penalty kicks).

His 2009 and 2011 teams each went 24-1-0, setting the NCAA Division II standard for most wins in a season.

Earlier this season, Kennedy was named the NSCAA/MONDO Central Region Coach of the Year and the RMAC Coach of the Year. He was previously named the CaptainU Division II Coach of the Year in 2009.

He wasn’t the lone Skyhawk to be honored. Senior defender Fabian Kling received the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II Player of the Year honor at the awards banquet. Kling’s honor was announced last month by the NSCAA.

In addition to Kennedy winning the Division II award, former Fort Lewis College men’s soccer skipper Jeremy Gunn (1999-2007) was named the NSCAA/MONDO National Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I. Gunn led North Carolina-Charlotte to their first championship game appearance in school history, falling to North Carolina 1-0 in the title match. His team finished with a 16-5-4 record, boosting his career mark to 64-26-15 at the Division I level in five seasons at Charlotte and 187-61-31 in 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Gunn, who left Charlotte for Stanford last month, also won the 2005 NSCAA National Coach of the Year award at the Division II level after leading Fort Lewis to the 2005 national title.

Kennedy and Gunn are the only two Fort Lewis College coaches in any sport to win National Coach of the Year awards while coaching at FLC.

“Sameth is a player that we are extremely excited to add to our roster for the upcoming spring,” said Kennedy, who guided the Skyhawks to their third NCAA Division II title since 2005 last month. “We fell he will bring energy to the team and will be hungry for success, which is the cutting edge we will need from all our players. He has a tremendous soccer resume and we are excited to see him on the field with the rest of our returning guys.”

Al-Basith transferred to Fort Lewis from East Tennessee State University, where he attended classes last semester but did not play soccer. The 5-foot-8, 150-lb. central midfielder has four years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

He played club soccer in England for Cardiff City FC and West Ham United FC.

Al-Basith plans on majoring in Business Administration at Fort Lewis.

Kennedy is expected to announce more recruits on or after Feb. 1, 2012, which is the National Letter of Intent day for soccer. Because Al-Basith has already started taking classes at Fort Lewis, FLC was able to announce his transfer once the current semester had begun.

The Skyhawks captured their third NCAA Division II championship in 2011, having previously won national titles in 2005 and 2009. FLC was national runners-up in 1999 and 2006. Fort Lewis posted a 24-1-0 overall record, 13-1-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Skyhawks also won NCAA-II Central Region, RMAC regular season, and RMAC tournament titles.

Giving Pareja the reins of his first MLS team is going to create a roster shakeup. The Colombian, a veteran of MLS campaigns from 1998 through 2005, has already talked about the need to find a Carlos Valderrama-type playmaker for the Rapids.

Considering this is a team built on a model of rugged defense, over-the-top balls and just enough skill to get the ball in the back of the net, replacing Gary Smith with Pareja will mean replacing many of the fundamentals that led to an MLS crown in 2010 and the second round of the playoffs in 2011.

This change will produce winners and losers. Here’s some of both.

Winner: Jeff Larentowicz. Bringing in ballhandler for midfield means someone will have to double up on defensive midfield duties. This responsibility will fall to Larentowicz.

The defensive midfielder has consistently been one of the best Rapids on the field since joining the team in 2010. Look for him to have even more work to do, with few shots on goal to take. The workhorse will be critically needed.

Loser: Wells Thompson. He plays with great energy. He plays with great passion. He rarely plays with finesse. The last item will cost him.

Thompson’s lack of touch is anathema to type of short-passing game Pareja espouses. He might get some time as a late defensive substitute, but look for his minutes to dry up in ’12.

Winner: Omar Cummings. Cummings goal scoring went from league-leading in 2010 to barely measureable in 2011. This will reverse with a team that emphasizes getting passes to the feet of players.

Conor Casey did a fabulous job in ’10 of getting the ball to Cummings. Without Casey, Cummings was adrift. With Casey back from injury in ’12, and more short passes, Cummings should thrive.

Loser: Caleb Folan. Pareja’s not looking for the “big and strong” forward to pair with a “small and fast,” and that means Folan’s time on the roster should be limited.

Casey’s nose for the goal and years remaining under contract means the new coach will have to find a way to use him. The same is not true for Folan. The 29-year-old Irish international was going to be under pressure with the return of Macoumba Kandji from injury. Hiring Pareja likely sealed Folan’s fate to find another team for 2012.

Winner: Steven Emory. No, you haven’t seen him on the field for the Rapids. You will this season. From his college playing days at Metro State, we know that Emory can thrive in the short passing game. Expect the young midfielder to show that in training and find his way on to the reserves bench early in the season.

Winner and Loser: Pablo Mastroeni. Hiring Pareja should guarantee Mastroeni makes the move from defensive midfield to center back. This could easily extend a playing career that has produced renaissance seasons in 2010 and 2011.

A new coach and a new position are likely to mean a new role, too. The captain’s armband will likely wrap around the as-yet-unnamed central midfielder that Pareja is seeking. Pareja is looking for a triggerman for attack. That player will set the tone for the 2012 Rapids. And that means the quiet professionalism of Mastroeni is unlikely to allow him to hold on to the captain’s title.

On Monday, the University of Colorado lured Danny Sanchez back to the Front Range to take over an underachieving Buffs team that stumbled badly in its first season in the Pac 12.

Sanchez, who spent the past several years turning the University of Wyoming into a winning program, has a history of winning at every level. He also has a history of taking teams that should be better and making them better.

Exhibit 1: When Sanchez arrived at Metropolitan State College of Denver, he immediately took a team that hadn’t sniffed the playoffs to the NCAA tournament in his first year. His first squad started an ongoing string of 10 consecutive tournament bids for the Roadrunners.

Exhibit 2: While at Metro State, the Roadrunners set a Division II winning streak and won national titles in 2004 and 2006. Prior to Sanchez’s arrival in Denver, the best Metro State could boast was a third-place finish in the NAIA in the mid-’80s.

Exhibit 3: In the battle to recruit talent to Laramie, Sanchez was winning. His 2011 team at Wyoming boasted a 9-8-3 record, which included wins over CU and Northern Colorado.

Past Fades: Wyoming’s success came as CU folded in the Pac 12. Head coach Bill Hempen resigned at the end of the 2011 season after watching his team give up in games on the road and at home.

It’s tough to fault Hempen, who kept coaching with a fury that got him ejected at home late in the season. Still, his team was mired in a losing rut that it seemed incapable of escaping.

Going Forward: Picking up Sanchez, 42, gives the Buffs an excellent chance to start winning now. The university is to be commended for bringing a great, albeit gruff, coach back to the Front Range.

Berekk Blackwell delivered a header off a Joey Madigan corner kick that gave Fort Lewis a 3-2 victory over Lynn about 90 seconds into the first overtime of the NCAA Division II men’s soccer championship in Pensacola, Fla.

“I thought we knew it was going to be a tough game,” coach Oige Kennedy said. “It was all pretty even, and to go behind and come back and put yourself in the lead, then fall back again, to come out and win it in the end is tremendous.”

This was the second title Kennedy has coached the Skyhawks (24-1-0) to, as he guided the 2009 champions, who also finished 24-1-0.

Lynn, from Boca Raton, Fla., scored first in the 14th minute on a 25-yard free kick by Harald Gracholski. Fort Lewis equalized in the 25th minute when Lynn defender Jason Sangha headed a free kick from Skyhawk Alberto Capdepon-Rodriguez into his own goal.

In the 32nd minute, Kosta Kordistos put the Skyhawks ahead with a left-footed shot from 12 yards out off a pass from Cory Dean.

Fort Lewis held the lead until the 72nd minute, when Gracholski curled in another free kick for Lynn, this time from 30 yards out.

Although Lynn outshot the Skyhawks 12-3, the Florida team could only watch as Blackwell scored the game winner.

“I was upset over the goal and it was the first corner kick we’ve let in all year,” said Lynn coach John Rootes. “We fought hard, but we just lost our concentration in the overtime. I thought we deserved a better outcome, but you just have to hand it to Fort Lewis.”

Fort Lewis can now add a third star over its crest, symbolizing its NCAA Division II championships in 2005, 2009 and 2011. The Skyhawks were also NCAA-II runners-up in 1999 and 2006.

Junior goalkeeper Lara Campbell on Oct. 7, 2011 during the South Alabama match @ CIBER Field

The University of Denver’s women’s soccer team has had an amazing season, and finished with 16 wins and only five losses.

Junior goalkeeper Lara Campbell made an astounding 43 saves this season even after suffering a, high ankle sprain injury early on in the season.

During, “Captain’s practice, right before preseason started, I dove for a ball and landed weird and my ankle twisted.” Campbell said.

Campbell still had to attend practices while she was injured.

“It was fun to just see everyone and kind of see where the team was headed but it definitely was not a great experience.” Campbell said.

Luckily Campbell was able to recover by gradually strengthening her ankle before returning to the field for the rest of the season.

“As far as coming back and playing, it’s definitely been an adjustment in itself just because I haven’t really had a major injury in college,” however, “my trainer was great and my teammates were really helpful.” Campbell said.

When Campbell is not on the soccer field she enjoys participating in outdoor activities like, hiking and fishing.

Campbell is double majoring in Integrated Sciences and Psychology at DU and hopes to become a physical therapist.

She chose to go to DU because, “the soccer team was a lot of fun when I came and visited, the campus was beautiful and honestly the academics are great.” Campbell said.

Campbell has been playing soccer for about 13 years and, “it’s really helped me grow as a person.” Campbell said.

In order to balance soccer, school and a personal life, “you really have to be able to manage time effectively in order to make sure you have all of your tasks done for school.” Campbell said.

Her advice for future soccer players is, “work hard and have fun with it.”

Freshman foward Christian Volesky, right, with the ball during the College of Charleston match on Sept. 18, 2011 @ CIBER Field.

The University of Denver’s men’s soccer team finished the season with, (5-3-11).

Freshman forward Christian Volesky had an extremely successful season with, six goals and one assist.

He made a total of 32 shots and 16 of those shots were shots on goal this season.

Volesky is a Communications major at DU and does not have a specific plan with what he is going to do with that degree at the moment.

The biggest difference between High School and College soccer is, “Season play besides the players.” Volesky said.

Volesky played a total of 762 minutes during his first year at DU.

“I’ve had a great experience.” Volesky said.

Volesky chose to go to DU because, “I love Denver and the coaching staff was great to me. They run a successful program.” Volesky said.

Volesky has been playing soccer since he was 5 and said that soccer “made me a stronger person.”

His advice for future soccer players is to, “work hard,” and, “everything comes from good work and becoming a better person and player, on and off the field.”

Hamilton during the Oct. 7, 2011 match versus South Alabama @ CIBER Field.

This year’s University of Denver’s women’s soccer team has been winning games left and right, after 21 games, they have come out victorious in 16 of them. Sophomore forward Kristen Hamilton made a large contribution to those statistics. This season, Hamilton has scored a total of 16 goals and made nine assists.

Hamilton’s best experience for the season was during the Nebraska and DU match on Aug. 25, 2011. DU was the first to score a goal and then shortly after Nebraska scored, leaving the match tied in the first half. In the second half Nebraska scored first and DU scored within 20 minutes, again in a tie.

Then, “I scored with 1 minute left in the game. It was pretty exciting,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton is a returning starter for the DU women’s soccer team and decided to attend the college after Coach Jeff Hooker talked to her about it and she, “loved the campus and the soccer field,” Hamilton said.

“On the field Kristen is an intense fiery player. She imposes her physical play on other players even though she is not the biggest player on the field.” Hooker said.

The soccer field is where Hamilton goes at 7:45 am before school and spends an hour and a half of her time for practice. She has figured out that balancing school, soccer and a personal life is, “something learned over time.”

Soccer has been in Hamilton’s life since she was 4, and overall it has been beneficial in, “time management,” along with, “not looking out for yourself, but teammates too.”

In fact after team member Kaitlin Bast was injured earlier in the season, “Kristen has lifted her game and taken the team on her back and carried the team thru some of the games.” Hooker said.

With that, Hamilton’s advice for future players is that soccer is “a lot of commitment” and to, “work hard to get where you want. It’s fun in the end and worth it,” Hamilton said.

The coach, who had agreed to a new contract, and the team announced a parting of the ways on Monday afternoon. The departure came the same day that Rapids players cleared out their lockers following a 4-0 aggregate loss to Kansas City in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Late in the season, Smith indicated that there was a rift between himself and technical director Paul Bravo. Smith indicated at the time that problems there were causing the team to miss opportunities.

The rift seem to add fuel to speculation that might leave for a position with Portsmouth in England or at some other club with a larger budget and underperforming side.

The speculation did not, however, derail the Rapids from making the 2011 playoffs and defeating the Columbus Crew 1-0 in a Wild Card match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

Rumors, however, proved true when managing partner Jeff Plush announced Smith would be leaving. The team will now begin the search for its sixth coach in 16 years.

Bizarre: Evidently, 39 wins marks the point at which a Rapids coach leaves. Smith’s two immediate predecessors, Fernando Clavijo and Tim Harkinson, each won 39 matches while at the helm.

Smith’s regular season MLS record with the Rapids was 39-31-35.

Continuity: Since joining as an assistant coach in 2008 and taking over two-thirds of the way through that season, Smith has added consistency as he milked the most out of his team’s talent.

With his departure, the Rapids are left with a low payroll, an aging midfield, and a superstar — Conor Casey — returning from surgery for 2012. Not exactly the ideal spot for any manager coming aboard.

CSN’s View: This was a loss for the Rapids. Smith produced a winner without spending big. He was a stable presence on the sideline and always supported his lads. For a team that goes through coaches every few seasons, Smith will be a tough one to replace.

The NCAA Division II soccer tournament will have plenty of Colorado representatives after announcing the brackets for the men’s and women’s tournaments on Monday evening.