Haley, Zeciski named USA Volleyball Coaches of the Year

by Paul Soriano USA Volleyball Manager, Public Relations & Publications

In conjunction with the United States Olympic Committee, USA Volleyball has recognized the sport's 2003 Coaches of the Year in two categories.

USC's Mick Haley (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) was named National Coach of the Year, while Rich Zeciski (Camp Dennison, Ohio) of Team Z Volleyball Club was selected Developmental Coach of the Year.

The USOC Coaching Recognition Program works to bring recognition and attention to the contribution coaches make to sport at all levels of athlete development. The sport's 2003 honorees were chosen using criteria approved by the USOC, evaluating the accomplishments for each during the competition period beginning Jan. 1, 2003.

National Coach of the Year: In 2002, Mick Haley guided the University of Southern California to its first NCAA championship in more than 20 years. How could he possibly top that in 2003? How about an undefeated season and a second-straight NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship? On Saturday, Dec. 20, 2003, Haley guided the Women of Troy to a 3-1 win over the University of Florida in the championship match to cap a perfect 35-0 season and give USC its second-consecutive NCAA crown. With the win, USC becomes only the third team in NCAA history to post an undefeated season, joining Long Beach State in 1998 and Nebraska in 2000. The Women of Troy also became the first team to repeat as NCAA champions since Stanford accomplished the feat in 1996-97. Haley, voted the 2003 NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year by his peers, has guided his team to an NCAA-record 47-match winning streak and has not seen his team lose since Nov. 2, 2002.

Developmental Coach of the Year: Rich Zeciski has helped lead the Ohio region into becoming one of the core development areas for players and coaches in the USA. For decades he has taken both new programs and team after team of young players and developed them into national-level athletes. National championships, players moving on to collegiate scholarships and coaches mentored: Zeciski has done it all. His rare back-to-back USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Open Championship titles with the Team Z Volleyball Club in 2002 and 2003 are evidence of this as well. Recently Zeciski has begun head coaching in USA Volleyball's High Performance pipeline programs, and to no one's surprise, he is having even more positive impact and success.

Five coaches in each category will be selected as finalists for the USOC Coach of the Year and will be announced at a special function early in 2004.

For more information, go to the USA Volleyball web site.