Waggoner to Run Men's Soccer, Nunley to Lead Men's Basketball

LYNCHBURG, Va. --- The last three months have been marked by historical events on the campus of Randolph-Macon Woman's College. On September 9, the Board of Trustee's announced a strategic plan that will make the college coed in the fall of 2007. On December 9, the new name of the college-Randolph College-was announced to the public. 

In a monumental day on December 11, the athletic department announced the hiring of Bryan Waggoner and Clay Nunley, the program's first-ever men's soccer and men's basketball coaches, respectively.

Waggoner's coaching experience is widespread, as he has coached at the club, high school, and NCAA Division I and III levels. His most recent position was at his alma mater, the University of Richmond, where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons. During this time Waggoner's duties included on-field training, game analysis, and recruiting. Prior to his work with the Spiders, Waggoner was the head coach at Douglas S. Freeman High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he amassed a 24-11-8 record over three seasons.

Waggoner is ready for the challenge of starting a new program. "I am excited for the opportunity to build a new program with my vision of what makes a great team," he says. "I believe Randolph College's commitment to athletics and education makes it an ideal place to structure a team with integrity and passion for soccer and life."

As a Division I student-athlete at the University of Richmond, Waggoner was a four-year letter winner. He served as team captain as a senior, a year in which he earned the Coaches Award in recognition of his leadership skills. He graduated from Richmond with a degree in sociology.

After graduation, Waggoner was named the assistant men's and women's coach at NCAA Division III Linfield College in Oregon. He helped the men's team earn an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Waggoner was involved in all aspects of the Linfield program, including on-field training, scouting, and recruiting.

At the club level, Waggoner has served as the technical director of the Virginia Capital Area Soccer League, where he analyzed, evaluated and trained teams throughout the club system. In addition, Waggoner was the head coach of the under 18 boy's elite team, guiding them to five tournament championships and a final four standing in the state cup.

Waggoner's club and high school experience, along with his extensive college recruiting background, will pay large dividends as he builds his new team that will begin sub-varsity competition in 2007 before playing a full Old Dominion Athletic Conference schedule in 2008. "My immediate goal is to put together a team that can lay the foundation for future generations at Randolph College," he says. "I want to establish traditions and goals that become ingrained with WildCat men's soccer."

WildCat Athletics Director Valerie Cushman is thrilled to add Waggoner to the Randolph College staff. "Bryan brings tremendous energy, along with a clear vision for what it will take to build a successful men's soccer program," she says. "He is committed to guiding his team to success not only on the field, but in the classroom and in the Randolph College community."

Nunley is ready to lead the first-ever WildCat men's basketball team. "I am most excited about representing an outstanding institution and a first-class athletic department as we begin to build a men's basketball program that our college can be proud of," he says. 

Nunley has served as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy for the past five years where he was involved in on-court coaching, scouting, and practice planning. He also served as the recruiting coordinator. Prior to working at the United States Military Academy, Nunley was the assistant coach at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. In his three years, the team compiled 35 wins over a two-year period. Nunley's duties included individual instruction and player development, practice planning, and recruiting coordinator.

Although his coaching experience is limited to Division I experience, Nunley is familiar with Division III athletics. He was a four-year member of the Goucher College men's basketball team, a Division III institution in Baltimore, Maryland. He helped lead the Gophers to two Capital Athletic Conference Championships and two trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. He was a four-year member of both the academic all-conference team and Maryland Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Academic Team. Nunley graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

"Clay is the perfect fit for our program and our institution," says Athletics Director Valerie Cushman. "He not only has great coaching experience, but he understands our department's mission and the goals of the College."

The WildCat men's basketball team will start intercollegiate competition in 2007-2008, competing at a sub-varsity level, before playing a full Old Dominion Athletic Conference schedule in 2008-2009. Nunley will spend the next few months recruiting for the new program.

"My short-term goals are to quickly begin identifying, evaluating, and recruiting those quality student-athletes who are a fit for our institution, meet the standards of our basketball program, and want to be part of something special," Nunley says.  "I am looking forward to attracting quality individuals who will serve as strong ambassadors to our college and community and will help us begin moving towards establishing a program with a long-term focus on championship success."

In addition to men's basketball, the WildCat Athletic Department will sponsor men's soccer, cross country, and tennis in 2007.  Women's cross country will also be added as a varsity sport in 2007. In 2008, the WildCats will sponsor men's and women's lacrosse. The College will begin the search for head coaches in men's and women's cross country, softball, and men's lacrosse in January.

This release is courtesy of the Randolph-Macon Woman's College sports information office.