Tufts women's soccer coach Martha Whiting was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Women's Division III Coach of the Year on Friday. The honor comes on the tails of a record-setting 18-4-1 campaign that saw the team advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament Championship Game, where the Jumbos lost 2-1 to The College of New Jersey on a goal with three second remaining.
"It's such an amazing honor," Whiting said of the award. "It's unbelievable - I'm really excited. I was completely shocked when they told me."
"It's great [that she won the award]. She definitely deserved it" senior tri-captain Sara Yeatman said. "It's a great way to set in place what she's done.... She made the team into something, and she was a big part of what we did this year."
Whiting was earlier named the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Coach of the Year.
The season was the most successful in the program's 21-year history, which has seen just one losing season since its inception in 1979. The 2000 Jumbos set a team record for wins in a season, and advanced farther into the postseason than any team in any sport in Tufts history.
"The whole year has been so unreal," Whiting said. "Ever since the start of the NESCAC Tournament, I've stressed to the players and to myself to just try to enjoy it. You never know when a year like this is going to come along. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
After posting a 12-2 regular season mark, which concluded with the first win over Williams since 1990, the Jumbos advanced to the finals of the NESCAC Tournament, where they lost 2-0 to Middlebury. Despite the defeat, Tufts received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Jumbos defeated the College of New England (5-0), Bowdoin (0-0, 5-4 PK), Wheaton (3-1), William Smith (1-0), and Wisconsin-Steven's Point (1-0) to advance to the finals.
In addition to the team's success, many players, to whom Whiting gives much credit for her award, boasted impressive personal achievements this year. Senior tri-captain Randee McArdle set a record for shutouts in a season (24), and also was named an NSCAA Third Team All-American. Yeatman, who was second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and three assists (25 points), was the first women's soccer player to be named a First Team All-American.
McArdle, Yeatman, and junior forward Lynn Cooper were named to the NSCAA All-New England First Team, while freshman Jess Trombly, also the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, was named to the Third Team.
"I was lucky to have such a good team," Whiting said. "They were a great group of girls to work with. The players are what really makes coaching worthwhile."
Whiting assumed the role of head coach at the beginning of the 1999 season, after former coach Bill Gehling was promoted to Athletic Director. In her rookie season, Whiting guided the team to a 9-5-1 mark, and the Jumbos made their fourth consecutive postseason appearance. She had previously served as Gehling's assistant for seven years, and before that was an all-star goalkeeper for the team (1989-92). As a player, she was a four-year starter and set school records for career saves (385) and fewest goals allowed in a season.
