LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Simmons Head Volleyball Coach Alesia Vaccari was named a Thirty Under 30 award recipient by the American Volleyball Coaches Association Thursday. The award was created in 2009 to honor up-and-coming coaching talent across all levels of the sport of volleyball. To be eligible for the award, nominees had to be 30 years old or younger in 2011.
In her first year as a head coach, Vaccari led Simmons to their most successful season in program history, finishing with an overall record of 20-10 and 9-4 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. The team reached the semifinals of the GNAC tournament for the first time, and Vaccari was named the 2011 GNAC Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Of the thirty recipients, only four coach at the Division III level. Vaccari was one of two head coaches in this bracket to receive the honor.
The list of winners will be featured in the upcoming March edition of Coaching Volleyball 2.0.
Below is a comprehensive list of the award winners for 2011.
Thirty Under 30 Award Recipients
Sean Airola, Head Coach
Carl Sandburg High School, Orlando Park, IL (High School)
Lauren Amundson, Head Coach
Stonehill College, Easton, MA (NCAA Division II)
Jenifer Bahner, Head Coach
Cowley College, Arkansas City, KS (NJCAA Division II)
Lisa Beauchene, Assistant Coach
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (NCAA Division I)
Stefanie Carrington, Head Coach
Dominican College, Orangeburg, NY (NCAA Division II)
Rachel Cooper, Assistant Coach
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (NCAA Division I)
Jamie DeTurck, Head Coach
Colleyville Heritage High School, Colleyville, TX (High School)
James Goodridge, Head Coach
Lees-McRae College (Men), Banner Elk, NC (NCAA Division II)
Lindsey Gray, Assistant Coach
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (NCAA Division I)
Ellen Hayes, Assistant
University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL (NCAA Division I)
Anna Howle, Head Coach
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, OK (NAIA)
Sue Jacobson, Assistant Coach
Saint Louis University, Sant Louis, MO (NCAA Division I)
Laura Jensen, Assistant Coach
Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH (NCAA Division III)
Trevor Johnson, Assistant Coach
Concordia University (CA), Irvine, CA (NAIA)
Meghan Keck, Assistant Coach
Ohio University, Athens, OH (NCAA Division I)
Jeff Lennox, Head Coach – Men, Assistant Coach - Women
Elmira College (Men's and Women's), Elmira, NY (NCAA Division III)
Mary Leventis, Assistant Coach
Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC (NCAA Division I)
James Lundgren III, Assistant Coach
Azusa Pacific University, Encinitas, CA (NAIA)
Kelly Morrisroe, Interim Head Coach
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (NCAA Division I)
Coley Pawlikowski, Assistant Coach
Northern Illinois University, Sycamore, IL (NCAA Division I)
Kathryn Reeber, Head Coach
Cardinal Gibbons High School, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (High School)
Shelly Riemer, Co-Club Director, Coach
Woodlands Wave Volleyball Club, Spring, TX (Club)
James Sackley, Head Coach
Sky High Volleyball Club, Mundelein, IL (Club)
Lauren Sands, Club Director, Coach
Atlanta Extreme Volleyball Club, Ft. Suwanee, GA (Club)
Flavia Siqueira, Head Coach
College of Central Florida, Ocala, FL (NJCAA Division I)
Leigh Ann Swartz, Head Coach
Mount Union College, Alliance, OH (NCAA Division III)
Alesia Vaccari, Head Coach
Simmons College (MA), Boston, MA (NCAA Division III)
Erin Virtue, Assistant Coach
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (NCAA Division I)
Kristen Wright, Head Coach
Tri-City Christian High School, Oceanside, CA (High School)
Ashlee Zeigler, Assistant Coach
Taylor University, Upland, IN (NAIA)