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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

WSU soccer coach search proceeding

Washington State University is moving “quickly but thoroughly” to hire a new women’s soccer coach, a senior athletic department official said this week.

Three weeks after the surprise resignation of Steve Nugent, the Cougars are in the midst of a national search for his replacement, said Ann McCoy, a deputy athletic director and the senior administrator for women’s sports at WSU.

McCoy couldn’t give an exact timetable, but said a new coach will be hired “sooner rather than later.”

The search could be slowed, McCoy admits, by the fact that programs across the country are in the middle of their spring exhibition season.

On the other hand, the search may be aided by the fact that WSU went through the same hiring process barely a year ago, when it hired Nugent. “We have absolutely identified some folks” through last year’s process, McCoy said,

Whoever it is, Nugent’s replacement will be the fourth WSU head coach in five years; Matt Potter left in 2011 after nine years in Pullman. His successor, Keidane McAlpine, led the program in 2012 and 2013 before taking the same position at USC.

For now, the WSU program is being run by two of Nugent’s former assistants, Sandy Davison and Jon Harvey. Davison is the interim head coach as the Cougars are in the middle of a five-match spring that included a Thursday home match against Gonzaga.

Davison, who according to several sources is seeking to succeed Nugent, was not available for comment this week, but according to McCoy, she is “taking the lead” as the program moves forward.

“Practice is very much business as usual,” McCoy said. “The strength and conditioning staff are involved as well, and the coaches are doing a really good job of keeping things in line.”

McCoy said that members of this year’s recruiting class – rated in the top 25 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.com – were quickly apprised of Nugent’s resignation.

“We reached out to the recruits and let the team know,” said McCoy, who added that Davison handled questions from parents and recruits in the wake of Nugent’s resignation.

As for the current players, McCoy said they “are so focused on the spring, being the type of kids that they are.”

Few details have emerged on why Nugent tendered his resignation – for undisclosed personal reasons – on March 9. His last day on the job was March 13.

Nugent has been unavailable for comment.

McCoy said she couldn’t offer any additional information. “It’s so tough, things come up in people’s lives,” McCoy said.

“But we’re excited about the direction of the program,” McCoy said.