COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO - The following coaches have been selected by their region as AVCA/Tachikara Two-Year College Region Coach of the Year. Each of the honorees will represent their region on the National Coach of the Year ballot. The awards will be officially presented at the AVCA/Tachikara Coach of the Year banquet in New Orleans on Thursday, Dec. 19, at the 2002 American Volleyball Coaches Association National Convention.

Midwest Region Coaches of the Year
Wayne King, Kishwaukee College
2002 Record: 57-2
Wayne King led Kishwaukee College to back-to-back NJCAA national championships. He was named the NJCAA National Tournament Coach of the Year. King was also the AVCA/Tachikara Two-Year College Midwest Region Coach of Year in 2001.

Trish Knight, SMSU-West Plains
2002 Record: 48-10
Trish Knight’s squad won the Region 16 Championship for the fourth straight year and was the NJCAA Championship runner-up. SMSU-West Plains was ranked in the top 10 in the poll all season, including a ranking of third. She was AVCA/Tachikara Two-Year College Midwest Region Coach of the Year one other time in 2000.

Northeast/Southeast Region Coaches of the Year
Tina Seals, Northwest-Shoals Community College
2002 Record: 32-17
Tina Seals collected her 400th-career win this season pushing her career record to 404-122. She has coached seven all-Americans from 1999 to 2001, and has had two more players nominated for the honor this season. She was named AVCA/Tachikara Two-Year College Northeast/Southeast Region Coach of the Year two other times (1999, 2000).

Mary Andrew, Florida Community College at Jacksonville
2002 Record: 32-8
Mary Andrew finished her 12th season at FCCJ, the past six seasons leading her team to the NJCAA National Top 20 and the last three seasons in the NJCAA National Top 10. She currently has a career record of 316-147 while at FCCJ, an average of 20 wins per season.

Southwest Region Coaches of the Year
James Finley, Arizona Western College
2002 Record: 35-7
James Finley led his team to a successful season finishing seventh at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. He is in his second season as head coach and was named Division I, District I Coach of the Year in 2001 when his team finished 10th at nationals.

Steve Burkhart, Moorpark Collge
2002 Record: 21-1
Steve Burkhart as been coaching at Moorpark for 12 years. He has led Moorpark to four Western State Conference Championships, each time qualifying for the Elite Eight California Community College State Tournament. He was named Western State Conference Coach of the Year three times.

West Region Coaches of the Year
John Patrick, Columbia Basin College
2002 Record: 34-10
Entering the NWAACC Tournament, John Patrick was five wins away from 500 for his career. CBC was 10-2 in Eastern Region League play and finished second. He has led CBC to a 32-8 record entering postseason play. John was named AVCA/Tachikara Two-Year College West Region Coach of Year in 1999 as well.

Mary Young, Central Community College of Nebraska
2002 Record: 36-14
Central Community College earned a runner-up finish in the Region IX East Tournament, falling to No. 3-ranked Western Nebraska Community College. Mary Young led her team to the Nebraska Conference Tournament title.