Collegiate Beach Coach of the Year

DAIN BLANTON, USC

  • Blanton’s 2024 squad enters the NCAA Championship 33-4, a mark that was highlighted by a 16-match win streak from March 1 to 29.
  • They have been the No. 1-ranked team in the nation six weeks this season and have posted 26 wins over teams ranked in the AVCA Poll, including 11 wins over teams in the top 5.
  • He’s led the Trojans to 16 5-0 sweeps of opponents so far this season.
  • Four of his stars—Audrey Nourse, Nicole Nourse, Delaynie Maple, and Megan Kraft—have eclipsed the 120-win mark and now rank in the top 10 in school history.
  • Three USC positions have at least 30 wins (33-4 at No. 1 and No. 3; 34-4 at No. 4)
  • USC seeks its fourth-straight national title in Gulf Shores, after winning the 2021, 2022, and 2023 NCAA Championships under Blanton.
  • He picks up his first National Coach of the Year honor.

bio information current as of May 3, 2024

 

ANGELA ROCK of CAL POLY is the 2024 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Assistant Coach of the Year.

Collegiate Beach Assistant Coach of the Year

ANGELA ROCK, CAL POLY

  • Rock has helped the Mustangs win 14 more matches—so far—than they did in 2023.
  • She’s helped the Mustangs to a 29-6 record heading into the NCAA Championship, and that win total sets a program record.
  • This year’s Cal Poly team had a record four players earn AVCA All-American honors. The team also reached No. 4 in the AVCA Poll, which tied the school’s highest-ever ranking.
  • All five starting pairs earned all-Big West honors, and Cal Poly players won the conference Pair of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.
  • She helped Cal Poly earn its highest seed (#5) in the NCAA Championship in program history.

bio information current as of May 3, 2024

 

AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH NATIONAL COACHES OF THE YEAR

2013: Nina Matthies, Pepperdine University
2014: Anna Collier, University of Southern California
2015: Rita Buck-Crockett, Florida International University
2016: Brooke Niles, Florida State University
2017: Stein Metzger, UCLA
2018: Stein Metzger, UCLA
2019: Anna Collier, University of Southern California
2021: Andrew Fuller, Stanford University
2022: Kristen Rohr, Grand Canyon University
2023: Hector Gutierrez, Texas Christian University
2024: Dain Blanton, University of Southern California

AVCA COLLEGIATE BEACH NATIONAL ASSISTANT COACHES OF THE YEAR

2018: Marcio Sicoli, Pepperdine University
2019: Jenny Johnson Jordan, UCLA
2021: Majo Orellana, Texas Christian University
2022: Steve Grotowski, Florida Atlantic University
2023: Gustavo Rocha, University of Southern California
2024: Angela Rock, Cal Poly

 

See other AVCA Coach of the Year lists

Award Type

  • Coach of the Year
  • National Assistant Coach of the Year