Follow
Lees-McRae coach James Goodridge was recognized as one of the nation’s top young coaches.
Goodridge for the first time in his coaching career was one of the 30 coaches named to the AVCA Thirty under 30 list on Thursday.
The Thirty under 30 is an annual list that honors the top up-and-coming coaching talent throughout volleyball, including NCAA men’s and women’s volleyball, beach volleyball and junior volleyball.
Goodridge has compiled a 30-26 career record midway through his third season as the Lees-McRae head coach.
The Bobcats (6-5, 3-1 Conference Carolinas) currently are in second place in its conference and earlier this month as the first Conference Conference team to participate in the Volleyball Hall of Fame Morgan Classic reached the tournament’s championship match. In addition, Lees-McRae last season under Goodridge went 16-10 and finished tied for second place in the Conference Carolinas standings.
“I am very proud to have James on our staff, this achievement is a recognition for his work in college volleyball and the character of a person we want on our staff at Lees-McRae College,” athletics director Craig McPhail said in a statement. “These honors highlight the body of work and why we are excited for James in this accomplishment.”
Goodridge before coming to Lees-McRae served as the interim head coach of the Mount Olive women’s volleyball team and led the Trojans to the conference tournament championship match in 2008. He also was assistant coach for the Springfield College men’s and women’s volleyball teams.
Goodridge is one of two men’s coaches to receive the Thirty under 30 honor this year. Jeff Lennox, the head coach at Division III Elmira College, also received the annual award.
2012 AVCA Thirty Under 30 Award recipients
Sean Airola — Carl Sandburg High School girls’ volleyball head coach
Lauren Amundson — Stonehill College women’s volleyball head coach
Jenifer Bahner — Cowley College women’s volleyball head coach
Lisa Beauchene — New Mexico women’s volleyball assistant coach
Stefanie Carrington — Dominican College women’s vollyeball head coach
Rachel Cooper — Tennessee women’s volleyball assistant coach
Jamie DeTurck — Colleyville Heritage High School girls’ volleyball head coach
James Goodridge — Lees-McRae men’s volleyball head coach
Lindsey Gray — Kentucky women’s volleyball assistant coach
Ellen Hayes — Illinois-Chicago women’s volleyball assistant coach
Anna Howle — Oklahoma Baptist women’s volleyball head coach
Sue Jacobson — St. Louis women’s volleyball assistant coach
Laura Jensen — Wittenberg women’s volleyball assistant coach
Trevor Johnson — Concordia women’s volleyball assistant coach
Meghan Keck — Ohio women’s volleyball assistant coach
Jeff Lennox — Elmira College men’s volleyball head coach and women’s volleyball assistant coach
Mary Leventis — Winthrop women’s volleyball assistant coach
James Lundgren III — Azusa Pacific women’s volleyball assistant coach
Kelly Morrisroe — Syracuse women’s volleyball interim head coach
Coley Pawlikowski — Northern Illinois assistant coach
Kathryn Reeber — Cardinal Gibbons High School girls’ volleyball head coach
Shelly Riemer — Woodlands Wave Volleyball Club co-director and head coach
James Sackley — Sky High Volleyball Club head coach
Lauren Sands — Atlanta Extreme Volleyball Club director and head coach
Flavia Siqueira — College of Central Florida women’s volleyball head coach
Leigh Ann Swartz — Mount Union women’s volleyball head coach
Alesia Vaccari — Simmons College women’s volleyball head coach
Erin Virtue — Michigan women’s volleyball assistant coach
Kristen Wright — Tri-City Christian High School girls’ volleyball head coach
Ashlee Zeigler — Taylor women’s volleyball assistant coach