Follow
The coach who guided Concordia-Irvine through its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II will now take over a first-year team on the East Coast.
Long Island University announced during the weekend that it has hired Shawn Patchell to be the inaugural head coach of its men’s volleyball program.
“Shawn Patchell is an outstanding recruiter, developer of student-athletes and a winner on the volleyball court,” athletics director William Martinov Jr. said in a statement. “His successful coaching experience includes building new programs, national championships, gold medal finishes, coach of the year honors, and a focus on student-athlete well-being.”
Patchell spent the last eight years at Concordia-Irvine and compiled a 118-98 career record, including the Eagles ending the 2021 season at 3-14. The team also finished in the top four of the Off the Block Division II National Coaches Poll in each of the last four years.
Concordia-Irvine under Patchell started its transition from the NAIA and joined the MPSF in 2018 as the only NCAA Division II school in the conference. The Eagles in their first MPSF season finished in fourth place and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
Along with his time at Concordia-Irvine, Patchell was the head coach at BYU from 2006-10 and as an assistant coach helped the Cougars win the 2004 NCAA championship.
“I am honored to be the first coach of LIU men’s volleyball,” Patchell said in a statement. “I look forward to building a successful program with a wonderful support staff on such a vibrant campus.”
Long Island announced in May that it would launch a men’s volleyball program for the 2022 season.
The private university is located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn and has an enrollment of about 15,500 students. Long Island’s 35 athletics teams, which are nicknamed the Sharks, compete in NCAA Division I and have won a combined 23 national championships.