Valparaiso men’s soccer head coach Mike Avery announced today that Jeff Oleck, who is entering his fourth season as a member of the Crusader coaching staff, has been promoted to associate head coach.

“I am very proud of Jeff and the work he has done, and he has certainly earned this recognition,” said Avery.  “Our last two goalkeepers have been the Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, which is a direct result of Jeff's coaching, but Jeff has proved to be more than just a position coach specialist.  Jeff has taken the lead for our program in so many areas from camps, to our vast community service outreach, to recruiting, and so many other things.  We are in the midst of the most successful era of the program's history, and the fact that this momentum coincides with Jeff's presence on the staff is no coincidence.”

Oleck has helped the Crusaders to 28 wins over his three seasons as an assistant coach with the program, including the Horizon League regular season championship in 2011.  In working directly with the Crusader goalkeepers, Oleck has guided a pair of netminders (Ryan Schwarz, Kyle Zobeck) who have claimed league Goalkeeper of the Year honors.  In Oleck’s three seasons as an assistant, the Crusaders have posted three of their four best defensive seasons in program history, while Zobeck and Schwarz rank 1-2 all-time at Valpo in both goals against average and shutouts.

“I want to thank director of athletics Mark LaBarbera and head coach Mike Avery for naming me associate head coach and putting the trust in me to continue carrying the program to new heights,” said Oleck.  “Over the past three years as an assistant, I have been very fortunate to work alongside great people and coach dedicated and hard-working student athletes.  All of these people have challenged me both personally and professionally and created a fun, competitive environment for me as a young coach.  I am excited to get the 2012 campaign underway - we are returning a group of young men who are hungry to bring home the Horizon League Championship and make a push into the NCAA tournament.”