The Dartmouth men's soccer team named its new coach yesterday afternoon. Jeff Cook, a former assistant for the Big Green from 1994-95, left his head coaching position for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.
Cook takes over a Dartmouth team that went 12-6, the second most victories in the program's history, and made its seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament where it lost to UCONN. Head coach Fran O'Leary resigned at the end of the season to become the head coach at George Mason.
The squad Cook inherits contains Ivy League Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Ivy selection Matt LaBarre '04, who led the team in scoring with 20 points on seven goals and six assists. Scott Lish '03 is the other returning All-Ivy selection, joining LaBarre on the second team.
The team has lost five seniors, including first team All-Ivy selection and team captain Nick Magnuson '01, but is young enough for Cook to mold. The team returns five '04s and 10 '03s.
Some members of the team were not strangers to Cook prior to a session with the team last week.
"Some of the guys knew Coach Cook already from [soccer] camps and such. We're totally pumped up to have him here," said LaBarre.
Cook was a four-time letter winner at Bates College where he graduated from in 1989. He began his coaching career as an assistant at UMASS before accepting a head coaching position at Division III Wheaton College in 1991.
He led Wheaton to a 31-22-5 record over three seasons before coming to Dartmouth.
At Cincinnati, he took the Bearcats to new heights, leading them to their first ever NCAA tournament berth in 1998. He compiled a 43-42-13 record in five years, a drastic turn around for a program that had gone 37-60-6 in the five years prior to his hiring.
During his tenure at Cincinnati, Cook took his team to the Conference USA tournament semi-finals twice, and took them to their first ever national ranking of no. 15 in 1999. He also had two of his players named to the NSCAA All-America team, the first time that honor had been bestowed upon a Bearcat player.
Cook has also made a name for himself outside of NCAA circles. He has twice served as a Region I staff coach for the Under-19 boys Olympic Development Team and coached a team at the World Scholar-Athlete Games. He has recently served on the Region II ODP staff.
The prospects of the team are bright with a squad that is headed upwards and a new coach who's star is on the rise.
"It will be tough with a new coach, but this team is so tight and the upper class leadership has been so great that we are really excited about next season," said LaBarre.
