TROY, N.Y. – The Sage Colleges Athletic Director, Dani Drews announced the hiring of Kyle Clancy and Jim Bowles as head coaches of the men’s soccer and men's cross country programs respectively. Both programs will begin varsity competition in the fall of 2010 giving both coaches a year to build their respective programs.
Drews said of Clancy’s selection, "Hiring the right coach to lead Sage’s new men’s soccer program is critical to our ability to build a strong team that reflects all the wonderful qualities of the Sage educational experience. Kyle not only brings his strong playing and coaching background with him, he is also a highly motivated, established recruiter in the downstate area that will immediately help us draw prospective student-athletes from the Capital District to New York City."
Prior to coming to Sage, Clancy was a member of a coaching staff that helped rebuild the New Paltz men’s soccer program as an assistant for the past three years. In 2008, he was named the recipient of the Athletic Director’s Award. In addition to his responsibilities at SUNY New Paltz, Clancy also served as the event manager. In addition to his experience with the SUNY New Paltz Hawks, he has also trained several Olympic Development Teams and worked with several clubs including Nirvana Soccer and East Hudson Soccer Academy. He holds a National Diploma, which he achieved in 2007 and his advanced National Diploma in 2008.
As a player, Clancy holds the school record at Dominican College (N.Y.) for points with 171 points (75 goals, 21 assists) and was named Central Athletic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in both 2005 and 2006. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training from Dominican College in 2006 and was recognized for his academic accomplishments as a senior having earning the highest grade point average amongst the male student-athletes.
When asked about Bowles’ addition to the department, Drews said, "With Jim Bowles at the helm of our new men’s cross country team, we have been able to not only secure a head coach with over 20 years of head coaching experience, but a gentleman who lives and breathes the sport.” Drews added, “We couldn’t have found a better person to start a program and make us contenders in just a few years."
Bowles is still an active runner himself and very involved within the sport having served as the Elite Athlete Coordinator for the Freihofer’s Run for Women as well as a member of the Capital District Track and Field Officials organization. He will begin building his cross country program immediately for the Sage Gators and will have an entire year to build his program in advance of the first competition in the Fall of 2010.
During his tenure at Siena, Bowles led both the men’s and women’s programs that have progressed in size and he helped develop hundreds of quality student-athletes. The women’s team topped Siena’s 18 Division I sports in the 2007-08 academic year with a 3.49 team GPA. The men’s team was also one of 12 teams to post a 3.0 GPA or better (3.19).
Both the men’s and women’s teams were named National Academic Squads multiple times during Bowles’ tenure, often earning the recognition with distinction. Bowles’ student-athletes also have competed in America’s premier road races, including the Boston and New York Marathons. Siena’s top finish in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships under Bowles came in 2002 and 2003 when the women’s team finished in third place.
Bowles is a 1979 graduate of the University of California at Sacramento, having earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history and sociology. He earned a master’s degree in 1981 from the University of Ohio-Dayton in aerospace engineering and a Master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas-Jonesboro in 1983.