Fayette, Mo. - Central Methodist Head Women's Soccer Coach Dan Schmidlin has announced the promotion of Tyler Watkins to Associate Head Coach of the program.
Coach Watkins has served as the Eagles' assistant coach and goalkeepers coach for the last seven seasons.
"I am very happy for Tyler, and this title is extremely well deserved," said Coach Schmidlin. "Tyler has done an amazing job and is extremely loyal to Central. You can see the success that we have had together with the varsity program."
Director of Athletics, Jeff Sherman, also added, "Coach Watkins is most deserving of this promotion. He has been an instrumental piece to the overall success we enjoy as one of the premier NAIA Women's Soccer programs in the country. We are proud of Coach Watkins and his continued commitment to the overall wellness and student-athlete experience, which is instrumental to our success. Thank you, Tyler, and Congratulations!"
Since Watkins' arrival on campus in 2018, CMU has experienced unprecedented success, including five consecutive Heart Regular Season Championships (2019-2023), four consecutive Heart Tournament Championships (2019-2022), and seven straight appearances in the conference tournament championship game (2018-2024).
CMU has also been a consistent presence on the national stage, having qualified for the national tournament in each of the seven seasons Watkins has been on staff. Those appearances include three trips to the national quarterfinals and one semifinal appearance in 2021.
The Eagles have boasted a 118-22 record since 2018, which is an 84.2 winning percentage. The program's academic accomplishments are equally impressive, as 117 players have been named NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the last seven seasons.
Coach Schmidlin also commented on Watkins' role leading the reserve program, "Tyler's commitment to our reserve team day in and day out is amazing. He manages the schedule, conducts training sessions, drives to all away games —usually by himself —and gives it his all every day, doing whatever I ask him to do. Tyler is a great coach and person, and I am very fortunate to have him on my coaching staff."
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