2008 Woodie Awards
The man
Ben Nielsen
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: Sports
Ben Wade is crazy.
This is really all anybody needs to know about the head women's soccer coach at Southwest Baptist University. Well, I take that back, there is something else people should know: he is a winner.
Very few at SBU exhibit the kind winning attitude Wade has shown. He has been overshadowed as of late, and rightfully so, by Men's Head Basketball Coach Jeff Guiot.
Guiot is 31-21 in the MIAA in his first three years as head coach. When he entered into his current position, SBU men's basketball had a combined 25-65 conference record. They had not won an MIAA tournament game since 1991 and had their only successful season shot down by NCAA regulation violations. So, Guiot's quick and immediate turnaround is something to be admired. It is not easy to completely rebuild a program in a conference like the MIAA.
But Wade's situation is almost just as spectacular.
When Wade took the job as head coach of the women's soccer team, he was taking over a program that was on the verge of dominating like no other SBU sports team had ever dominated. Wade was inheriting MIAA Most Valuable Player Pip Meo, first team All-MIAA performers Vanessa Toll, Victoria Bright, Sally Wade, Priscilla Duncan and MIAA Freshman of the Year Hayley Moorwood.
Wade would never see the likes of Meo, Toll, Wade and Moorwood. Different situations led them to transfer from SBU. All of a sudden, Wade had to rebuild.
With stingy defense and the worst luck in the world, Wade went 4-7-3 in the MIAA that season, with six of the team's losses coming by one goal. A goal that either Meo, Moorwood or Toll could have easily provided.
But here was the difference with Wade: he never complained. You could give him every opportunity to put the blame on someone else, or say that he was coming into a team that was going through a transition year, or he could have said he had the worst luck in the world. But he didn't. All he would say is how good they would be in their next match and how good they would be next season.
For the most part, he was right. The Lady Bearcats rebounded to go 8-3-3 this season, beat Truman State for the first time in school history, finished third in the conference and narrowly missed a bid to go to the NCAA Tournament. Even with this turnaround, Wade will still contend that his teams can be better. He will tell you they can play better on offense and defense. He will tell you there is no reason they should not win the MIAA this season and that what he wants is a national championship.
Wade is the Guiot of non-revenue sports. His 12-10-6 record ranks him with Guiot in being the only active SBU coaches with winning records in the MIAA (minus men's and women's tennis).
Wade and his Lady Bearcats are going to be playing at the level next year that should land them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. And when they make the tournament I would hope that the team and Wade receive the same acclamations as Guiot did.
This is really all anybody needs to know about the head women's soccer coach at Southwest Baptist University. Well, I take that back, there is something else people should know: he is a winner.
Very few at SBU exhibit the kind winning attitude Wade has shown. He has been overshadowed as of late, and rightfully so, by Men's Head Basketball Coach Jeff Guiot.
Guiot is 31-21 in the MIAA in his first three years as head coach. When he entered into his current position, SBU men's basketball had a combined 25-65 conference record. They had not won an MIAA tournament game since 1991 and had their only successful season shot down by NCAA regulation violations. So, Guiot's quick and immediate turnaround is something to be admired. It is not easy to completely rebuild a program in a conference like the MIAA.
But Wade's situation is almost just as spectacular.
When Wade took the job as head coach of the women's soccer team, he was taking over a program that was on the verge of dominating like no other SBU sports team had ever dominated. Wade was inheriting MIAA Most Valuable Player Pip Meo, first team All-MIAA performers Vanessa Toll, Victoria Bright, Sally Wade, Priscilla Duncan and MIAA Freshman of the Year Hayley Moorwood.
Wade would never see the likes of Meo, Toll, Wade and Moorwood. Different situations led them to transfer from SBU. All of a sudden, Wade had to rebuild.
With stingy defense and the worst luck in the world, Wade went 4-7-3 in the MIAA that season, with six of the team's losses coming by one goal. A goal that either Meo, Moorwood or Toll could have easily provided.
But here was the difference with Wade: he never complained. You could give him every opportunity to put the blame on someone else, or say that he was coming into a team that was going through a transition year, or he could have said he had the worst luck in the world. But he didn't. All he would say is how good they would be in their next match and how good they would be next season.
For the most part, he was right. The Lady Bearcats rebounded to go 8-3-3 this season, beat Truman State for the first time in school history, finished third in the conference and narrowly missed a bid to go to the NCAA Tournament. Even with this turnaround, Wade will still contend that his teams can be better. He will tell you they can play better on offense and defense. He will tell you there is no reason they should not win the MIAA this season and that what he wants is a national championship.
Wade is the Guiot of non-revenue sports. His 12-10-6 record ranks him with Guiot in being the only active SBU coaches with winning records in the MIAA (minus men's and women's tennis).
Wade and his Lady Bearcats are going to be playing at the level next year that should land them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. And when they make the tournament I would hope that the team and Wade receive the same acclamations as Guiot did.
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