W&L NAMES NEIL CUNNINGHAM HEAD WOMEN'S SOCCER COACH

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee athletic director Mike Walsh has announced the appointment of Neil Cunningham as head women's soccer coach. Cunningham begins his duties immediately.

"It is very exciting to be given the opportunity to take a program which has seen such remarkable success in the past," said Cunningham. "To be able to come to a school like Washington and Lee and help to build upon that success is great."

"It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of Neil Cunningham as our women's soccer coach," said Walsh. "Neil has proven himself to be a successful coach at the highest level of Division III soccer. We are excited to have someone of Neil's proven ability to lead our women's soccer program, a program that has been skillfully directed by Jan Hathorn for the past 14 years. He has been a highly accomplished coach at Savannah College of Art & Design and we look forward to Neil imprinting our program with his enthusiasm, his knowledge and his passion for soccer."

Cunningham comes to Washington and Lee after serving as the head men's and women's soccer coach at Savannah A&D for six years.

At SCAD, Cunningham led the women's soccer program to a 62-29-5 overall record, taking each of his last two teams to the NCAA Division III Tournament. His 2000 squad was ranked as high as 21st nationally and finished the season ranked fourth in the NCAA South Region. His men's teams at Savannah A&D went 39-34-2 overall over five seasons.

Cunningham is a member of the NCAA South Region Soccer Committee and has worked with several youth soccer camps, including the NOGA Soccer Company and the Georgia State Soccer Association.

Prior to his time at Savannah A&D, Cunningham served with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) for one year, coaching the Long Island, N.Y., 15-year old boys team.

A native of England, Cunningham taught physical education at the St. James School in Bolton, England from 1992-94 and coached London's Brentford Football Club from 1988-92.

Cunningham earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from the West London Institute of Higher Education and is pursuing a master's degree in sport leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a U.S. Soccer Federation License and a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.

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