Spinney steps down as Thomas More volleyball coach; NKU men’s soccer adds impressive recruits

NKyTribune staff

Thomas More University athletic director Terry Connor announced that John Spinney has resigned as the Saints volleyball head coach to accept another position.

Spinney, who coached both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs, was 351-135 in his 15 seasons on the Saints’ sidelines. Spinney was also named American Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2018.

“We would like to thank Coach Spinney for his 15 years leading the Thomas More volleyball programs,” Connor said. “He elevated the Thomas More women’s volleyball program into a Top 25 national program and reestablished the men’s program last season. We wish him good luck in his future endeavors.”

A year ago, the Thomas More women posted a 33-4 record. The Saints also advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Thomas More opens its 2019 campaign at the Mid-South Conference Challenge Aug. 23-24 at Bowling Green, Ky. The Saints meet Bethel (Ky.) and Florida College on Aug. 23, followed by matches against Montreat (N.C.) and Union (Ky.) on Aug. 24.

Thomas More plays its home opener on Sept. 3, when perennial Mid-South Conference powerhouse Georgetown visits the Connor Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. showdown.

RIDDLE ANNOUNCES 2019 RECRUITING CLASS: Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer head coach Stu Riddle has announced the Norse’s 2019 recruiting class.

“My staff and I have scoured the globe to collate what we consider to be an excellent group of incoming student-athletes,” Riddle said. “I’d like to not only welcome the incoming players and their families to the Norse Soccer family but thank my staff for the countless hours they have spent on making this class happen. We are all very excited about this group of young men and are itching to get together again in August.”

The 10-player class will join NKU for the upcoming season. The recruits are:

•Brendan Auguste: Auguste is a 5-11 defender from St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was team captain for his senior season and helped his squad reach the second round of the Region of Peel Secondary Schools Athletic Association playoffs. He also played for Sigma FC in Mississauga under John Zervos. At Sigma, he was the team captain for the past five years and helped lead the team to a Soccer Academy Alliance Canada (SAAC) League title in 2018.

•Daniel Bermingham: Bermingham is a 5-10 goalkeeper from Houston, Texas. He spent the last season at Iowa Western Community College under head coach Jordan Craver. He appeared in nine games and made 29 saves on the season. Prior to Iowa Western, he played for Texans SC and was named to the All-State team and MVP of the district in his senior year.

•Gianni Bouzoukis: Bouzoukis is a 5-10 forward from Wellington, New Zealand. He played last year for Marshall University, where he led the Thundering Herd in scoring as a freshman with eight goals. His most notable game was in a 5-1 victory over Florida Atlantic in which he recorded a hat trick and an assist.

•Gino Geiser: Geiser is a 6-0 forward out of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati. He played an integral part on his high school squad, scoring 43 goals in a four-year span. He was named the Greater Catholic League South Division Player of the Year following a senior season that culminated in St. Xavier’s second straight district championship and a No. 10 state ranking by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association. Geiser also played for Kings Hammer SC in Cincinnati.

•Ryan Godding: Godding is a 6-0 midfielder that played for Charlton Athletic FC in London, England. He recorded 10 assists for Charlton over 52 games and helped the team win the U18 Professional Development League in 2018.

•Baj Maan: Maan is a 6-3 goalkeeper from Louise Arbour Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario. He also has played for Sigma FC, where he appeared in five games in 2019 and allowed eight goals.

•Samuel Nwosu: Nwosu is a 6-0 defender that joined Charlton Athletic FC at the age of 8 and has since played with the club up to the U18 level. Alongside current teammates Alex Willis and Ryan Godding, he helped Charlton win the U18 Professional Development League. In 23 games last season, he had a goal and a pair of assists.

•Josiah Pokopac: Pokopac is a 6-0 goalkeeper from Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio. He was a two-year captain for the Tigers and led them to a 2017 Sectional title and a 2018 Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) championship. He had 44 saves in his senior season and had the most shutouts in the ECC in 2017.

•Brodie Sallows: Sallows is a 5-8 forward from Anderson High School in Cincinnati. His senior campaign saw 20 netted goals and six assists as the Redskins finished the year with a 14-3-2 record. Sallows was also named to the All-Cincinnati first team and the All-Ohio second team.

•Ali Zohar: Zohar is a 5-9 midfielder from Surrey, British Columbia. During the last four years, he has competed on the Vancouver Whitecaps FC academy teams. Zohar was named the 2017 Whitecaps FC BMO Youth Player of the Year after starting all 34 games and scoring two goals.

NKU posted a 10-7 record last year, including a 3-5 mark in the Horizon League. The Norse open regular-season play on Aug. 30 with a road game against Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz.

Grand Canyon is the defending Western Athletic Conference champion and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season.

(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications, Thomas More and staff reports)