Interim no more, Justin Maullin named UNCG's men's soccer coach
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG Director of Athletics Kim Record announced Monday that Justin Maullin has been appointed head coach of the men's soccer program on a full-time basis after holding the title on an interim basis for the last 11 months.
Record informed members of the team in a meeting on Monday afternoon. Maullin, 35, was appointed the interim head coach on Jan. 8, two days after the retirement of long-time head coach Michael Parker. He had previously served as the program's full-time assistant for five seasons (2005-2009). He is the seventh head coach in the program's history, following Hall of Famers Parker and Mike Berticelli.
"I'm pleased to remove the 'interim' before Justin's title," said Record. "Justin has proven that he is the best fit for our program as it moves forward. His commitment to the development of our student-athletes - on the soccer field, in the classroom and as young men - is one of the reasons that he will be successful."
Under Maullin this season, the Spartans compiled a mark of 12-6-4, winning the Southern Conference's tournament title and gaining a share of the regular season title. The Spartans won their sixth SoCon regular season title this season. The tournament title was UNCG's fifth since joining the league in 1997.
For his efforts, Maullin was named the conference's Coach of the Year. He also became the first rookie head coach in the 22-year history of the conference tournament to claim the title. That gave UNCG a bid to the NCAA tournament, where the Spartans fell to Georgetown in the first round.
Maullin had just nine players return from last year's roster and brought 19 new players into the program. Seven of those new players were in the starting lineup on opening night. Among the new players were five all-conference selections, including the Southern Conference's leading scorer Hakan Ilhan.
"I want to thank Kim Record for the opportunity that she gave me back in January as the interim coach and now for this fantastic opportunity to be the head coach," said Maullin. "I am extremely grateful and one thing is for certain I will work hard to continue to make Kim, this department and our alumni proud.
"The support from the entire UNCG athletics staff, the alumni, and the parents has been very humbling and much appreciated. Most of the credit however needs to go to the players for trusting me, and for all their hard work and determination to get this program back on track this season.
"I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to lead such a great program with so much history and I hope to continue the winning tradition for many years to come."
A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Maullin spent six seasons as an assistant at UCF before coming to UNCG. During Maullin's tenure at UCF, the Golden Knights won 10 or more matches in five out of six seasons, advancing to the NCAA tournament each of his last three seasons. In his six at UNCG, the Spartans advanced to the NCAA tournament four times, with three of those appearances resulting in advancement to the round of 16.
Maullin attended William Carey College in Gulfport, Miss. He graduated from William Carey in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in management and marketing. During his time with the Crusaders, he served as a team captain and earned NAIA Academic All-American honors. Maullin later earned a master's degree from UCF in business administration in December 2001.
After his graduation from William Carey College, he stayed on with the Crusaders as an assistant men's soccer coach for two seasons, helping to guide the Crusaders to back-to-back NAIA national semifinal appearances. He helped William Carey to a No. 1-ranking in 1996 as a student-athlete and as an assistant coach in 1997 and 1998. In April 2007, Maullin was inducted into William Carey's Wall of Fame for his post-graduation successes.
He and his wife, Brittany, reside in Greensboro.
TRANSACTIONS:
UNCG – Named Justin Maullin head men's soccer coach on a full-time basis after serving as interim head coach for the last 11 months.
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