Justin Maullin begins his second season as head men’s soccer coach at UNCG, and his first without the “interim” tag.
   
Maullin made his promotion an easy decision for UNCG Director of Athletics Kim Record, who officially made Maullin the program’s seventh head coach on Nov. 22, 2010 after nearly a year as the interim boss.
   
All Maullin did in his first season was guide the Spartans to a share of the Southern Conference regular season title, the SoCon Tournament championship and the program’s 12th NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. Maullin was an easy choice for SoCon Coach of the year honors, becoming the first rookie head coach in the 22-year history of the conference tournament to claim the title.
   
“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.”
   
“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.
   
Maullin, 35, was appointed the interim head coach on Jan. 8, 2010 -- 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.
   
In all, Maullin led the Spartans to a 12-6-4 overall record in 2010. But it was the way UNCG played down the stretch which turned heads.
   
Owning a pedestrian 5-5-1 record in early October, the Spartans came to life over the final six weeks of the season, enjoying an 11-match unbeaten streak (8-0-3) which culminated with a 1-0 win over Furman in the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. A 3-0 loss at Georgetown in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament couldn’t put a damper on a magical season.
   
“I told the guys that I am not going to let this one game define our season,” Maullin said after the match. “It has been an incredible year and an incredible journey. I told the guys who are returning that they have set the bar high for next year.”    
   
Maullin had just nine players return from the 2009 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 eventual leading scorer Hakan Ilhan.
   
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 overall seasons at UNCG, the Spartans have 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. He was also drafted into the Eastern Indoor Soccer League. Maullin played two years for the Cocoa Expos and two years for the Central Florida Kraze. In 1993 he signed with the New Orleans Gamblers.
   
Maullin later earned a master’s degree from UCF in business administration in December 2001.
   
In April 2011, Maullin was inducted as a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class at William Carey.
   
After his graduation from William Carey, 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.