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Dylan Harrison
Dylan Harrison ‘02 will enter his eighth year as head coach of the Trinity women’s soccer team during the 2023 season.
Appointed in 2016, the former Tiger men’s soccer standout has amassed a record of 122-13-6, for a winning percentage of .886 over the last six seasons.
The Tigers have captured seven SCAC Championships with Coach Harrison at the helm - including the 2022 season - and have advanced each year to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Respected by his peers, Coach Harrison was elected the SCAC Coach of the Year four times in a row.
In the fall of 2022, coach Harrison led Trinity to a 21-1-2 record and an SCAC Championship. The Tigers hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Harrison coached the SCAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year in Molly Sheridan and Bailey Meyer. In total, the Tigers had twelve players earn All-SCAC honors. The 2022 season warranted five 1st-team All Region players and two 1st-Team All-Americans.
Coach Harrison along with his staff have also been elected as the United Soccer Coaches West Region Staff of the Year two times in four seasons.
Due to the pandemic, the Tigers competed in a condensed season during the spring of 2021. Trinity finished with an unblemished 10-0 record and took home SCAC championship honors. En route to being crowned the conference champions, the Tigers poured in nine goals to defeat Schreiner in the conference quarterfinals on Apr. 17 and set a SCAC record for most goals scored in a single match. The Trinity University women’s soccer team was voted the no. 1 team in the nation by the United Soccer’s Coaches in the final poll but was unable to play in the NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19 cancelling fall sport championships.
Coach Harrison and his assistant coaches were also elected the 2019 NCAA Division III West Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches. Sharing the honor were Assistant Coaches Spencer Valdespino, Claire Edwards '08, and Jeremiah Narvaez.
Trinity completed the 2019 season with a 17-4-1 overall record, an 8-0-0 mark in the SCAC, and a #20 ranking by D3soccer.com. After securing the conference regular-season title, the Tigers headed to the SCAC Tournament at Georgetown, Texas, as the top seeds, and defeated the University of Dallas (TX) in the Semifinals. Trinity and host Southwestern (TX) University battled to a 0-0 regulation tie in the Championship Game. The Pirates edged the Tigers 5-4 in penalty kicks and claimed the SCAC title.
However, Trinity received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, marking the Tigers 11th consecutive appearance in the postseason event. The Tigers traveled to Abilene, Texas, for the first two rounds and defeated Pacific Lutheran (WA) University in the opener. Trinity then beat 19th-ranked host Hardin-Simmons (TX) University in the second.
The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time since 2016, during Coach Harrison's first year at the helm. The Tigers headed to Grantham, Pennsylvania, where the top-ranked host Messiah (PA) College prevailed in the third-round matchup.
Senior Kristen Canepa was elected to the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team for the second year in a row, and earned a slot on the D3soccer.com All-America Second Team. Canepa was honored as the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight occasion.
Coach Harrison’s squads have produced ten All-Americans, seven Academic All-Americans, eleven Scholar All-Americans, and 22 All-West Region honorees. Chelsea Cole was awarded a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship following the 2018 season while Lindsey Peng earned the same prestigious award after the 2021 spring season.
Since 2016, twelve Tigers have been elected the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. A total of 59 Trinity players have been tabbed for the All-SCAC Teams during Coach Harrison’s tenure.
The 2018 Tiger team completed the campaign with a 17-2-1 overall record and a #18 ranking by United Soccer Coaches. Trinity hosted the SCAC Championship and defeated Southwestern (TX) University to capture the conference title for the 10th consecutive occasion. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship and claimed a decision over Occidental (CA) College in the opening round at Abilene, Texas. The third-ranked host Hardin-Simmons (TX) University beat Trinity in the second round.
The 2017 Tigers finished with a 19-2-0 record and a #13 ranking by d3soccer.com. Trinity won the SCAC Championship with a victory over Texas Lutheran University. Heading to the NCAA Championship, the Tigers shut out the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) in the first round, and were eliminated by Hardin-Simmons in a tightly played second-round matchup.
Coach Harrison’s charges chalked up a 23-1-0 mark in 2016 and went undefeated in the regular season. The .958 winning percentage was the best in Division III. D3soccer.com ranked Trinity fifth in the nation in the final poll of the season.
The Tigers won the SCAC title by defeating Southwestern and opened the NCAA Division III Championship with a win over Mount Union (OH) College. Hanover (IN) College fell to Trinity in the second round. The Tigers returned home to take out Penn State (PA) Berks in the third round of the tournament. The eventual national champion, Washington University in St. Louis (MO) eliminated Trinity in the quarterfinals.
Harrison was a key member of the Tigers men’s team from 1998-2001. Under the guidance of Head Coach Paul McGinlay, the former defender and team captain earned All-SCAC Second Team accolades in 2000 and 2001. During Coach Harrison’s playing days the Tigers advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 1998 and 1999 and to the third round in 2000.
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 2002.
Prior to joining the Trinity staff, he held the head women’s soccer position at Nicholls State (LA) University from 2009-2016. The NCAA Division I program made great strides under his leadership, as the Colonels set a school record for single-season victories (2013) and was the sixth-most improved team in the nation that season.
Nicholls State advanced to the Southland Conference semifinals in 2014. His teams also produced two National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches) All-Region Players and a Southland Conference Player of the Year.
Coach Harrison holds the distinction of having the most career women’s soccer victories at the school, located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He earned a master’s degree in business administration at Nicholls State.
An excellent teacher of the sport of soccer, Coach Harrison mentored the ‘97 Louisiana Girls Olympic Development Team from 2012-2015. Three of the players attended national camps, and Coach Harrison was elected the 2014 Louisiana Soccer Association Coach of the Year.
From 2006-2008, Coach Harrison led the DIII women’s program at Sewanee: The University of the South (TN). He guided seven players to All-SCAC recognition. The versatile Coach Harrison was also an assistant track & field coach, focusing on sprinters and jumpers.
He began his coaching career in 2003 at San Antonio’s University of the Incarnate Word, and oversaw all travel logistics and game-day operations. UIW was a member of the NCAA Division II at that time.
A native of Napoleonville, Louisiana, Coach Harrison is married to the former Kristen Fillmore, a Nicholls State graduate, soccer standout, and assistant women’s coach. She is Trinity’s Associate Athletic Director for Recreation and Sports Camps. The couple was blessed with the birth of a son, Judson, in March 2018.
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