University of Nevada - Las Vegas

UNLV Athletics Department
4505 Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, NV 89154

Division 1 Nevada Southwest

Public Very Large National competitor

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BJ Craig

BJ Craig was named the head coach of the men's soccer program at UNLV in January 2022.

Craig comes to Las Vegas after serving as Oregon State's associate head coach for the last four seasons. Prior to OSU, Craig held positions as assistant and associate head coach at Notre Dame over a 10-year span (2008-18), assistant coach at Louisville in 2007, and head coach for four years (2003-06) at Saint Francis University (Pa.).

"BJ has coached collegiate soccer at the highest levels over the past 18 years, including this past season's top NCAA seed in Oregon State and with a national championship team at Notre Dame in 2013," Harper said. "He has a clear vision for where he intends to take our program and understands the importance of student-athlete development and achievement, both academically and athletically. He has a strong recruiting plan and coaching philosophy and we are confident he is prepared to take UNLV men's soccer to the next level."

Craig brings a breadth of NCAA Tournament experience to the Rebel program as he helped guide the Beavers to the Big Dance three times, the Irish to nine tournament appearances and the Cardinals to one trip. Most notably, Craig was on the coaching staff when Oregon State made a run to the Elite Eight as the overall No. 1 seed in 2021 and when Notre Dame won the 2013 national title.

"I am thrilled with the opportunity to become the next head coach of the UNLV men's soccer program," Craig said. "I am thankful and fortunate to have worked alongside so many great people over the years and the same is true for me now at UNLV. I am grateful to Erick Harper, Chris Pugh, and the entire search committee for trusting me to lead this program going forward. I also want to recognize Rich Ryerson for his dedication and devotion as a player and coach over the years, along with the many alumni at UNLV who have given both on and off the field, helping to leave the jersey in a better place. We will continue to build on this legacy and make everyone proud. I can't wait to get started."

Along with coaching teams to national success, Craig's squads have come out on top of their conference a combined five times - the most recent being the Beavers' first-ever outright Pac-12 Championship this past season. Additionally, his Irish teams hoisted four conference trophies.

Under his leadership, Craig's former players have developed into some of the best in the country. He coached a MAC Hermann Trophy winner, three All-Americans, one Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and 20 All-Pac 12 selections in Corvallis, as well as 24 MLS draft picks, 10 All-Americans and 40 all-conference honorees in South Bend.

Among the most notable former players to train with Craig at his previous coaching stops are five-time MLS All-Star and 2012 MLS Defender of the Year Matt Besler and 2012 All-Star Justin Morrow. The duo has also earned caps with the United States Senior National Team.

Throughout his 20-plus years of coaching, Craig has received various accolades. His recognition includes forming part of the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Far West Regional Staff of the Year, the United Soccer Coaches Glenn "Mooch" Myernick National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014, South Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2013 and NEC Coach of the Year in 2004. He was also named among College Soccer News' Top Assistant Coaches list over a period of three straight years (2012-2014).

The long list of Craig's student-athletes' achievements not only pertains to the soccer pitch, but also extends into the classroom as demonstrated by one CoSIDA Academic All-American and two CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees under his tutelage at Oregon State. During his tenure at Notre Dame, he helped produce 11 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and two United Soccer Coaches Scholar Athletes of the Year.

A former student-athlete himself, Craig lettered one year at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and earned two more letters after transferring to Gordon College. During his time at Gordon, he helped lead the Fighting Scots to a Commonwealth Coast Conference title in 1992. Shortly after his playing career, Craig served as assistant coach at Dartmouth (1998-2003) and his alma mater, Gordon College (1995-96). He is a member of the NSCAA and holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) B License.

Craig graduated with his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Gordon College in 1993 and later earned his master's degree in education from UMass Lowell in 1997. He and his wife, Erin, have four children, Noah, Micah, Jonah and Mattea.

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David Casper

David Casper joined the Rebels in March 2022 as an assistant men's soccer coach after four seasons as head coach at East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Under Casper, the Bucs set records on the field and in the classroom. Casper recorded the program’s best two-year record in his first two seasons as head coach and instantly raised the bar for academic achievement as his first squad broke a 10-year record for team GPA.

Casper tested his Southern Conference squad against the best, facing national powers on a regular basis by scheduling nine top-25 opponents across his three seasons not interrupted by COVID-19. His 2018 team, which finished 9-7-1 and second in the SoCon, had the second-highest non-conference strength of schedule in all of Division I men’s soccer.

In the spring of 2021, senior defender Jordan Broadwater became the first ETSU men’s soccer player to be selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. Broadwater earned a 4.0 GPA in chemistry while starting the final seven games as right back.

Thirteen Bucs earned all-conference honors, five were named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team and Josh Perryman was named SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year under Casper’s guidance.

Prior to ETSU, Casper elevated Kentucky into one of the nation’s top defensive units. The Wildcats finished among the top 20 in goals-against average in four of Casper's five years as an assistant. Casper coached goalkeeper Callum Irving, who set program records for shutouts (27) and goals-against average (0.86) becoming an NSCAA Scholar All-America, two-time All-American, Conference USA Player of the Year, Defensive MVP and Golden Glove winner.

Casper helped guide St. Francis (Pa.) to its five-ever back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2010 and 2011. While working with the goalkeepers, St. Francis set the school record for shutouts in a season (11), ranked third in the NCAA in shutout percentage (0.61), sixth in save percentage (.864) and 11th in goals-against average (0.65).

Casper also has stops at William Paterson (Wayne, N.J.) that, in 2008, won its first postseason championship since 1975, Timothy Christian High School in Piscataway, N.J., and Somerset Christian Academy in Zarepath, N.J.

He has additional experience as a trainer for the N.Y. Red Bulls Regional Development School (2006-08), where he worked with under-14 field players and goalkeepers. In 2008, he was the trainer for Competitive Goalkeeping in Bridgewater, N.J., training a variety of different ages and levels of keepers.

Casper had a standout player career as a goalkeeper at Wheaton College (Ill.) and Messiah College (Pa.). While at Wheaton, he had a 0.63 goals-against average in 2001, with five shutouts. After transferring to Messiah College, he served as the starter on the 2002 Division III National Champions, totaling a 0.40 goals-against average and a school-record 16.5 shutouts. In 2006-07, he served as the starting keeper for William Paterson, posting eight shutouts. Following his collegiate career, Casper had a trial with Independiente de Medellin, in the Colombia First Division.

Casper earned his bachelor’s in physical education from William Paterson and received his master’s in education from St. Francis University.

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Trevor Swartz

Trevor Swartz begins his first season as an assistant coach with UNLV after being hired in January 2023.

Swartz most recently served as the head coach of Division III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, taking over in 2022. Swartz joined the program in 2021 as an assistant coach and was part of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Coaching Staff of the Year. He helped CMS to its first-ever undefeated regular season against Division III opponents and its first undefeated conference record since 1993.

Swartz was a four-year standout for the Indiana men's soccer team from 2015-18, leading the nation in assists as a senior with 16, when he served as a team captain. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection and helped Indiana reach back-to-back College Cups, finishing as the runner-up in 2017 and as a semifinalist in 2018, when the Hoosiers ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the country.

After finishing his collegiate career, Swartz went on to the professional ranks, where he played one season with Toronto FC 2 and one season with the Greenville Triumph in South Carolina, where he was part of a USL Championship team in 2020. Around his professional career, Swartz also gained coaching experience, serving as a volunteer on the coaching staff at Sacramento State in 2019 and at DePaul in 2020.

A Cameron Park, California native, Swartz played at Ponderosa High School, where he set the school record for goals scored (62) and was invited to play in the 2013 High School Soccer All-America Game.

Swartz graduated from Indiana's Kelley School of Business as a triple major in economics, public policy analysis, and business analytics, and then earned his master's degree from Concordia University-Irvine in Coaching and Athletic Administration in 2021. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore, junior and senior, and served on the Indiana Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).