National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - Briefly in the NewsOctober 25, 1999
Friendly feud for McCraths
It was a good-natured family feud when father met son for a Division II men's soccer showdown in Seattle October 23. Cliff McCrath, the legendary men's soccer coach at Seattle Pacific University, led his team against his son, Steve McCrath, now the head coach at Barry University. In 29 seasons at Seattle Pacific, the elder McCrath took a once-struggling program and made it into one of the most dominant teams in Division II history. McCrath is No. 2 on the all-time Division II men's soccer coaching victory list, with most of his wins coming at the helm at Seattle Pacific, which has had a winning record for 28 consecutive seasons. He recently notched his 500th career victory in men's soccer, becoming only the second coach in collegiate soccer history to reach the milestone. He has directed his team to five NCAA national championships, and he was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 1993. Steve McCrath seems to be following in his father's footsteps. At 31, he is a promising second-year coach at Barry. Last year, he led Barry to its first berth in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship since 1985, a school-record eight-match win streak and the highest national ranking in the school's history (12th). The younger McCrath also was named the Sunshine State Conference's Coach of the Year. Steve's success at his first head coaching job didn't surprise someone who knows him well. "I am not the least bit surprised with Steve's success at Barry," Cliff McCrath said. "He has a great understanding of the game and has an insightful, thorough teaching ability. I wonder where he learned that from?" The younger McCrath was a standout on Seattle Pacific's 1986 NCAA national championship team, and that experience is one of his fondest memories. "Winning the championship with him (when I was) a freshman was very special to me, and I wear the ring every day as a reminder," Steve McCrath said. The younger McCrath coached in his father's program from 1995 to 1998. At press time, both McCraths were looking forward to the father-son matchup, which isn't just for fun. In a national poll shortly before the game, Seattle Pacific was ranked seventh in Division II, and Barry was ranked second. "I'm excited in a weird way," Steve McCrath said. "I feel like a little kid going home for the first time after being away at college." Said the elder McCrath, "I can't approach it as just another game, and I can't be distracted with all that will be going on. It will be something special, I'm sure."
'Border Battle' in domeThe Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference will present a unique "Border Battle" of football in the Metrodome in Minneapolis November 13 and 14. The inaugural event will feature two games on Saturday and five games on Sunday. The first Saturday game will be the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, vs. the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and the second game will be the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, vs. Winona State University. Sunday's games will feature the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, vs. the University of Minnesota, Morris; the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, vs. Moorhead State University; the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, vs. Bemidji State University; the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, vs. Northern State University; and the University of Wisconsin, Stout, vs. Southwest State University. "We hope to generate a tremendous amount of interest throughout the upper Midwest for this event," said WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner. "Where else could someone personally attend seven college games within a 30-hour period?" Scoring out-Paces othersTeams that take on the University of West Florida in women's soccer should know the name Pace, and no, not the salsa. Three minutes into the second half of West Florida's 8-0 win over Florida Southern College, Brook Pace scored. Exactly 20 seconds later, Brook's sister, Bridget Pace, scored a goal, marking what's thought to be the fastest back-to-back soccer goals ever scored by sisters in NCAA competition. Top of the chartsThree women's basketball teams in Division II are celebrating top-12 finishes in the classroom and on the court. North Dakota State University ranked eighth in the final Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll and ninth in a recently released WBCA academic honor roll, recognizing teams with the highest grade-point averages. Montana State University-Billings finished in 11th place in both polls, while Indiana University of Pennsylvania finished 12th in the basketball poll and sixth academically. -- Compiled by Kay Hawes |
