Originally published March 12, 2010 at 11:42 p.m., updated March 12, 2010 at 11:50 p.m.
Get to know the new coaches
Adrian Rigby
Originally from North Delta, British Columbia
Graduate of Averett University in Virginia
Will also serve as instructor, teaching coaching and leadership classes
Whitney Stromgren
Graduate of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, where she was named to the Division I All-Independent Golf Team
Served as graduate assistant at TAM-CC
Brian Williamson
Graduate of UT-Austin, where he won a conference championship in golf in 1981
Golf and teaching pro at Cuero Golf Course
25 years as a professional golfer and teacher
Starting a program from scratch can present challenges, but if you ask a trio of coaches getting ready to unveil teams at the University of Houston-Victoria, there are plenty of advantages, too.
On Friday, the school announced the hiring of head soccer coach Adrian Rigby, a former assistant at St. Edward's University in Austin.
They also introduced previously announced golf coaches, Brian Williamson and Whitney Stromgren.
From Stromgren's perspective, the advantages clearly outweight the disadvantages.
"Sure, there are challenges, but you get to choose an entire team to fit your program," she said. "I think there are actually more advantages."
Williamson and Rigby voiced similar feelings about the responsibilities laid out ahead of them.
One advantage for all three coaches is their freedom to offer significant playing time to high school recruits.
Rigby, in particular, is attempting to recruit 25-30 players. Roughly 75 percent of those players will likely be freshmen.
"I can't say 'you're the best player, but I've got this senior in front of you'," Rigby said. "If you're the best player, you're going to play."
UHV president Tim Hudson said the enthusiasm all three coaches showed for building a new program made them good fits in Victoria.
Hudson and UHV athletic director Ashley Walyuchow agreed that kind interest in starting a program fresh has been an important part of the early success of the school's baseball and softball programs.
Rigby has been an assistant at St. Edward's for the past five seasons, helping lead them to the Heartland Conference Championship in 2009.
They also held spots in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 poll in 2006 and 2008.
"I am thrilled that UHV has found such a high-quality soccer coach to lead our new men's and women's soccer teams," Walyuchow said. "Coach Rigby has a lot of knowledge about the game and great contacts that should help us recruit a strong team for the fall."
On the recruiting trail, Rigby said he's seen a lot of talent in the area - much of which he said is untapped.
The coaches aren't just looking locally, however. All three have already spoken to recruits internationally.
But likely most importantly, the trio agrees the academic development of their student athletes is the top goal.
"Everyone at UHV knows that they are students first, and athletes second," Hudson said.
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