Carson-Newman Hires Carol Bonnes As Head Women’s Soccer Coach

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman College has named Carol Bonnes head women's soccer coach, C-N athletic director David Barger announced Tuesday.

Bonnes becomes the program's fifth head coach since it began in 1991. She comes to Carson-Newman from Concord University (W.Va.) where she served as head coach for the last two seasons.

"We are excited to welcome Carol Bonnes to the Carson-Newman athletic family," C-N athletic director David Barger said. "She brings a wealth of soccer knowledge to our very successful program and will create a smooth transition for our student-athletes because of her coaching and teaching style."

Bonnes (pronounced BONES) replaces former C-N head coach Phil McNamara, who left the Carson-Newman program in March to accept the same position at Division-I UT Martin.

McNamara led the C-N program to new heights during his eight seasons, including seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, a combined nine South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles, and two D-II final four appearances.

Bonnes led Concord to a 24-15-1 mark overall, and a 16-4 record in WVIAC play, during her two seasons as the Mountain Lions' head coach. Her squads finished second in the WVIAC in 2008, posting a 9-1 mark in conference play.

Last fall, Concord finished 12-7 over and was 7-3 in league play, good for a fourth-place finish in the WVIAC standings. She had eleven players named to the All-WVIAC squads in her two seasons at Concord, including five who earned first-team honors.

Bonnes took over as Concord's head coach before the 2008 season after serving the program as a graduate assistant since 2006. The Mountain Lions won the WVIAC regular season title in 2006, her first season as an assistant at Concord.

The Ireland native was a first team All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference midfielder for the Mountain Lions in 2001 and 2002.