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Athletics appoints Torrey Stricklin as men’s soccer head coach

Stricklin takes the place of Todd Elkins, who stepped down in November 2019.
Athletics appoints Torrey Stricklin as men’s soccer head coach
Photo courtesy of Marlena Lang // THE CHIMES

Lee University’s Torrey Stricklin will replace Todd Elkins as Biola’s men soccer head coach, starting with the fall 2020 season.

After Elkins’ shock resignation following Biola men’s soccer 2019 season, the team had a gaping hole in the coaching department. The future suddenly seemed uncertain for the Eagles, who were now without a leader. Enter Torrey Stricklin.

THE MAN FOR THE JOB

Biola Athletics filled the men’s soccer head coaching vacancy by hiring Stricklin, who leaves behind an assistant coaching position at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee after two seasons for the job here in La Mirada. In the 60-year history of the program, Stricklin has become the 10th coach at the helm for BU.

Stricklin spent four years at Gordon College in Massachusetts as a soccer player himself. In his senior season, he led the Fighting Scotts to a conference championship and a NCAA Division III National Tournament berth. 

After his playing career ended, Stricklin began adding to his coaching repertoire at Brown University in Rhode Island. There, he served as an assistant coach for one year. His experience also extends beyond the college game, as he worked in player development in the New England Revolution Academy, a Major League Soccer-affiliated academy that cultivates young talent for college and professional level competition.

“Coach Stricklin has strong coaching expertise and spiritual leadership, and has demonstrated excellence in program administration,” said Athletic Director Bethany Miller in an email. “He cares deeply for the holistic development of student-athletes and discipling them during college.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Stricklin will be taking over an Eagles team that had an 8-7-3 overall record (6-3-2 PacWest) in the 2019 season. BU did not make the postseason last year, but advancing to their first PacWest tournament will surely be a goal of the new head coach this upcoming fall. 

“Coach Stricklin will build upon the tradition of success of our Biola men’s soccer program,” Miller said. “He is a learner, a teacher and a strong recruiter, and we are looking forward to seeing our men’s soccer student-athletes thrive and reach new heights under his leadership in this next era of the program.”

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About the Contributor
Zachary Devane
Zachary Devane, Deputy Sports Editor
Zach Devane is a sophomore journalism major from Indio, California. He loves Jesus, the Los Angeles Lakers and will eat chicken in almost any form. Hi! I am from Indio, California, home of the famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. I know it sounds like a dream come true to live so close to where all the excitement and chatter takes place, but I assure you that hundreds of thousands of people flooding your hometown for three weeks straight is more like a nightmare. Fun fact, I have lived in Indio for 17 of my 20 years of life and I have only been to Coachella once.  The people I look up to most in my life are my parents. My father grew up playing basketball in Los Angeles and ever since I was a little kid he wanted to make sure that I would be a “BALLER!” (which he also called himself very often, and was just as often met with an eye-roll from my mother).  Although I never made it to the NBA, my love for basketball, and sports in general, has never waned. I get excited to watch a game, hear sports talk on the radio, or even read/write an article about sports, even if I am a NARP. I decided to combine my love for sports with a love for storytelling here at the Chimes. Sports in their nature are inspiring. They call for one to go beyond what they think is possible in order to achieve a goal, and when one does so, that story should be heard.  I want to tell these stories here at Biola and hopefully inspire a generation of students to reach for more.
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