ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University Athletic Director Matt Land announced the hiring of Brendan Ledwith as Head Coach of the Thunder men's volleyball team that will be making its return as a varsity sport in 2018.
The return marks the first time the University has sponsored men's volleyball since 2002. It originally began as a club sport at Trine, then Tri-State, in 1990, and became a varsity sport in 1991. The Thunder won the MIVA/NAIA Championship in 1998.
"I want to thank Matt Land, Dr. Brooks and Trine University for the opportunity to coach the men's program and join the Thunder family," said Ledwith. "I look forward to the challenge of restarting the program as a varsity sport and I believe the program can become one that the entire community can be proud of."
"We are excited to welcome Brendan as head coach of our men's volleyball program," said Land. "Trine has seen a substantial amount of growth in the past several years, both athletically and institutionally. Brendan was the right choice to continue that growth with his background as a volleyball coach, in addition to his recruiting experience, in building a successful program."
Ledwith comes to Trine after a year at Colorado College as an assistant coach with the Tiger volleyball program. While there, Ledwith worked with the outside hitters and was part of a coaching staff that guided the team to an AVCA (American Volleyball Coach's Association) Top-25 national ranking for the duration of the 2016 season. He was also responsible for recruiting in the east coach region.
In addition to his coaching stint at the college ranks, Ledwith adds years of experience coaching at the high school and club levels.
Alongside serving as an assistant at Colorado College, Ledwith was a coordinator of sport development for USA volleyball in the Colorado Springs area and led various forums, clinics and other educational events to promote the sport and further continue the growth of men's and boy's volleyball. He also served as the assistant coach with the boy's team at the Vanguard School in Colorado Springs, where his duties included scouting and video sessions, and assisted with offensive strategy. In the spring of 2016 and 2017, he helped lead Vanguard to the 3A state title.
Prior to his arrival in Colorado Springs, Ledwith was head coach of the boy's volleyball squad at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pa. After starting the program from scratch in 2013, he guided his teams to a 12-7 record the next year and then a 21-4 mark in 2015, which resulted in a PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc.) quarterfinal berth and top-10 ranking.
His club experience includes working with Team Colorado Volleyball starting the boy's programs and East Coast Power Volleyball as Boys Director and coach of the 18-1's team at both.
Ledwith is a 2009 graduate of Saint Joseph's (Pa.) University where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He is currently working towards a master's degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia University-Irvine (Calif.) and is expected to finish the program this fall.
As an undergraduate at Saint Joseph's, Ledwith played club volleyball, which competes in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Volleyball Club (MACVC), and competed in four regional tournaments.
Trine will compete as a member of NCAA Division III. The university will be one of four schools in Indiana to offer varsity men's volleyball competition at the collegiate level. The Thunder will be the only NCAA Division III men's volleyball program in the state.