WSU hires Todd Shulenberger as next women's soccer coach

WSU went and got another football coach from Lubbock, Texas, as the school announced this morning they've hired Todd Shulenberger to be their next women's soccer head coach. Shulenberger replaces Steve Nugent, who left the program last month after just one year on the job, citing undisclosed personal reasons.

This will be Shulenberger's first head coaching gig, but he has spent the last six years as an associate head coach at Missouri and most recently at Texas Tech. Before that, he was an assistant at Clemson and, like many college coaches, spent time on the club circuit before making it to the collegiate ranks.

"I believe Todd to be an outstanding coach and with the opportunity to run his own program, will continue the progression of one of the Pac-12’s premier soccer programs," athletics director Bill Moos said in the news release. "Todd comes from a winning background with NCAA appearances at each of his last three schools, including back-to-back NCAA tournaments at Texas Tech in 2013 and 2014. He is a proven recruiter, has a strong technical background and is a great fit to lead Cougar soccer in the toughest soccer conference in the nation."

And here's Shulenberger's quote in the release: "I am very fortunate to have worked for some great coaches along this journey from Clemson to Mizzou and my last stop at Texas Tech. The opportunity to lead this great university in the prestigious Pac-12 Conference is something special in so many ways. My family and I are very excited to move to the great college town of Pullman."

Shulenberger is used to the same thing the Cougs are: the postseason. He has been to the NCAA Tournament in each of his last four seasons as an associate head coach in Columbia and Lubbock. Meanwhile, the Cougs have appeared in the postseason in each of the last four years.

Shulenberger arrives in Pullman at a good time, too. The Lower Soccer Field is the next facility to receive upgrades and new stands and concessions should be completed before the 2016 season. The field has already gotten much needed drainage improvements, as well as a new scoreboard and the all-important lights for night games.

Hopefully this represents some desperately needed stability for WSU soccer which, despite the heavy turnover at the head coaching spot, has been an incredibly successful program in recent years. Shulenberger is the team's fourth coach in five years, unreal turnover for any coaching position. If Shulenberger stays for a while (he's in his early 40s with a family, so the ideal circumstance for WSU), this program can finally get the security it deserves.