PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College’s first-year head coach Lance Von Vogt was named the 2011 NWAACC men’s basketball coach of the year Thursday.
Von Vogt’s remarkable run included a 22-7 overall record, a perfect 9-0 mark in the Pirates gym and a second-place finish in the North Region.
The Pirates then earned four straight wins in the NWAACC Basketball Championship Tournament where the Pirates claimed their first title since 1970.
Peninsula defeated Pierce College of Tacoma 80-76 in the title game in Kennewick.
“It’s a pretty special accomplishment to win the NWAACC championship, but it’s truly outstanding for a coach to pull that off in the first year,” said Peninsula Athletic Director Rick Ross.
“We were excited to bring Lance on board last summer. We knew he could coach and we knew he could recruit, but I don’t think anyone expected him to build a championship program in three months.”
Von Vogt was the runner-up in the North Region coach of the year balloting, but he has won that honor before.
He was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 17 coach of the year in 2005 as head coach at Oxford College, Oxford, Ga.
Von Vogt will be honored at the NWAACC Hall of Fame dinner in Vancouver, Wash., on June 2.
