Gulf Coast named South Region Staff of the Year

PERKINSTON — For the second time in four seasons, Mississippi Gulf Coast men's soccer team has been led by the top staff in the South Region.

The Bulldogs' staff, with head coach Chris Handy and assistants Windham Whatley and Zach Seymour, was named winner of the United Soccer Coaches South Region Staff of the Year.

"It's recognition for a good year," Handy said. "We don't get recognized without the team, so it's kind of a team award as much as anything to do with us as coaches. I'm proud of the boys and what they did this year."

Gulf Coast finished as MACCC runners-up and earned a spot in the NJCAA Division II Championship field for the second time in school history. The Bulldogs finished 12-4-5 and lost a pair of one-goal games in Huntsville, Ala., including forcing the top-seeded Pima team to overtime.

Handy and his staff won the award in 2021 after the Bulldogs' first trip to the NJCAA Tournament. Whatley was a member of that staff, as well, and Seymour played on that squad.

Whatley, a former Bulldogs captain, handles a lot of the paperwork and planning duties for the team. He's also a key instructor at practice sessions and contributes to tactical planning and adjustments.

"He's a big part of our staff," Handy said. "He's the reason the staff works like it does. We wouldn't be where we are without him. He deserves the recognition that comes with this."

Seymour took over coaching of the keepers this year, working with David Ruiz Ospina, one of the best in school history.

"Goalkeepers are a specialized position, and he stepped in there to make sure those guys got work," Handy said. "David was named All-American, so he's a big part of that."

The Gulf Coast coaches will be honored at the USC national convention in Chicago this weekend.

For more information on MGCCC's 12 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.