Holgorsen named Coach of the Year

When Dana Holgorsen was hired as head coach of the Mountaineer football team last June, many expected him to be recognized for his accomplishments.

After just one season, Holgorsen added another accolade, earning The Daily Athenaeum’s West Virginia University Coach of the Year.

While leading the Mountaineers to a 10-3 record in 2011, Holgorsen’s team also won the Big East Conference championship in its final season before moving to the Big 12 Conference.

The most memorable moment of Holgorsen’s young head-coaching career came in January, when WVU defeated Clemson in record-setting fashion, 70-33, in the Discover Orange Bowl.

Holgorsen closely nudged West Virginia women’s soccer head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown for the top spot.

Izzo-Brown led her squad to its second consecutive Big East Conference championship and its third conference title in the last five seasons. The Mountaineers finished 17-5 on the season and 10-1 in conference play, marking the first time the program earned 10 wins in conference play since its first season in 1996.

Izzo-Brown’s career coaching record now stands at 224-87-32.

Finishing No. 3 in this year’s Coach of the Year voting was women’s basketball head coach Mike Carey.

Carey’s team had only one senior on the roster but was still very successful. The Mountaineers exceeded expectations with a trip to the Big East Conference semifinals and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

West Virginia finished 24-10 overall and 11-5 in Big East play, while earning victories over five ranked opponents, including arguably the biggest win in school history with an upset victory over No. 2 Notre Dame.

Female Athlete of the Year:

Junior shooter Petra Zublasing was named The Daily Athenaeum’s West Virginia University Female Athlete of the Year.

The Appiano, Italy, native was named the 2012 Great American Rifle Conference Shooter of the Year.

Zublasing’s best performance of the season came against Army, where she shot a perfect score of 600. She was the only Mountaineer to record a perfect score this season.

Zublasing also finished second place in air rifle at the 2011 NCAA Championships.

Finishing second in the voting was sophomore gymnist Hope Sloanhoffer.

Sloanhoffer was recently named the West Virginia gymnastics team MVP for the second-straight year. She was ranked No. 1 all season in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League.

West Virginia women’s basketball junior center Asya Bussie earned third place. Bussie led the team with 12.1 points per game this season to go with a team-high 73 blocks. She scored a career-high 22 points in a 65-63 upset victory over No. 2 Notre Dame Feb. 12.