Men's Soccer
December 15, 2008 10:58 PM | General
Marlon LeBlanc
Job TitleHead Coach
Joined Mountaineers2006
Years with Mountaineers3 years
Years Coaching8 years
CollegePenn State
Birthdate??
HometownEast Windsor, N.J.
E-Mail AddressMarlon.LeBlanc@mail.wvu.edu
Phone Number304-293-9888
- Biography
- Coaching History
- Playing Career
- Education
- Personal
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In just two seasons, head coach Marlon LeBlanc, the 2006 Soccer America and FieldTurf-Tarket National Coach of the Year, has built the West Virginia University men’s soccer program into a national contender, guiding the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons with first round byes, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2007 and winning the BIG EAST regular season championship in 2006. The proof of LeBlanc’s success is in the numbers. The Mountaineers have compiled a 29-9-5 (.733) record the past two seasons, including an impressive 16-3-2 (.810) BIG EAST mark. WVU is 18-3-1 at home during that span. Three players have been named All-Americans -- Jarrod Smith (2006), Nick Noble (2006) and Andy Wright (2007). Six players have been named All-BIG EAST, with two earning major conference awards (Noble, Smith, Wright, Dan Stratford, Gift Maworere and Andrew Halsell). Six players are now playing professionally (Pat Carroll (D.C. United), Jyler Noviello (Wilmington Hammerheads), Noble (Chicago Fire), Smith (Toronto FC), Stratford (D.C. United) and Wright (Scunthorpe United), including four in the MLS. Four players have been invited to the MLS combine. WVU has been ranked in the nation’s top 25 since the first week of the 2006 season. In the last two seasons against the nation’s top 25, West Virginia boasts an impressive 8-5-1 record. Accolades haven’t been limited to the field, either, during LeBlanc’s tenure as Carroll garnered ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America third team honors, and the squad boasted a 3.17 team GPA in 2007-08. In 2007, WVU was ranked for the length of season, posted a 14-6-2 record and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history as the NCAA tournament’s No. 15 seed. WVU pulled off three wins against the nation’s top 10: at No. 6 Maryland (1-0), at No. 5 Duke (1-0), and at home against No. 1 Connecticut (1-0), in front of 1,773 fans at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The win over the Huskies marked the highest-ranked team WVU had defeated in school history. Last season, the Mountaineers also set numerous school records: 14 shutouts, allowed just 11 goals, posted six-consecutive shutouts, and Stratford set the career assist mark at 27. LeBlanc took over at West Virginia on the opening day of preseason camp in 2006 and helped the program reach new heights immediately. The Mountaineers posted a 15-3-3 record in 2006, with a 9-0-1 record in BIG EAST play, marking the first time a team in the conference had gone undefeated playing at least a 10-game schedule. The 15 wins in 2006 were also the most in school history. For his efforts, LeBlanc and his assistants were named the 2006 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year and LeBlanc was named the NSCAA/adidas Northeast Region Coach of the Year. Under his tutelage, WVU spent eight weeks ranked in the top 10 in 2006 and five in the top five, ranking as high as third. LeBlanc came to WVU from Penn State where he played beginning in 1994, before serving as an assistant from 2001-05. His duties included serving as the recruiting coordinator, assistant director and coordinator for Penn State soccer camps, video analysis and coordination of game-day operations and community outreach. While coaching at Penn State, he helped the Nittany Lions earn NCAA tournament bids in four out of five seasons, including round of 16 appearances in 2001 and 2005 and a round of eight appearance in 2002. LeBlanc also guided PSU to Big Ten championships in 2002 and 2005. Penn State ended the 2002 season ranked No. 8 and finished the 2005 season ranked No. 10 by the NSCAA. In all, LeBlanc helped lead Penn State to a 62-34-12 record. That includes seven games in 2002 in which he filled in for coach Barry Gorman, posting a 4-3 record in the midst of a Big Ten championship run. During his time in the Big Ten, LeBlanc was considered to be amongst the nation's top collegiate assistants and best recruiters, earning a nomination for the 2002 AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2005, with all players part of LeBlanc’s recruiting classes, Penn State won the Big Ten regular season championship with a 6-0 record. The Nittany Lions also went on to win the Big Ten tournament title that year.
In 2004, LeBlanc recruited the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. That year, two of LeBlanc’s recruits were named to the Soccer America Freshman All-America team. As recruiting coordinator at Penn State, LeBlanc's classes were ranked No. 9 and No. 8 in America in 2001 and 2002, respectively, by collegesoccernews.com. The 2002 class was ranked No. 6 in America by Soccer America. In 2002, LeBlanc took over as the head coach of Penn State for a seven-game stretch as Barry Gorman had to step away for medical reasons. During that stretch, PSU posted a 4-3 record, with a 2-2 record in Big Ten play defeating Ohio State and Northwestern. The team went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion, UCLA. The East Windsor, N.J., native holds national, advanced national and premier coaching diplomas with a “Distinguished Pass” from the NSCAA. In 2005, LeBlanc served as a clinician at the NSCAA national convention. He is a member of the Black Soccer Coaches Association (BSCA) and serves on the Leadership Council for the Black Soccer Coaches Committee. In addition, LeBlanc holds a position as the BIG EAST representative on the NSCAA/adidas Division I Men's National Ranking Committee. He is also a member of: the Black Coaches Association (BCA), the NSCAA/adidas Northeast Ranking Committee and the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee. LeBlanc was instrumental in the creation of the ‘One WVU’ initiative which promotes diversity among all races of students, faculty and staff through fellowship on WVU’s campuses. A Hightstown High four-year starter, LeBlanc received all-state, all-area and all-county honors during his scholastic career. In addition to starring for his high school program, LeBlanc was a Region I Olympic Development Program (ODP) standout and a New Jersey ODP team captain. His club side Jersey Shore Boca (N.J.) captured the Under-17 New Jersey State Club Championship. LeBlanc has traveled to England, Brazil, Portugal, and most recently, to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to further his coaching education. LeBlanc recently became a member of the West Virginia ODP staff and was named to the Dominion Post’s 100 Most Influential people in 2007. He also serves as a leading mentor in the WVU Leadership Studies Program and is and adjunct member of WVU’s Fieldcrest Hall Advisory Board. LeBlanc graduated from Penn State in 2000 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics. He and wife Jennifer reside in Morgantown with their daughter, Alexandra, and son, Kellan.
^ Won conference tournament (Big Ten 2002, 2005; BIG EAST 2006) * LeBlanc took over for seven games as head coach and went 4-3.
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