Reis is Second-Fastest Coach in Division III Women's Soccer History To Reach 200 Wins

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College head women's soccer coach Luis Reis became the second-fastest coach and 25th overall in Division III women's soccer history to reach the 200-win plateau when his nationally-ranked Lyons defeated regional power Tufts University in a non-conference road game Tuesday.  Reis accomplished the milestone in 238 games.  Joe Russo at The College of New Jersey did so in 234.

Boasting the third-highest winning percentage among all Division III women's soccer coaches with a minimum of 10 years as a coach, Reis entered the year with an astounding 196-30-7 record, good for an .856 clip.  He is in elite company, ranking fifth in winning percentage among all NCAA women's coaches and third for active Division III coaches.  Reis is the 18th active Division III coach with 200 wins.

Reis is also the fifth active Wheaton coach to reach 200 wins, as Matt Cushing (men's soccer), Gina Loudenburg (softball), Lynn Miller (women's tennis) and Eric Podbelski (baseball) have all done so.  Loudenburg's women's volleyball teams surpassed 200 victories during her 11-year tenure from 1990-2000, while Del Malloy coached the women's basketball team to more than 200 wins in 13 seasons from 1984-1997.

Taking over a program that had just five winning seasons in 18 years, Reis made an immediate impact in 1997, leading the team to its most wins in school history to that point, a New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) Tournament championship and the team's first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament appearance. Reis has built a program that has compiled a record of 200-30-8 (.857) in the last 11 years with at least 18 wins in each of his last eight seasons.  The team has earned seven straight NCAA Tournament bids, advancing to the Final Four in 2004 and the Elite Eight in 2002 and 2003.

Hosting NCAA Tournament games the last seven seasons, Wheaton captured three straight regional titles from 2002-04 under Reis' tutelage.  He was also at the helm for the program's lone ECAC Tournament title in 1999.  Reis has found unmatched success in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), putting together a string of eight consecutive regular season crowns and six tournament championships.  Since 2001, his teams have amassed a 76-game conference unbeaten streak, which is the second-longest such stretch in NCAA soccer history regardless of division or gender.  The Lyons have posted a 96-5-4 all-time mark against NEWMAC competition, including a 74-3-2 record in regular season play.

Reis was named New England Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) three times and NEWMAC Coach of the Year twice.  He has been voted New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Coach of the Year in four of the last eight seasons.

Wheaton All-Time Coaching Wins List

Name                              Sport                         Years (Seasons)              Record

Gina Loudenburg               Softball                      1990-current (18)              504-188-3

Eric Podbelski                   Baseball                      1998-current (10)              304-123-4

Lynn Miller                       W. Tennis                  1980-current (28)              275-195-2

Gina Loudenburg               W. Volleyball              1990-2000 (11)                 244-153

Del Malloy                        W. Basketball              1984-1997 (13)                 207-129

Matt Cushing                    M. Soccer                  1994-current (14)              203-53-23

Luis Reis                         W. Soccer                  1997-current (11)            200-30-8

Copyright 2008 The New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference.  All rights reserved.