TURLOCK, Calif.---  Stan State Director of Athletics Aaron Allaire has named John Powell as the Head Men's Soccer Coach for the Warriors.  Powell comes back to his alma mater from Northwest Nazarene where he led the Nighthawks to the NCAA Division II Super Region Four Final (Elite Eight).

"I couldn't be more pleased to announce John Powell as the next head coach for our men's soccer program," said Allaire. "This was a very competitive search and I want to thank the committee, our staff and the student-athletes for all of their work and feedback that brought us to this point. John has proven his ability to compete at the Division II level in just a short amount of time, taking a team to the final eight just this past year."

The 2022 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year guided Northwest Nazarene to the best season in program history. The Nighthawks captured the GNAC Regular Season title and won three NCAA Division II Tournament games before losing 1-0 to the National Champion Runner-up, Colorado State Pueblo. 

"I would like to thank Athletic Director (Aaron) Allaire, the search committee, the administration staff, and the student athletes for their trust in me to lead the Stan State Men's Soccer Program," said Powell.  "The Central Valley, specifically Stanislaus State, has always been a special place for my family and me and we are excited to return. I am anxious to get to Turlock and lead a program that is in pursuit of excellence in the classroom, within the community, and on the field."

Powell coached nine All-GNAC players including the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, Nestor Serrano.  The Nighthawks finished with a 15-4-3 overall record and a 9-2-1 GNAC record.  They finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.

During his two-year career at NNU, Powell coached twelve All-GNAC players and four All-Region players.  The Nighthawks also succeeded in the classroom during Powell's tenure at NNU.  In Fall 2021, twenty-one players were named GNAC Scholar-Athletes.  During the Fall of 2022, NNU had a team grade point average of 3.48.

From 2020 to 2023, Powell was the Head Soccer Coach for the Laredo Heat, a member of the National Premier Soccer League.  Laredo Heat appeared in back-to-back championship matches They were 2022 conference champions and reached the National Sweet 16. The Heat achieved an overall record of 17-3-7 with Powell at the helm of the team.

Prior to NNU, Powell was the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Arizona Christian University from 2020 to 2021.  He was the Assistant Coach at ACU in June 2020 and was promoted to the Head Coach in November 2020. 

Powell was the Associate Head Men's Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Stan State, from 2013-2020.  During his stint on the coaching staff at Stan State, Powell helped guide the Warriors to two CCAA Tournament Championship matches.  The Warriors received a berth to the 2015 NCAA Division II National Tournament as the fourth seed in the West Region.

"More impressive than his competitive success is his ability to elicit high academic performance and his passion for developing the student-athlete as a whole," added Allaire.  "Powell, as an alum, has great familiarity of the valley, his passion for the program and university will be shown through his work." 

The Stan State Warrior men's soccer alum was named the 2010-11 Stanislaus State Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  He was a three-time member of the CCAA All-Academic Team. Powell graduated with honors in 2011, Powell earned a degree in Business Administration with a double concentration in human resources and marketing along with a minor in communication studies.
 
Powell and his wife, Megan, have two daughters, Harper and Hayden.