Hughes departing Calvin men's soccer program

Chris Hughes went 154-48-22 as men's soccer coach at Calvin. Calvin athletics photo

After more than 20 years with the Calvin men's soccer program including 10 as head coach, Chris Hughes is departing Calvin to take the head men's soccer coaching position at nearby Davenport University.

A 1992 Calvin graduate, Hughes has fashioned a won-loss record of 154-48-22 (.737) that includes seven MIAA titles (2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) -- and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011).

In 2009, Hughes took Calvin where no soccer team in school history had gone before - all the way to the NCAA III championship finals as the Knights advanced to the NCAA III Final Four and defeated Dominican University 1-0 in the semifinals before falling to Messiah 2-0 in the finals. This past fall, Calvin again reached the NCAA III Final Four and finished second, bowing to Ohio Wesleyan in the championship game.

His winning percentage of 73.7% currently ranks in the top 20 of all active NCAA III men's soccer coaches.

Calvin is also the only team in MIAA men's soccer history to win five straight MIAA titles, doing so from 2007 to 2011 under his watch. In 2004, he was named the Division III Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year.

His Calvin teams have not only produced success on the soccer pitch but also in the classroom. At Calvin he coached three individuals that received CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and one individual that was named the recipient of the NCAA's Elite 89 Award.

Hughes took over the Calvin men's soccer program as head coach in 2002 after serving as the school's junior varsity men's soccer coach for eight years. As a student-athlete, Hughes was a four-year member of the Calvin men's soccer program, earning All-MIAA first team honors on Calvin's 1990 MIAA co-championship team.

"I want to thank Chris for his many years of service," said Calvin director of men's athletics Dr. Jim Timmer. "His performance as our head coach has been exemplary and we are sad to see him go. Having said that, I want to wish Chris all the best with his new opportunity at Davenport."

According to Timmer, a search for a replacement will begin immediately.