CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Women's Soccer will start 2017 in a new era, as Director of Athletics
Scott Lazenby announced the hiring of
Craig Shaw on Wednesday. Shaw will be the second coach in Islander Soccer history and will begin his duties on Jan. 2.
A press conference to introduce coach Shaw will be scheduled for the first week in January.
Shaw steps in to lead the Islanders after spending six seasons at Fort Hays State, a program that he started back in 2010. The Australian international amassed a record of 66-44-11, including a pair of Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Tournament titles. He has a career record of 104-64-14 spread across NCAA Division II and NAIA.
"I want to thank Scott and all the Islanders staff for the time and energy they gave me through out this process," Shaw said. "They showed me so much about what it means to be apart of the Islander family. It was going to take something special for me to leave Fort Hays and I believe this place is exactly that. I am excited to get started on building this program up to the top of the Southland Conference where it belongs."
In 2016, the Tigers tied a program record with 44 goals in a season, en route to a 15-5-3 record, a MIAA championship and an appearance in the NCAA Regional Finals.
Under Shaw, the Tigers have eclipsed the 10-wins plateau in four seasons, had 40 players named all-MIAA and saw five players earn NSCAA All-Region laurels, including two in 2016.
"We are very excited to welcome
Craig Shaw and his family to Corpus Christi," said Lazenby. "After evaluating our candidates, it became apparent Craig was the best choice to lead Islanders soccer. He's had success at multiple levels of collegiate soccer and has built Fort Hays State into a top-20 program in just its sixth year of existence. His passion and drive were evident during the interview process and that will pay dividends in building our program here on the Island."
Prior to his time in Hays, Kan., Shaw served as the head coach at Ottawa University for three seasons. Shaw was named the NSCAA NAIA Regional Coach of the Year in 2009, after leading the Braves to a conference championship.
Shaw has made stops at St. Ambrose University as the assistant men's soccer coach and Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa. During his playing days, he guided Carson Newman College to back-to-back conference titles and led the Eagles to an Elite 8 appearance in 2003.
Before he came to America, Shaw was a starter for Nerang Soccer Club of the Gold Coast Premier League in Australia.
He and his wife, Alexandra, have two daughters, Torey and Bella.
