Chris Karwoski ranks as the second-longest tenured soccer coaches in Western Michigan University history, entering his 11th season behind the bench in 2008.
In 10 seasons with the Broncos, Karwoski has produced 22 All-Mid-American Conference selections, nine MAC Tournament honorees and four All-Great Lakes Region players, as well as the 2000 MAC Newcomer of the Year. He has led WMU to a pair of MAC Championship Game appearances and his Broncos have been named College Soccer News National Team of the Week three times. In the classroom, 10 different players have garnered 13 Academic All-MAC honors.
A look at Karwoski's milestones since 1998:
2007 ? Had high-profile wins against Bradley, Western Illinois and Valparaiso.
2006 ? Hosted MAC Tournament game for third-straight season.
2005 ? Recorded 50th win with a 2-0 victory over Bowling Green.
2004 ? MAC Tournament runners-up, led team to a No. 84 national ranking - its highest ever.
2003 ?
Earned MAC Coach of the Year honors. Captured school’s first MAC
Tournament Championship, and a school-record 12 wins, as WMU advanced
to its first-ever NCAA College Cup.
2000 ? Coached MAC Newcomer of the Year, Reese Richardson.
1999 ? Notched first MAC Tournament win, beating Akron 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
1998 ? Started career with a 3-0 record, earning first victory in a 1-0 decision at Cleveland State.
Last season, the Broncos posted seven wins and fell just short of advancing in the MAC Tournament succumbing to Hartwick in a shootout after battling to a 1-1 tie through two overtime periods. WMU picked up several impressive wins during the season, defeating the three-time defending Mid-Continent Conference Champion Western Illinois, Bradley - who would go on to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA College Cup and perennial Midwest power Valparaiso. Additionally, the Broncos had two shutouts to their credit in 2007.
Three Broncos, Jordan Fylonenko, Kyle Hall and Mark Kroeger earned Academic All-MAC honors, while Tom Oatley was named Second Team All-MAC and collected MAC Player of the Week honors.
Western Michigan has gone 6-4 in the MAC Tournament since 2003, the season Karwoski led WMU to a school record 12 wins and its first-ever MAC Tournament title and the Brown & Gold’s first trip to the NCAA College Cup. For his efforts, Karwoski was named 2003 MAC Coach of the Year.
WMU also received its first Great Lakes Regional ranking that season and captured two in-season tournaments ? the IUPUI-Pops Drayer Classic and the Western Kentucky Invitational. The Broncos were the most improved NCAA Division I team in 2003, improving by seven and a half games from the previous year.
In 2004, Western Michigan advanced to the MAC Championship Game for the second straight year and earned a No. 84 national ranking, the highest in program history. WMU registered wins over Akron, Kentucky and Big Ten champion Michigan State.
In 2005, Karwoski slated his 50th career victory, defeating Bowling Green, 2-0, on Nov. 8, the team’s ninth win of the season. Two seasons ago, Western Michigan came on strong when the time was right, winning four of its last five regular-season matches, clinching the right to host a MAC Tournament game for the third straight season.
Karwoski’s players have found success beyond Western Michigan, as a number of Broncos have gone on to play in professional and developmental leagues. Most recently, 2005 WMU graduate Edgar Rivera joined the Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League and played in 27 of 30 games this past season.
A hotbed for soccer, Kalamazoo is also home to the Kalamazoo Outrage of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL) and plays in the Midwest Division of the Central Conference. The Outrage rostered three current Broncos, Fylonenko, Tyler Rosenhagen and Charlie Watts and two former Broncos, Oatley and Dustin Synder in its inaugural season in 2008.
A strong supporter of youth player development, Karwoski has been involved with the Michigan Olympic Development Program. He served as head coach for the Michigan U-17 team (1989) and in the past has worked with the 1990 and 1992 age groups. He is also the head coach of the Kalamazoo Kingdom Reserve U-13 Boys Super Y-League and has experience with local TKO and Kingdom Reserve teams. Karwoski directs numerous camps and clinics in southwest Michigan and offers free AYSO and local club training. He is a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National Licensed “C” coach.
Prior to arriving at WMU, Karwoski served as the top assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1993-97. Members of the Big East Conference, Pitt averaged 10 wins a season, highlighted by a 15-5-1 record and No. 22 national ranking in 1995.
Karwoski lettered four years at the University of Vermont, earning first team All-North Atlantic Conference honors. He was a starting defender on the 1989 squad that recorded 12 shutouts and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. A team captain, Karwoski also played for the Under-23 Connecticut team. Karwoski was a recipient of Vermont’s Hal Grieg Soccer Leadership award and graduated in 1991 with a bachelor’s of science degree in natural resources economics. He was a member of the Farmington (Conn.) High School state championship team in 1986.
After graduation, he played professionally for the San Diego Nomads, Forfar Albion of the Scottish Third Division and for the champion Polonia Falcon of the Connecticut Soccer League.
Chris is married to Western Michigan gymnastics coach Terry Karwoski. The couple have four children, Corr, Kelly, Kathryn and Jack and reside in Kalamazoo.
