Bishop Battles
Coaches honored for season and career
Jay Martin
Men’s soccer coach Jay Martin was inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame during ceremonies in January at the United Soccer Coaches convention in Baltimore.
“I’m very honored,” Martin says. “I’ve been very fortunate to have been the recipient of a number of awards over the years, but this one is particularly meaningful. To be recognized by your peers as one of the best coaches in the country means an awful lot.”
Doug Zipp, director of athletics, agrees. “Being inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame is an extraordinary accomplishment. It honors Jay’s longevity as an influencer in soccer, his success as a coach on the field, and the impact he’s had on the lives of hundreds of student-athletes. Plus, he’s a pretty darn good coach who has been able to adjust and adapt to the ever-changing student-athlete and the sport of soccer.”
Martin is one of three inductees honored this year, the latest among a total of 68 who have been inducted into the hall since it was established in 1991.
Martin is the winningest coach in NCAA men’s soccer history, finishing the 2019 season with 723 wins. His list of achievements is extraordinary:
- He has guided his 43 Battling Bishop soccer teams to a 723-150-74 record.
- His career winning percentage of .805 entering the 2019 season ranked 11th all-time in the NCAA.
- Martin’s teams have compiled a 283-29-22 record in conference play, a winning percentage of .880, and have won 26 conference crowns.
- Martin guided Ohio Wesleyan to NCAA Division III national championships in 1998 and 2011.
- His teams have reached the NCAA Division III semifinals 9 times, finishing as national runner-up twice, and have finished among the final 16 teams a total of 29 times.
- A 16-time Regional Coach of the Year, Martin also was named Division III Coach of the Year in 1991, 1998, and 2011.
Brenda Semit
This fall, the OWU field hockey team won its first league championship since 1995—and won more games than it has won in any season since 1995.
With such success, head coach Brenda Semit was named NCAC Coach of the Year for the first time. The coach of the year is chosen by a vote of all the field hockey coaches in the conference.
“We are very proud of Brenda being named NCAC field hockey coach of the year,” says Doug Zipp, director of athletics. “This recognition is a reflection of all the hard work by the players and coaching staff, and it shows the appreciation coaches across the NCAC have for her accomplishments.”
Ohio Wesleyan finished the season with a 13-4 record. The Bishops shared the NCAC championship with a 7-1 mark and advanced to the NCAC tournament for the first time since 2012.
Semit marked her fifth season at OWU in 2019, and her teams have improved during each of the past three seasons, with the 2018 team topping the .500 mark at 10-7.
Semit came to OWU after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Kenyon College, where she helped the team improve each season and compile a 40-20 overall record.
