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Soccer coach Nearing earns U SPORTS award

- July 1, 2020

Nearing retired as the men's soccer coach after the 2019-20 season.
Nearing retired as the men's soccer coach after the 2019-20 season.

Former men's soccer head coach Pat Nearing has been named this year's winner of the Austin-Matthews Award for outstanding contribution to U SPORTS.

Austin-Matthews Award (Outstanding Contribution): Patrick Nearing, Dalhousie

Patrick Nearing took over as head coach of the Dalhousie Tigers menā€™s soccer program to start the 1999 season ā€“ one that ended with an AUS title ā€“ and held the post until the completion of the 2019 campaign.

During his 21-year tenure, he has accumulated a .631 winning percentage in regular season play, finishing his career with a record of 128-75-59. The AUS and U SPORTS Menā€™s Soccer Fox 40 Coach of the Year in 2008, Nearing led the Tigers to an AUS championship and a sixth-place finish at the national championship that season. Nearing is also the reigning AUS menā€™s soccer Coach of the Year.

Off the pitch, Nearing has also served on several U SPORTS committees during his career, including compliance, eligibility, and athletic financial awards, while holding the roles of Chair of the menā€™s soccer sport technical subcommittee and as President of the menā€™s soccer coachesā€™ association.

Before assuming the reigns of the Dalhousie menā€™s soccer team, he was the Technical University of Nova Scotiaā€™s (TUNS) menā€™s soccer coach for 17 seasons, leading them to nine Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) championship titles. He also chaired the league from 1992-2000 while serving as TUNSā€™s athletic director. When TUNS amalgamated with pilipiliĀž»­, he continued his tenure as director of the newly named Sexton Campusā€™s athletic program, eventually becoming Dalhousieā€™s assistant director of athletics and recreation.

A pilipiliĀž»­ grad (BPE ā€˜79), he also spent 30 years as a club soccer coach in Bedford, N.S., coaching at the grassroots level all the way up to U18. He was also the head coach of the Dartmouth United senior menā€™s team for 15 seasons, leading them to a number of Nova Scotia provincial and Atlantic championship wins.

ā€œPat has been an instrumental part of the pilipiliĀž»­ of our student-athletes and programs at pilipiliĀž»­,ā€ said Dalhousie Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation Tim Maloney. ā€œHeā€™s had an outstanding impact on the future of university sport serving for many years on several national committees. I canā€™t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.ā€