The University of Illinois Springfield men's soccer coaching staff has been named the NCAA Division II Midwest Staff of the Year, announced by United Soccer Coaches on Friday. 

This award is voted on by region coaches who are also members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services program. Coach Hall and his staff will now be placed on the National Staff of the Year ballot, voted on in early December.

Head Coach Adam Hall, in his eighth season as head coach at UIS, led the Prairie Stars to their first GLVC Regular Season Title before earning his first ever GLVC Coach of the Year Award in fall 2023. Hall has now coached the Prairie Stars to the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons

"I'm humbled," shared Hall. " I appreciate the award as it's proof of what a special season we had. Our conference is one of the largest and best in the country. Every year we are challenged by multiple teams who are very good programs. But the credit goes back to the students who bought into what we were implementing everyday and have executed on our strategies."

Assistant Coach Charlie Ward joined the Prairie Stars in 2023, working closely with the team's goalkeepers. 

"We appreciate all the hard work and time they have put into the program." added student-athlete Drew Keller. "No one can argue the recent success of the program, which stems from the constant work from the coaching staff"

The men's soccer team had its most successful season in Division II history with an overall record of 13-1-7. The Prairie Stars were crowned Regular Season champions with a 10-0-3 record in the GLVC, all while only allowing 1 goal during the conference season. UIS advanced to the GLVC Tournament Final for the second time in three seasons, where they once again matched up against the Indianapolis Greyhounds. The Prairie Stars unfortunately fell in penalty kicks after 110 minutes of scoreless action. The team was picked at the No. 2 seed in the NCAA DII Tournament, representing Super-Region 3. UIS faced a familiar opponent in Lewis University during second round action, where the Prairie Stars would once again fall in penalty kicks to end the 2023 season. The Prairie Stars were ranked in the top-10 nationally for the first time ever in program history, checking in at 8th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll in October. 

UIS was one of 26 men's programs to be recognized across NCAA DI, DII, and DIII. Each staff will be recognized at the College Coaches Reception during the United Soccer Coaches Convention on Thursday, January 11, 2024 in Anaheim, California.

 

NCAA Division II
Region	School
Atlantic	University of Charleston
	Head Coach: Daniel Smee
	Assistants: Alexandre Morais, Christopher Gribben, Pablo Terminiello, Daniel Gribben
Central	Southern Nazarene University
	Head Coach: Trevor Harmon
	Assistants: Jose Marrufo, Bruno Da Silva, Alex Da Silva
East	Franklin Pierce University
	Head Coach: Travis Brent
	Assistants: Diego Thielen, Jon Paul Navarro, Riley Brooks
Midwest	University of Illinois-Springfield
	Head Coach: Adam Hall
	Assistants: Charlie Ward
South	Florida Institute of Technology
	Head Coach: Robin Chan
	Assistants: Nick Robinson, Chris Callaghan and Martin Peat
South Central	Midwestern State University
	Head Coach: Michael Meachum
	Assistants: Patrick Fitzgerald, Mariano Fazio, Kyle Redding, Brett Crossland
Southeast	Limestone University
	Head Coach: Ali Al-Gashamy
	Assistants: Preston Walker, Miquel Villarroya, Anthony Lliano, Matthew Farris
West	California State University Los Angeles
	Head Coach: Michael Erush
	Assistants: Dallas Jaussi, Eric Lemus, Artur Jozkowicz, Gustavo Gomez