June 15, 2010
(release courtesy of Mark Adkins, Wartburg College sports information director)
WAVERLY, IOWA . . . Wartburg College Director of Athletics Rick Willis announced today that former all-Iowa Conference player and assistant coach Kirk Artist has been named head coach of the Knights’ men’s soccer program. Artist replaces T.J. Buchholz who left late last month to become an assistant women’s coach at NCAA Division I UC-Riverside.
“We’re excited to have someone with Kirk’s background and passion lead the men’s soccer program,” Willis said. “His career has been marked with success both as a player and coach. Kirk has demonstrated tremendous loyalty to Wartburg and will provide the leadership, continuity and stability our program needs.”
Artist has been head coach of Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa since May of 2009. Prior to moving to Ottumwa, he was a member of the Knights’ coaching staff from 2006-09 as an assistant and also held high school assistant coaching jobs at Waterloo East, Waterloo West and Waverly-Shell Rock.
A 2006 graduate of Wartburg and native of Glenwood, he played on four consecutive 10-wins-or-more squads and a 20-victory and NCAA Division III Elite Eight qualifying team in 2004. He was a captain, two-time program Most Valuable Player and earned four all-league awards during his career including first team honors in 2004 and 2005.
“It’s an honor to come back to my alma mater,” Artist said. “It’s a place where I have great pride, and there is a lot of potential for growth (in the program). With the atmosphere and resources, Wartburg is in a position to continue to be successful and move forward in the near future. There is wonderful support from the administration and a strong core of student-athletes dedicated to success on and off the field.
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