Hope College names new men鈥檚 soccer coach, David Blahnik
HOLLAND, Mich. —聽David Blahnik is bringing a winning collegiate pedigree to the Hope College men鈥檚 soccer team. The former head coach at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, has been named head coach for the Flying Dutchmen.
Blahnik guided Olivet Nazarene to a .707 winning percentage over six seasons from 2012 through 2017. During that time, he was named the CCAC Coach of the Year twice, in 2016 and 2014. Before becoming head coach, Blahnik served as an assistant coach there for six seasons. He also served as assistant professor of exercise and sports science.
Blahnik served as an assistant men鈥檚 soccer coach at Hope in 2019, helping the Flying Dutchmen return to the NCAA Division III Tournament and finish with a 14-6-1 overall record.
Blahnik also has extensive coaching experience at the club level, including with the Hamilton Soccer Association since 2021, the Michigan Fire Juniors in Hudsonville from 2019 through 2021, and the United Select Soccer Association in the Chicagoland area from 2009 through 2011.
Since 2019, Blahnik has worked as director of sales and business development for Diehard Custom, a global manufacturer, distributor and supplier of custom-made promotional products and apparel for professional sports teams, schools, leagues and businesses.
Blahnik holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in sport management and an MBA from Olivet Nazarene. As a student athlete, he earned CCAC All-Conference honors and was team captain during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
鈥淲e are excited to welcome Dave Blahnik to Hope College as the leader of our men鈥檚 soccer program,鈥� Director of Athletics Tim Schoonveld said. 鈥淗e has a proven record of success both on and off the field and is an outstanding leader of men. We are confident that he will do a fantastic job meeting our mission and leading a program that competes with excellence while also helping to transform the lives of its student athletes. We want to welcome Dave, Karlynn, Brek and Koen to the Hope family.”
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