California State University Northridge Athletics
Theo Edwards Named Head Coach of USA Volleyball Men's Collegiate Team
3/21/2024 3:16:00 PM | Men's Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – CSUN head men's volleyball coach Theo Edwards has been announced as the head coach of the Men's Collegiate National Team as USA Volleyball named the coaches and support staff for 2024 U.S. boys and men's age group national teams on Monday, Mar. 18.
Each NORCECA competition listed below will serve as a qualifier for the 2025 FIVB World Championship in that respective age group. Additionally, USA Volleyball's National Team Development Program (NTDP) has confirmed training blocks and coaching staffs for each continental championship and the Collegiate National Team program.
The Men's Collegiate National Team will train in Anaheim, California, alongside members of the U.S. Men's National Team.
Edwards, a veteran member of various USA Volleyball coaching staffs dating back to 2012, will lead the training for the Men's Collegiate National Team which will take place June 23-29 in Anaheim.
"I'm incredibly humbled, it's always an honor to work with USA Volleyball," said Edwards. "I'm excited to be part of the collegiate group which is a group that I haven't been a part of yet. This is the stepping stone right beneath the men's national team and to help our program grow and continue to work with the best athletes in the country is incredibly exciting."
Edwards, in his second season as head coach at CSUN, most recently served as an assistant under head coach Charlie Sullivan with the 2023 U.S. Men's U19 National Team last summer. The 2023 appointment added another chapter to Edwards' international coaching experience which also includes coaching stints with USA Volleyball at the 2017 FIVB Boys' U19 World Championship in Bahrain, the 2016 NORCECA Championships in Cuba and the 2014 Men's Pan Am Cup in Tijuana, Mexico.
Edwards also helped lead the U.S. Boys U-19 team to its first-ever gold medal at the Pan American Cup in Guatemala in May, 2022. An assistant under Sullivan, the team finished 5-0 and did not lose a set in the tournament while qualifying for the 2023 FIVB World Championship along the way. The tournament culminated with the U.S. sweeping Mexico in the final, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-18).
"I've worked under some fantastic head coaches over the years and each has given me what I know today," added Edwards. "Being a head coach in this program is just another stepping stone for me and an opportunity for me to get better."
2024 U19 NORCECA Boys Continental Championship
Team: U19 Boys National Team (Born in 2007 or later)
Competition Dates: May 12-20 in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Training Dates: May 3-11 in Anaheim, California
Head Coach: Charlie Sullivan, Springfield College
Assistant Coach: Pat Shawaryn, Penn State
Assistant Coach: Chris Seiffert, Concordia Irvine
Performance Analyst: Evan Metzger
Athletic Trainer: Chris Cornell
Team Leader: Sean Byron, Marist College
2024 U21 NORCECA Men's Continental Championship
Team: U21 Men's National Team (Born in 2005 or later)
Competition Dates: June 9-17 in Nogales, Mexico
Training Dates: June 1-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Head Coach: John Hawks, Loyola Chicago
Assistant Coach: Donan Cruz, Ball State
Assistant Coach: Matthew Pollock, Pepperdine
Performance Analyst: AJ Ruttenberg, UCLA
Athletic Trainer: Chris Cornell
Team Leader: Donovan Martinez
Men's Collegiate National Team
Training Dates: June 23-29 in Anaheim, California
Head Coach: Theo Edwards, CSUN
Assistant Coach: Nickie Sanlin, McKendree
Assistant Coach: Luke Reynolds, Charleston
Assistant Coach: Andy Read, LBSU
Performance Analyst: Alex Hurlburt, The Volleyball Institute
Athletic Trainer: Jacob Melgar
Team Leader: Kyle Thompson, Maryland
The mission of the National Team Development Program (NTDP) is to identify, recruit and accelerate the development of high-potential junior volleyball players for the ultimate purpose of strengthening our national team programs to achieve sustained competitive excellence.
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