PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College athletic director Rick Ross will make a special presentation to the school’s nationally ranked soccer teams in between their games against Southwestern Oregon on Saturday at Wally Sigmar Field.
The Peninsula men’s and women’s teams both won the NWAACC championship last year.
The women’s game begins at noon, and the men will play at 2 p.m.
Before the game, Peninsula College is encouraging Pirates fans to bring their barbecues to begin tailgating at about 11 a.m.
This will be the first of four tailgating events this season, all held when Peninsula hosts a Saturday doubleheader. The other dates are Sept. 21, Oct. 5 and Oct. 19.
Meet hoops coach
Community members are invited to meet and welcome Peninsula’s new men’s basketball coach Mitch Freeman and his family on Tuesday, in the gym foyer of the main campus in Port Angeles.
The welcoming reception will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Freeman is beginning his first season as Peninsula College’s head men’s basketball coach following eight years of Division I coaching experience.
He takes over a program that rose to national prominence during former head coach Lance Von Vogt’s three-year tenure, winning the NWAACC championship in 2011, placing fourth in 2012 and posting a top-12 finish in 2013.
During each of these seasons, the Pirates were ranked No. 1 at some point during the playing season.
A Northwest native, Freeman worked at Seattle University from 2005-2009, and then followed his mentor, Joe Callero, to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., to be the lead scout in charge of game preparation and defense and part of a recruiting staff covering Washington, Oregon and California.
During his stint at Cal Poly, Freeman helped construct one of the top defenses in Division I.
Under his guidance during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Cal Poly twice ranked among the top 25 defensive programs in the nation.
In addition to his role as the Pirates head men’s basketball coach, Freeman also will serve as Athletic Development Coordinator, spearheading fun-draising efforts for athletic scholarships and managing the Pirate Athletic Association.
“Our program will be a reflection of Peninsula College and the individuals who make up this great community,” Freeman says.
He will focus on four themes as he builds his program:―Humility, unity, toughness and thankfulness.
Freeman has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Washington State University and a master’s degree in education administration from Grand Canyon University.
Mitch and his wife, Nicole, have a son, Eli.