April 17, 2008

ADRIAN, Mich. - Adrian College and athletic director Mike Duffy have announced the hiring of Ali Alamdari as the head women's soccer coach. Alamdari replaces Jenny Jorgensen who accepted a job as Assistant Coordinator of Student Athlete Development at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

"We were very pleased with the pool of candidates as we searched for a replacement to lead our women's soccer program," said Duffy. "After everything was examined, Ali was the person who we believe will take our program to the next level. He has a very successful background both in soccer and as a professional in the business world. He is a bright guy with a passion for life."

Alamdari most recently had been coaching in the collegiate ranks at Albion College. He served as the assistant coach for the Briton women's soccer program and helped the team to a 25-7-6 record in the past two seasons. The team made a turnaround since his arrival going 19-17-2 in the previous two campaigns. Albion captured the 2007 MIAA Tournament and Alamdari mentored all goalkeepers including MIAA Player of the Year Caitlin Bowman.

Alamdari has also continued to coach in the prep scene as the head coach of Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan during the past three spring seasons. He also turned a struggling program into a winning one as Loy Norrix posted their first winning record in over a decade in 2006. The team had a record of 18-17-2 over the past two years after going 8-25-1 in the two years before his arrival.

Alamdari is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association (MHSSCA). He also conducts numerous camps in the Kalamazoo area and is owner and head instructor of the Alamdari Academy which has been in existance since 2004. He provides private training sessions to student athletes of all ages focusing on teamwork and personal development.

Alamdari holds a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University (2001) in business administration with an emphasis in advertising and promotion. He also has a master's of arts degree from Western Michigan in performance driven leadership which was completed in 2004.

"I was very excited to see that athletics clearly is important at Adrian College," commented Alamdari. "The facilities show an athletic department that is growing and committed to winning. The foundation is in place to build upon in the coming years. I am very glad that assistant coach Stephanie Ricketts is going to be alongside me as she will make my transition a smooth one."

Alamdari will begin his duties beginning July 1.