O'Rourke to serve on regional advisory council

NEWPORT, R.I. - This coming season, Salve Regina University head men's soccer coach Craig O'Rourke II will be serving as the Commonwealth Coast Conference's (CCC) chair on the NCAA Regional Advisory Council (RAC) for men's soccer. The committee is headed by Jonathan Tymann, the Director of Athletics at fellow CCC member institution, Gordon College. This appointment comes after having served for the past five years on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional Rankings Committee.

O'Rourke returns for his ninth year at the helm of the Salve Regina men's soccer program, having previously won the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship in 2012.

In his first eight years, O'Rourke has guided the Seahawks to seven consecutive conference tournament appearances, the 2012 CCC Championship, a spot in the 2012 NCAA National Tournament field, as well as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship tournament appearance in 2010, advancing to the semifinals. At the same time, O'Rourke has also helped the team succeed in the classroom, earning the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) College Team Academic Award in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014.

"I'm honored to be asked to serve the CCC and the New England Region on such a prestigious committee.  After seeing our conference receive a record number of bids (three) in the sport in 2013, I want to continue the great strides that we have already made on the national stage and build upon them. The Commonwealth Coast is now regarded as one of the premier Division III men's soccer conferences in New England as well as on the east coast and I want to try and do what I can to keep it that way."