Bison Athletics Names Jon Arlet Head Women's Soccer Coach
April 26 – BETHANY, W. Va. – Following a national search, Bethany College Director of Athletics Brian Rose has announced the hiring of former Lock Haven University assistant coach Jon Arlet as the new head coach of the Bison women's soccer program.
"Jon's diversified background made him a great choice to take the reins of our women's soccer program," said Rose. "Between playing at Wheeling Jesuit and his semester as a volunteer for Bethany's men's program, he's familiar with the area. His time at Denison, one of the most academically prestigious institutions in the country, as well as tenures at Clarion and Lock Haven strengthened his contacts, so he has a vast recruiting network not only domestically, but also internationally.
"His ability to teach the game was also evident during his campus visit and we believe he will develop our players quickly through the season and their careers. He has a strong plan on how to build the program and we believe he will be able to make Bethany very competitive in the PAC."
Arlet comes to Bethany after serving two seasons as the assistant women's soccer coach at Lock Haven University, a Division II member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). During his time with the Bald Eagles, Arlet assisted in all facets of the program, including the organization of training sessions and player development, as well as serving in all facets of recruitment.
Seeing the ability to get the most out of his players in the classroom, Arlet helped guide the Bald Eagles' women's soccer team to a NSCAA Team Academic Award, given to programs which achieve a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
"I really want to thank Rob Eaton for his guidance in helping me in getting to the point where I feel I am ready to take the reins of my own program," commented Arlet. "He has been a great resource for me and is someone that I have tried to model my coaching style after."
Prior to his time with Lock Haven, Arlet served one season as a volunteer with the Bison men's soccer program under current head coach Sean Regan. During that season, the Green & White posted seven wins and saw senior Arkangelo James named Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
That season, Coach Arlet helped James total a conference-best 44 points, scoring 18 goals while adding eight assists. The 37 total scored by the Green & White that season remain the most by the program since the 2010 campaign.
Along with his first stint with the Bison, Arlet spent two seasons as a women's assistant at Denison University under head coach Gail Murphy, helping guide the Big Red to the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship in 2012. That season, Denison defeated The College of Wooster, 1-0, in the conference semis, before falling 1-0 to DePauw in the Championship match.
Defensively in 2012, Arlet helped the Big Red rank third in the conference in goals allowed, surrendering just 20 in 19 total games. Denison ranked third in the conference in goals against per game (1.02), totaling six shutouts, including the 1-0 victory against Wooster in the NCAC semis.
In Arlet's two seasons with Denison, he saw a total of ten players earn All-NCAC selections, including five first-team honorees, one second-team selection and four honorable mention picks. Along with the all-conference selections, freshman Andrea Witte was named the NCAC's Newcomer of the Year.
Throughout his two seasons with the Big Red, a defensive-minded mentality is what Coach Arlet helped instill in his players. Over the span of 37 games, Denison allowed just 30 goals. He now hopes to bring that same philosophy to the Bison.
"One of the biggest keys I hope to bring with me is instilling a sense of pride in not allowing goals," commented Arlet on his plans for the Bison. "We want to put our focus on becoming defensive minded from day one, making it extremely difficult for opponents to put the ball in the back of our net."
Arlet graduated from Wheeling Jesuit University in 2009, where he was a four-year player for the Cardinals, earning Academic All-Region honors in 2007. He then earned a master's degree from Clarion University in 2011, which came at the end of a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the women's soccer program.
Taking over the helm of the Bison, Arlet inherits a team that graduates just one senior and potentially returns 14 letterwinners. Bethany will return their top three scorers in 2016, including midfielder Brittany Fullbright (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth), as well as strikers Michaela Hinerman (Weirton, W.Va./Brooke) and Julie Slezak (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe).
"I had a chance to meet with some of the players during the interview process and I think that the pieces are there to help us be successful," said Arlet of his returning nucleus. "I am very excited about the opportunity to work with the athletes that are here and build something together, that we all can be proud of.
"Our mantra will be to stay in the game, no matter what happens. We want to play to our strengths and trust that the system we put in place is going to help us succeed."
When asked about why he selected Bethany for his first head coaching position, Arlet responded, "West Virginia has always felt like home to me. Getting the chance to coach at Bethany felt like the right fit because of how much the school believes in the education of its student-athletes, as well as how much pride they have in all of their teams.
"I want to thank Brian Rose and the entire search committee for this opportunity, and want to stress how excited I am for the chance to lead this program into the future."
