HILO — With one full year under his belt, UH-Hilo men’s soccer head coach Diego Marroquin has loaded up with 15 newcomers for the upcoming fall season. It’s a balanced incoming class with eight freshmen and seven transfers — four juniors and three seniors. Eight student-athletes will arrive to the Big Island from across international borders — Japan (4), Germany (3), Spain.
The rest are products of California (2), Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Hawai’i (2). “So much credit goes to coach Terry Yamane, who has done an unbelievable job with our recruiting class,” Marroquin said. “Coach Yamane has the ability to identify and attract elite student-athletes from all over the world.
He is a tireless recruiter with an extensive global recruiting network and an eye for talent. Our program is extremely lucky to have one of the top recruiters on the West Coast.” Marroquin joined late last summer to serve as acting head coach and posted the Vulcans’ third double-digit win season.
Earlier this month, he was named the program’s 10th head coach. “This class exemplifies the values we search for and believe will produce incredible student-athletes who have the tools to find success on and off the pitch,” Marroquin said. “These student-athletes will compete and complement a lineup that returns nine of 11 starting players from a dynamic squad that was able to raise the standard of our program to new heights.
” The Vulcans return 18 players after 12 departures fro.