HEAD COACH TONY SETZER Setzer’s 2005 squad was once ranked as high as eighth in the NSCAA/adidas South Region poll. Under Setzer in 2005, the Runnin’ Bulldogs had two individuals receive All-Conference honors, as senior Loren McLean was named Second Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference and rookie Dirk Dittrich earned a spot on the All-Freshmen Team. Setzer’s 2004 team had several solid outings during a 4-15-0 campaign, seeing several near misses go in favor of the opposition. A total of seven matches were lost by just one goal, and three more close calls were lost, 2-0, by the Runnin’ Bulldogs. Perhaps the team’s most impressive effort came at No. 15 South Carolina as GWU got goals from Brian Wentzel and Darnell Caroll to lead the Gamecocks, only to see a late rally result in a 3-2 comeback win for the nationally-ranked foe. With Setzer’s guidance in 2004, keeper Tyler Kettering earned second-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors while recording a career-best 134 saves and a solid 1.93 goals against average. In 2003, Setzer’s bunch forged a 10-9 record and just missed qualifying for the A-Sun Championship by just one game in the A-Sun League standings. Setzer guided GWU to an incredible recovery from a winless 2002 season, and with an 8.5-game improvement in 2003, notched the nation’s largest turnaround for wins. Setzer also directed the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the fifth 10-win season in school history, and the first at the NCAA Division I level. GWU was a serious contender every time it took the field in 2003, knocking off Georgia State, then the No. 7 team in the region, at home, and playing eventual A-Sun champion UCF to a 2-1 loss in overtime. The Runnin’ Bulldogs also put a scare into national No. 5 Wake Forest in October, 2003, forging a 1-1 tie for most of the first half before eventually falling 6-1. The 2003 season marked the first time that Gardner-Webb placed players on the A-Sun All-Conference Team, with Sergio Lozano and Carlitos Ramirez both earning second-team honors. Rookie Tyler Kettering also took home postseason league honors, landing a spot on the All-Freshmen Team. Senior Todd Ulrich was GWU’s President’s Senior Athletic Program Achievement Award winner, and was a first-team Academic All-District III and third-team Academic All-American performer in the classroom. Gardner-Webb also put seven players on the A-Sun All-Academic Team. Tough schedules are nothing new to Setzer or his team, as the Runnin’ Bulldogs are noted for refusing to shy away from challenges. Over the past nine seasons, Gardner-Webb has played seven games against opponents ranked in the top-15 nationally, including topranked Wake Forest in 2002. Success is no stranger to Setzer either. In 1998, at the Division II level, Setzer directed the Runnin’ Bulldogs to their first national top-25 ranking, as GWU reached as high as No. 21 in the Division II poll behind a balanced attack and strong defense. He has coached the top goalkeeper and three scorers in Gardner-Webb history, both single-season and career, and has tutored an impressive 16 AllAmericans during his tenure - including 11 Academic All-Americans. Former Gardner-Webb star forward Jerome Lee Yaw, the school’s career leader in goals and total points, became the first studentathlete in Gardner-Webb University’s history to be named First-Team All-American and Academic All-American in the same season (1996). During Gardner-Webb’s time in the South Atlantic Conference, Setzer developed 28 All-Conference performers and five All-South Region choices. GWU Hall of Fame member Dennis Puckerin was honored as SAC Player of the Year in 1990, while Lee Yaw earned that honor in 1995. Two players, Vince Bueno (1996) and Jurgen Wagner (1998) were named SAC Freshman of the Year under Setzer. Edwin Odugba (1994 and 1995) and Lee Yaw were both named South Atlantic Conference First Union Scholar Athlete of the Year during their careers, also earning All-Conference honors during those seasons. Odugba also earned the SAC President’s Award in 1994 and 1995 as the league’s top male student-athlete, making him the only Gardner-Webb performer, in any sport, to earn the honor twice. Prior to joining the Gardner-Webb family, Setzer served as an assistant coach at The Citadel under Bill Barfield. Setzer earned his Master’s degree from The Citadel in 1988. A 1986 graduate of Lander (S.C.) University, Setzer was a standout goalkeeper for the annually powerful Senators and enjoyed a brief professional playing career with the Columbus Capitals of the APISL before heading to The Citadel. Setzer, who holds a USSF “A” License, is also the founder of the Runnin’ Bulldog Soccer Academy, and has been a driving force in the youth soccer movement in Cleveland County and, specifically, in Boiling Springs with the Greater Cleveland County Soccer Association. On most Saturdays, thousands of youth soccer players descend on Gardner-Webb University’s campus to compete in league and tournament matches. Setzer is married to the former Kristen Lott, a four-time AllConference selection for the Gardner-Webb women’s program in the mid-1990s, and the program’s leader in goals with 49 and second leading career scorer with 113 points. The couple resides in Boiling Springs and has four daughters. Madison Faye will be eight years old on Nov. 20. On March 20, 2007, the couple gave birth to triplets - Sydney Dianne, Morgan Jeanette and Cadence McRee.
RUNNIN’ BULLDOGS
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