Coaching Staff Finalized for 2021 Season
With plenty of changes going into the 2021 season, the Otters will see continuity and familiar faces in their coaching staff. Helmed by David Strickland for a fifth straight season, the Otters will add Kyle Findlay from Milligan University and see the return of Joel Wanyoike to the staff to assist with goalkeepers. There are less than 50 days until the Otters are back on the field and season tickets are now on sale here!
Strickland has been the man in charge since the Otters inaugural season. He has led the team to a marked improvement in record and points every season. The 2019 season saw the Otters tie their record for most wins (5), have their fewest losses (5), as well as have their highest points total (19) and finish (4th).
Strickland also serves as the head coach of the girls’ and boys’ soccer programs at Science Hill High School in Johnson City. He holds both his USSF A License and NSCAA Premier License. Strickland is looking to build on the success of 2019 and see the club continue to grow both on and off the field as they enter their fifth season.
Kyle Findlay was initially set to join the Otters coaching staff in 2020 before the season was cancelled. Findlay currently serves as the assistant men’s soccer coach at Milligan University. He has helped the Buffaloes capture the 2021 AAC Regular Season Championship with a 10–1 record between the fall and the spring.
Findlay currently holds his USSF C License and has coached at Chicago Fire FC, Fulham FC, and Cove FC in Australia. He is also finishing his Master’s Degree in Sport Science at East Tennessee State University. Findlay played at Bluefield College in Bluefield, Virginia where he obtained a degree in Exercise and Sports Science.
“Kyle is taking on the role as first assistant and I look forward to his energy and ideas to help mold our 2021 season,” says Strickland on the addition of Findlay. “Kyle is a young coach with an excellent future…a real student of the game, plus he is on a fast track to doing really great things in the game. I welcome Kyle to the Otters staff!”
Joel Wanyoike returns to the Otters coaching staff after serving as the goalkeeper coach in 2016 during their inaugural season. Wanyoike has held the same role with ETSU Women’s Soccer and both the Men’s and Women’s programs at Milligan University. Wanyoike will hold the same role with the Otters. The Nairobi, Kenya native graduated from Milligan in 2006, after leading the Buffs to an AAC Championship and a Sweet 16 run. Wanyoike also holds a NSCAA National Diploma.
Coach Strickland on the addition of Joel Wanyoike: “I am excited about our two additions to our Otters staff for the 2021 season. I am fortunate to have one of the top goalkeeper coaches in the area in Joel, he is well know for his coaching ability to develop goalkeepers. Joel previously served on the Otters staff in 2016 in our first year….he will be excellent!”
The 2021 season is rapidly approaching and the Otters have plenty more to announce in that time so be sure to be following the Otters on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on all things Otters! Adopt an Otter and golf tournament registration are now OPEN! Be sure to get signed up before all the spots are gone on ottersoccer.com and check back for further information on other upcoming events! #FearTheFur #NewYearNewOtters
