XAVIER COACH BARB CHURA HONORED BY PHOENIX WOMEN’S SPORTS ASSOCIATION

XAVIER COACH BARB CHURA HONORED BY PHOENIX WOMEN’S SPORTS ASSOCIATION

Xavier head soccer coach and faculty member Barb Chura was recently honored by the Phoenix Women’s Sports Association with the 2009 PWSA High School Coach of the Year Award. Ms. Chura received this honor at the Sixth Annual PWSA “Power to Inspire” Sports Awards Dinner on April 25, the only celebration of its kind in Arizona to honor elite women athletes and coaches from all generations.

Coach of Xavier’s varsity soccer team since 2005, Ms. Chura led the Gators to a 2008-09 record of 23 wins and two losses against Arizona opponents, as well as victory in the Class 5A Division I tournament, to win the state title. Out of state, Xavier finished ninth place out of 32 teams in the prestigious Excalibur tournament held in Santa Ana, California in December. On March 1, Xavier was ranked No. 8 on ESPN's “Fab 50” girls soccer national rankings.
Ms. Chura was also named The Arizona Republic's 2008-09 Big School Soccer Coach of the Year.

“Ms. Chura has a tremendous, positive influence on the girls she coaches,” said Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, vice principal and athletic director of Xavier. “She teaches sportsmanship and leadership and at the same time develops soccer skills. This award is well deserved and Xavier is proud to have Ms. Chura on our staff.”

Before coaching at Xavier, Ms. Chura served as the assistant women’s soccer coach at both University of Notre Dame, James Madison University and Texas Tech, where she assisted in all aspects of recruiting, on-field coaching, practice sessions, scheduling and camp administration and supervision.

A native of Clifton Park, New York, Ms. Chura attended the University of Connecticut where she helped the Huskies reach the 1990 NCAA title game and finish among the nation’s top 10 ranked teams all four years. She served as UConn’s team captain in 1992 and finished her playing days at Connecticut ranked fourth on the all time assist list and twenty-first in scoring. She received a master’s of education in sports administration from Texas Tech in 1996, and has been active in numerous soccer camps and clinics throughout the country as well as a variety of coaching roles in Olympic development programs.