Bechard Named AVCA Region Coach of the Year, Jarmoc All-Region First Team

Dec. 4, 2012

avca graphicLAWRENCE, Kan. – A season of unprecedented success has landed 15-year Kansas head coach Ray Bechard the 2012 Division I AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year award and redshirt junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc AVCA All-Central Region First Team recognition.

Bechard is the first KU coach to be bestowed the regional COY award, while Jarmoc becomes the second Jayhawk in history to earn the accolade. With the regional first team award, Jarmoc now moves on to consideration for All-America honors.

“This really is an honor, but it is more of a reflection of the best season in our history and what this coaching staff and this group of players were able to accomplish together,” Bechard said. “This is an award our team should share. I want to thank them for this ride they took all of us on. And Jarmoc, of course, was one of those pieces that made this team so successful. She is very deserving of this award.”

Under Bechard’s watch, the 2012 Jayhawks finished the year as the winningest team in program history (26-7, .765), collected more home wins (17) than any other year, earned a program-best No. 6 RPI ranking, was ranked nine-straight weeks in the top-25 and posted its highest Big 12 Conference finish (3rd, 12-4). The regular-season success resulted in a No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity to host the NCAA First and Second rounds, both firsts for the program. In his 15 year tenure, Bechard has become the program’s winningest coach (248-209 at Kansas; 964-269 overall) and has led KU to a .500 or better record in 11 of his 15 seasons.

Each of the eight honorees will represent their region on the 2012 AVCA National Coach of the Year ballot. The awards will be officially presented at the 2012 Jostens Coaches Honors Luncheon in Louisville, Ky. on Thursday, Dec. 13, at the 2012 American Volleyball Coaches Association Annual Convention. All-America honors will be announced on Dec. 12.

Jarmoc, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has enjoyed a long list of program firsts accompanied by a longer list of awards for her consistent performance all season long. It began with four-straight all-tournament honors in the pre-conference season, making her an all-tournament selection in every pre-conference invitational the Jayhawks have played in the last two years.

As the season progressed, so did Jarmoc. For all but four days in the middle of the 2012 season, Jarmoc led the Big 12 Conference in attack percentage and finished her redshirt junior campaign with the highest hitting efficiency in the league (.386) – breaking KU’s single-season record that stood for 10 years (Ashley Michaels, .363, 2002). She also now owns the program’s career attack percentage record (.330), also previously held by Michaels (.317).

In the final weeks of the season, Jarmoc surpassed multiple milestones for Kansas, highlighted by becoming the fourth Jayhawk in history to reach 400 career blocks (411) and the first to record more than 400 kills (424) and 150 blocks (157) in the same season. When she enters her senior season, Jarmoc could be the only player to post 200 kills and 100 blocks in four-straight seasons, as she has now accomplished the feat in her first three years.

Additionally, Jarmoc led the Jayhawks in 2012 with 31 service aces to showcase her effectiveness in several aspects of the game. When KU’s season came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the versatile middle blocker finished top-five in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.386, 1st), points per set (4.46, 2nd), kills per set (3.45, 4th) and blocks per set (1.28, 4th).

“It’s very exciting,” Jarmoc said. “As per the usual, I couldn’t have done this without my team’s hard work. They allow me to excel on the court because of what they do. I wouldn’t be here without them. It just gives me more motivation to do better next year and help my team get even farther in the tournament.”

Ray Bechard’s 2012 Accolades
-Big 12 Coach of the Year
-AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year

Caroline Jarmoc’s 2012 Accolades
-AVCA All-Central Region First Team
-All-Big 12 First Team
-Capital One CoSIDA All-District 7 First Team
-AVCA/Sports Imports National Player of the Week (Oct. 23)
-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 22)
-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 10)
-Golden Dome Invitational, Tournament MVP
-Jayhawk Invitational, Tournament MVP
-Kansas Volleyball Invitational, Tournament MVP
-Arkansas Invitational, All-Tournament Team
-Preseason All-Big 12 Team

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