HILO — Diego Marroquin has been named UH-Hilo men’s soccer head coach effective July 16 after leading the Vulcans to a 10-6-0 record in 2023.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity Patrick Guillen has entrusted me with at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo,” Marroquin said. “To be able to lead this fantastic group of men gives me an immense sense of pride. Hawai’i Hilo checks every box for me: premier location, competition at the highest level, amazing education and a department with collective investment to develop our student-athletes on and off the pitch.”
Marroquin arrived to the Big Island last August and served as acting head coach for the Vulcans in the fall. UH-Hilo posted just its third double-digit win season in program history to finish No. 3 in the Pacific West Conference standings and No. 10 in the final NCAA West Region Rankings.
“I am happy and excited to have coach Marroquin continue as our men’s soccer head coach,” Hawai’i Hilo director of athletics Guillen said. “He took over last year under difficult circumstances and navigated our team to their best record since 2009. Diego is laser-focused on developing our student-athletes on and off the pitch and providing the very best student experience possible. I was not only pleased but proud to watch him in action last year leading our young men and the way he goes about representing our program and community. He is the right person at the right time to lead our men’s soccer program forward. Imua!”
A native of Petaluma, California, Marroquin was a student-athlete at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Sacramento State. Among the many stops along the way through his coaching journey, Marroquin has been no stranger to the PacWest Conference as he spent five seasons as an assistant with Dominican University of California before serving two seasons as head coach at Holy Names University prior to its closure in spring 2023.
“I want to thank my family, friends and mentors for their unwavering support — our amazing coaching staff, players and alumni for their devotion to the program and their craft,” Marroquin said. “Lastly, I want to thank my colleague, mentor and friend Garrett Estrin. He has been my biggest supporter and advocate on and off the pitch. I would not be here without him. He’s an inspirational leader and someone I personally strive to emulate.”
Marroquin is the program’s 10th different head coach.
The UH-Hilo Men’s Soccer team will have a 17-match slate coming up in the fall, along with the inaugural four-team PacWest Conference Championships Tournament. Vulcans first match is Sept. 5 at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Women’s volleyball schedule released
An exciting slate of 31 matches awaits the UH-Hilo women’s volleyball team this fall along with hosting a six-team, 12-game Hawai’i Volleyball Fall Classic in early September.
The Vulcans open the season Aug. 30 with the annual Hawai’i-Alaska Challenge, taking on Alaska and Alaska Anchorage on O’ahu.
Following an exhibition with Brock University (Ontario, Canada), UH-Hilo will head home to host the Hawai’i Volleyball Fall Classic, Sept. 5-7, at the refurbished Vulcan Gymnasium. The three-day event features six teams and 12 total matches. More details to come at a later time.
To close out the non-conference portion, the Vulcans will travel to the Bay Area in California for the Route 92 Classic co-hosted by Cal State East Bay and San Francisco State.
“We’re really excited about this season, especially with the biggest and most challenging schedule that we have had in recent years,” sixth-year UHH head coach Chris Leonard said. “We have a great incoming recruit class joining an outstanding group of experienced returnees, which sets us up for a fantastic year. We look forward to seeing a packed Vulcan Gymnasium as we host 10 conference matches and four non-conference contests at home. The energy and support from our fans is amazing and we look forward to their support this year.”
Starting this year, the Pacific West Conference will welcome Jessup University (Rocklin, California), Menlo College (Atherton, California) and Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, California) from the NAIA’s Golden State Athletic Conference, making the season schedule uneven with just one matchup each against Dominican, Azusa Pacific, Concordia University Irvine, Fresno Pacific, Vanguard and Westmont. The top finisher in the regular season standings will once again determine the conference champion and the NCAA West Region automatic qualifier that comes along with it.
UH-Hilo finished sixth in the PacWest last season after posting a 12-16 overall record.