Army Athletics Announces Five Head Coaches Contract Extensions

WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point Athletics has announced contract extensions for several head coaches.

Tracy Chao (women's soccer), Brandt Nigro (men's & women's swimming & diving), Brian Plotkin (men's soccer) Michelle Tumolo (women's lacrosse) and Mark West (sprint football) each received extensions, following success on and off the field.

"It is great to be able to retain and reward these leaders who have proven their commitment to the USMA Mission and to developing young leaders through athletic competition." - Director of Athletics, Mike Buddie

Notably, Chao, Nigro, Plotkin and Tumolo were each named Patriot League Coach of the Year this past season.

The extensions come just weeks after Buddie and Army West Point Athletics announced a new strategic plan "Fruits of Victory". The plan's vision focuses on four strategic priorities inspired by Army West Point's mission to recruit, educate, train and inspire leaders of character who are committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country through an extraordinary Division I athletic experience.

Tracy Chao is currently in her fourth season at the helm of the women's soccer program at West Point and is coming off a 2022 season that saw the Black Knights win the Patriot League regular season championship. Chao has boasted a stellar (20-14-10, 13-6-3 PL) overall record since taking over, leading Army as far as penalty kicks in the Patriot League Championship game. Army used an unblemished 8-0-2 mark at home this past season to help secure the top spot in the conference as defender Emma Richey was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. The Black Knights also defeated Navy at home by a score of 2-0 in 2022, marking the first win at West Point over the Mids since 2013. Chao earned Patriot League Coach of the Year honors following the season, marking the first time since 2010 that an Army coach received the honor (Stefanie Golan).

Brandt Nigro enters his fifth season in charge of the men's & women's swimming & diving programs. The program has seen a quick turnaround under Nigro, with the Army men defeating Navy for the first time since 1990 this past season with an 189-111 victory at Crandall Pool. Nigro went on to earn Patriot League Coach of the Year honors following the season, as Army landed 21 athletes total on the PL all-conference teams. Nigro has led the men to a (21-9-1, 9-1 PL) record in dual meets across his tenure, with the women boasting a (15-16, 5-7 PL) record.

Brian Plotkin has led the men's soccer program to a (16-11-8, 9-5-4 PL) record through his first two seasons at the helm of the program. In his second season at West Point, Plotkin and Army clinched its first Patriot League regular season championship in 26 seasons. After leading Army all the way to penalty kicks in the Patriot League semifinals in his first season, Plotkin ensured the #1 seed for the Black Knights this past season with a 5-1-3 record in conference play. After a pair of losses in its opening three games in 2022, Army would suffer just one defeat across its final 13 contests on the way to the title. Plotkin became the first Army coach to receive Coach of the Year honors since Joe Chiavaro in 1996. The Black Knights also posted a 2-0 victory over Navy in the Army-Navy Cup XI last October from Subaru Park in Philadelphia.

Michelle Tumolo has seen unprecedented success in her first two seasons at the helm of the women's lacrosse program at Army, seeing its first-ever wins over Navy and first NCAA Tournament berth. Tumolo was named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2023, becoming the first Army coach to claim the award in program history. Tumolo posted a 12-6 record in 2022 in her first season at the helm of the Black Knights, leading Army to its first-ever victory over Navy and first-ever win over a ranked opponent. In her second season, Army took another huge leap forward, breaking into the national rankings for the first time in program history three weeks into the season. This came after the Black Knights knocked off 19^th-ranked Jacksonville on the road on Feb. 16 and defeated No. 9 Rutgers at home on Feb. 25. Army got out to an 11-0 start overall, ranking as high as 13^th in the ILWomen/IWLCA poll. Tumolo went on to defeat Navy for the second consecutive season in its Star Series matchup, before finishing the season with an 8-1 mark in conference play and a 15-4 record overall. Tumolo helped lead standout plebe Brigid Duffy on her way to Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors while also tabbing the first All-American selection in program history. Tumolo has an impressive (27-10, 15-3 Patriot League) overall record in her two seasons at Army.

Mark West enters his 15th season in charge of the sprint football program at West Point, having amassed a 79-17 record to this point. He has five CSFL championships under his belt after winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 when the Black Knights went 7-0 in both seasons, marking the Academy's first time having consecutive perfect seasons since 1973-74. The Black Knights went on to earn another CSFL crown in 2017 when Army bested Penn 10-0 in the inaugural CSFL Championship Game to cap off just the second 8-0 season in program history. Army's most recent title came in 2019 when Army blanked archrival Navy 13-0 in the CSFL title game at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. West has instructed many of the CSFL's top athletes during his time on the banks of the Hudson, with 234 of his players earning all-league recognition. A 1991 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, West was a three-year starter at quarterback for the sprint football team, leading the Black Knights to an overall 17-1-1 record in that time span. He also led the Black Knights to three league championships and two wins over archrival Navy.

Army West Point Athletics

Army Athletics Announces Five Head Coaches Contract Extensions

Players Mentioned

Brigid Duffy

Emma Richey

Related Videos