Otero Junior College in La Junta, with a student population of about 1600, has officially become the first junior/community college in the state of Colorado to offer a men’s varsity soccer program.
As a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Region IX, south sub-region, OJC will add varsity soccer to a list of eight other varsity sports programs. The team will compete for a Region IX championship against teams from Wyoming and Nebraska.
According to Gary Addington, OJC athletic director, the Rattlers will play a total of 17 matches during the 2010 Fall Season against Region IX teams, as well as junior college teams from Texas and Kansas. Matches are also scheduled with several 4-year colleges’ Club and JV teams.
“We’ve already established a full schedule for this inaugural team that will include games with five teams in Region IX, as well as junior college teams from Texas and Kansas. Games are also scheduled with several four-year colleges’ club and JV teams,” said Addington.
Addington said the decision to establish a soccer program at OJC was influenced by several factor. “We’ve been watching the growing popularity of soccer at the youth and high school level for several years. At the same time, the population of the college’s service area in southeast Colorado has continued to decline. Under the leadership of our college president, Jim Rizzuto, we’ve been very pro-active in developing new academic, career & technical education and athletic programs that have allowed OJC to maintain, if not grow our enrollment, in spite of a declining area population. Soccer has been on our minds for several years as one of those new programs that could be beneficial to the college,” Addington explained.
Supporting the college’s commitment to establishing the new soccer program was the passage of a bond in 2008 in La Junta to build a new sports complex at La Junta High School. The sports complex, which is within walking distance of the college, includes a synthetic football and soccer field, all-weather track and 2,400-seat stadium. The college and East Otero School District have entered into a use-agreement allowing the college’s soccer program to use the new complex for home games.
When asked about bringing on women’s soccer, Addington said the college would certainly look at making that move once the men’s program was up and running and when more student-housing could be added.
“Over the past year we added rodeo as a varsity sport, and now soccer. Before we can add another varsity sport, we will need to increase our student-housing capacity. However, if it looks like the students will come, we will build,” said Addington.
Leading the Otero Rattlers into their inaugural season will be Head Coach Evan Prybutok from Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. A graduate of University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a goalkeeper for UMASS-Amherst’s Minutemen Soccer Team, Prybutok brings four years of collegiate playing and coaching experience to the Rattlers.
OJC President Rizzuto expressed his excitement about being the first junior/community college in the state to offer varsity soccer and his great optimism for the future of the program.
“We are excited to offer student- athletes in the state and region the opportunity to continue their soccer careers while pursuing their college academic studies,” he said. “Coach Prybutok, brings a great background in soccer to OJC and has the skills to take the program forward. Our goal is to help the men’s program become successful; leading us to the introduction of women’s soccer at OJC as well.
Team Tryouts Have Begun ...
