National Park College (NPC) announced the addition of National Junior College Athletics
Association (NJCAA) soccer to its sports lineup Wednesday. The College is actively
seeking a full-time head coach for men’s and women’s teams which will begin in August
2021.
NPC Athletic Director Jason Hudnell shared about the enthusiasm soccer brings to campus.
“Soccer has been on our radar for some time now and we are very excited to be able
to bring collegiate level soccer to Hot Springs. Garland County and the surrounding
area has proven to be a great soccer community, with high caliber student-athletes.
This program will provide the opportunity for many students from our county and region
the chance to play college soccer while earning a degree from NPC,” he said.
Nighthawk Soccer will host home matches at Hot Springs High School. “We continue to
build upon our relationship with Hot Springs High School and we are very grateful
for the opportunity to use their facilities,” Hudnell added.
Lakeside High School assistant soccer coach and past president for the Hot Springs
Soccer Association, Ben Pettigrew said, “There has always been a large soccer presence
in our community with the local clubs and strong high school programs. I feel like
we have really seen a rise in the popularity of the sport over the last five years.
Being a high school and club coach, I think there are a lot of young men and women
that will benefit from this program who wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise.
I can’t wait to watch and support the program as it becomes an established part of
our community.”
“Athletics is part of our overall mission of student success. Our students asked for
more opportunities to participate in team sports and we are delivering on that. Over
the past three years, we have watched as our student-athletes have excelled on the
court and academically in the classroom,” said NPC President John Hogan.
Student-athletes interested in learning more about the teams can contact Hudnell at
jhudnell@np.edu or 501-760-4374. Information about the coaching position will be posted at np.edu/jobs.
