Oskaloosa--William Penn University Athletics Director Greg Hafner has announced the hiring of Jeremy Wise as the school's new head volleyball coach.

Wise comes to Penn from Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio, where he was the head coach of the NAIA program for ten years from 1998 to 2007. He inherited a team that had not had a winning season in school history and had won just four games in the previous three years. Wise turned the program around immediately and led the Blue Knights to numerous postseason appearances as well as a national ranking.

His squads broke every school record, including wins, and he leaves as the winningest coach in school history with 202 wins.

"We are pleased to get someone like Coach Wise that has extensive head coaching experience at the NAIA level," Hafner said. "We are confident he will continue to strengthen our volleyball program."

Also during his tenure at Urbana, Wise guided 26 players to all-conference recognition, had five all-freshmen team honorees, and two Region IX Defensive Players of the Year. His squads succeeded academically as well as 13 individuals garnered NAIA Scholar-Athlete laurels and 22 earned academic-all conference honors.

While at Urbana, Wise honed his coaching skills by also working numerous college, high school, and Junior Olympic camps. He coached a few college all-star teams overseas as well, leading squads to gold medals at the 2003 Down Under University Games and the 2004 Youth Games, both held in Australia.

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Wise also managed the Grimes Center and was an instructor in sport science, recreation, and physical education courses.

Throughout his career, Wise has earned the respect of his peers and has been asked to serve as American Mideast Conference and NAIA Region IX Chair. He has also served as an NAIA and Region IX rater.

"I am very excited to work in the athletic department here at William Penn," Wise said. "The staff and students work well together and are very friendly. The program is on an upswing that we plan to continue building upon and hope to reach greater heights."

"I plan to prepare our student-athletes as best as possible on and off the court," Wise added. "With some hard work, the volleyball team should be able to arrive on the national scene after last year's successful campaign."

Before joining the Urbana staff, Wise was a facility manager of two other venues, most recently for the Columbus Chill, a hockey team in the ECHL association.

Wise graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in 1996 with a double degree in coaching and sports industry and a minor in psychology. He also received his Master's in Athletic Administration from Ohio in 1997.

Wise plans to reside in Oskaloosa with his wife Katie and their two sons, Austin, 4, and Logan, 2.