Years at CU: 11th Year
Alma Mater: Cedarville ('92)
Cumulative Record: 122-77-13
Office Phone: (270) 789-5072
E-mail: tajones@campbellsville.edu
Thom Jones enters his 11th season as the Lady Tigers head soccer coach and now has a combined record of 125-72-11.
Jones joined the Tiger staff after coaching at the high school level for 13 years. In 2008 he was named the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Mid-East Region Coach of the Year and was the Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2010.
In 2016, the Lady Tigers reached the NCCAA Championship as the Mid-East Region's bid and qualified for the semifinal round for the second-time in history (2014). Goalkeeper Amanda Howard earned NAIA Second-Team All-American honors - the first two-time NAIA All-American in history. In addition, Howard earned Third-Team NCCAA All-American honors along with senior captain Chelsea Gill and freshman Jordan Stallings.
In 2015, Jones reached 100 career collegiate wins with a victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph, 7-0 on Sept. 5.
The last two seasons (2014 and 2015), Campbellsville women's soccer has put itself on the map at the national stage. Jones has led the Lady Tigers to 34 wins and only 12 losses. In 2015, Jones led the Lady Tigers to their eighth-consecutive winning season by recording the most wins in program history (19), highest win percentage (.863), shutouts (15), assists (47) and goals (75).
CU also picked up its first three NAIA All-Americans in program history during the two-year span. Mhairi Fyfe was named NAIA All-American Honorable Mention in 2014 and then a third-team All-American in 2015 after eclipsing single-season scoring records with 24 and 27, respectively, the past two seasons. Amanda Howard was the first Lady Tiger to pick up first team All-American honors after finishing 2015 with 13 shutouts.
Campbellsville moved up the NAIA rankings with its highest mark in program history at No. 14 after starting the season 15-0. CU finished the regular season with the most wins in a single-season with a 16-1 record. The Lady Tigers fell to No. 1 Lindsey Wilson in the MSC title game but was able to pick up an at-large bid to their first-ever NAIA National Championship.
Jones and Campbellsville hosted the first opening round game in history and knocked off Ashford University, 5-0. CU then went on to the NAIA final site in Orange Beach, Ala. but lost in the second round to Benedictine University, 4-0.
The past three years, Jones has developed the most decorated offensive player to come through the program. Mhairi Fyfe, a third-team NAIA All-American, became the Lady Tigers all-time leading scorer with three goals against University of Pikeville Oct. 3, 2015. She finished her CU career with 65 scores through her junior season and holds the single-season mark of 27.
Jones is not only known for having high caliber offenses but his defense had a stellar season in 2015. Campbellsville allowed only 12 goals throughout the season - which was tied for fifth in the NAIA. Goalkeeper Amanda Howard was named the program's first-ever first team NAIA All-American after breaking the program record with 13 shutouts in a single-season.
The 2014 Lady Tiger soccer team (15-9) capped its second-most successful season in program history, with its seventh-consecutive winning season and semifinal appearance in its first-ever trip to the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament in Kissimmee, Fla.
In addition, Fyfe and Howard excelled on the soccer pitch breaking individual records for the first time in their careers. Fyfe broke Jessica Ralph's record and scored 24 goals to shatter the previous mark of 18 set in 2013. She was named an NCCAA First Team All-American and NAIA All-America Honorable Mention – the first Lady Tiger to ever earn NAIA honors. Howard also wrote her name into the record books, demolishing the single-season saves record with 133.
Under Jones, his teams has held a high standard for academics. In 2012 and 2015, his Lady Tigers were named NCCAA Scholar Team with a team GPA of at least 3.50. In the last nine years players have been named Academic All-Conference 76 times, which require a GPA of 3.25 or better. Also, 37 times a player has been named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete by maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher. In 2015-16, the Lady Tigers received the NCCAA Scholar-Team Award and finished No. 2 in the NCCAA Rankings for the first time in program history.
In addition, Jones recruits and develops high character student-athletes and in turn received the programs first NSCAA Team Ethics Silver Award of Merit (no red cards on only 11%-30% yellow cards on the season).
Jessica Ralph was named the 2013 Capital One Adameic All-American and also the Academic All-American of the Year for College Division Women's Soccer. In 2015, Rachel Veatch was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and the MSC Champions of Character by finishing her career with a 4.0 GPA.
But on-the-field accolades have come in bunches as well. During this time he has had 22 Mid-South Conference All-Conference selections and 26 MSC honorable mentions. Thirty-three Lady Tigers have been named to the NCCAA Mid-East All-Region Team and six have received honorable mentions. Also, three Lady Tigers have been named NCCAA Mid-East Regional Player of the Year and two ladies were named NCCAA All-American and five were named honorable mention.
In 2013, Ralph was also named 2013 Women's Athlete of the Year in the entire Mid-South Conference.
In 2010, CU goalkeeper Brandie Hagerman was named MSC Freshman of the Year and became the program's first NCCAA All-America selection. Megan Campbell also made program history by being named CU's first NCCAA Mid-East Region Player of the Year in 2010.
Through his tenure, he has seen the Lady Tigers' career goals record broken four times. Lauren Swencki was the first to break the record in 2009 with 32 career goals. Megan Campbell broke the mark in 2011 with 38 goals. Jessica Ralph smashed that record with 51 career goals scored (2010-2013) but Fyfe demolished the all-time record as a junior in 2015, and it now holds at 65.
Jones serves at the NCCAA Mid-East Regional chair and previously has served as director of the Junior Tiger Indoor League and the Tiger Team Camp. He was also the director of coaching for the Campbellsville Youth Soccer Program. He was also an assistant coach for the state of Kentucky's Olympic Development Program 1996 girls team from 2010-2013. In addition, Jones was the coach of the Elizabethtown Flames U18 women's team from 2010-13.
Prior to Campbellsville, Jones coached eight years at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA), in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He began his head coaching career as the boys' and girls' varsity soccer coach at Hilton Head Christian Academy (HHCA), in South Carolina.
Jones graduated from Cedarville University in 1992 with a B.A. in elementary education and a minor in Biblical studies. He was also a four-year varsity player for the men's soccer team. He was team captain and Most Valuable Player for the 1991 season.
While at HHCA, Jones coached the varsity boys soccer team to a state runner-up finish in 1993 and to a state championship in 1994. Both of these were first-time achievements for the school. He was also twice named Coach of the Year for the state of South Carolina. He also started the women's soccer program at HHCA.
During his time at CVCA, his girls team won two regional finals and advanced twice to the district semi-finals.
Coach Jones holds his National Youth License, Level 1 and 2 Goalkeeping Diploma, National Diploma through the NSCAA and recieved an NSCAA Advanced National license in 2014.
In 2013, Jones completed his Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership at Campbellsville. And in the summer of 2016, Jones was one of 29 CU coaches to serve on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic with SCORE International. He is married to Heather Jones and they have two sons, Dylan and Jacob.
A YEAR BY YEAR LOOK AT JONES' TENURE
Campbellsville University: 122-77-13 (.606)
2007: 6-11-1 (.361)
2008: 11-7-4 (.591) NCCAA Mid-East Region Runner-Up
2009: 12-8-2 (.591) NCCAA Mid-East Region Runner-Up
2010: 13-9 (.591) NCCAA Mid-East Region Runner-Up
2011: 13-7-1 (.643) NCCAA Mid-East Region Semifinals
2012: 11-9-1 (.548) NCCAA Mid-East Region Runner-Up
2013: 11-6-2 (.632) NCCAA Mid-East Region Runner-Up
2014: 15-9-0 (.625) NCCAA National Tournament - Semifinals
2015: 19-3 (.864) NAIA National Tournament, Opening Round Championship, NAIA Rd. 2
2016: 11-8-2 (.571) NCCAA Semifinal
