Ryan Jorden, the longtime assistant men’s soccer coach at Westmont, has been named the new head coach at California Baptist. Jorden will begin his new duties at the Riverside campus on Jan. 2.
“I am super excited for Ryan,” said athletic director and head men’s soccer coach Dave Wolf. “It’s a great opportunity and without a doubt he is ready to be a head coach. It’s bittersweet because we have been together for eight years and he has done an incredible job here. If we thought the conference was tough last year, wait until we add him to the coaching ranks.”
Jorden was equally enthusiastic.
“We are really excited,” he said. “It is a great opportunity for me professionally and for my family. I have a great sense of what is going on at the institution — the direction, the goal and the mission — and what is going on in the athletic department. Since 1999, California Baptist has won 14 national championships in various sports and so there is obviously some ambition and desire. The soccer program is one program which has not done as well. They have selected me to be the person to try and turn that around and I am excited about that opportunity.”
Jorden played for the Warriors from 1991-94, during which time the team had an overall record of 65-18-8 and a Golden State Athletic Conference record of 29-4-4. Beginning in 1996, he served as an assistant coach at Oregon State while earning a Master’s degree in exercise science.
Jorden returned to Westmont to serve as an assistant coach before taking a leave of absence to pursue a doctorate in exercise science at the University of Northern Colorado. While in Greeley, he served as an assistant coach.
Since returning to Westmont in 2004, he has served as an assistant coach and as a member of the kinesiology faculty.
Ron Smith is Westmont College‘s sports information director.