ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson University Director of Athletics Nancy Simpson announced on Saturday that former Wesleyan College Head Coach and Young Harris Assistant Coach Ciaran Traquair has been named head women's soccer coach, effective for the remainder of the spring and upcoming fall seasons.

Traquair comes to the Upstate after spending two seasons at Wesleyan (Macon, Ga.) where he turned the program around in two seasons after a 0-19 year to the best season in 12 seasons at 9-9. Prior to the turnaround, Traquair brought in the largest recruiting class in the program's history with 17 players, trying to bring stability to the program, as 10 players were named the postseason all-conference teams. While with Wesleyan, Traquair managed and organized "Kick ALS Night" where he helped collect over $1,700 this past year for the ALS Association of Georgia.

"We are thrilled to have Ciaran join the Trojan family," Simpson said. "He is tremendously talented and brings a passion for the game and a commitment to student-athlete success. I look forward to the future growth of our women's soccer program under Ciaran's leadership."

During his time at Wesleyan, Traquair was the Director of Girls Select at Central Georgia Soccer Association (CGSA) where he coordinated weekly training sessions for several teams within the club. While working with youth to high school players, Traquair worked with at summer and preseason camps preparing high school prospects for the college level.

"I'm very excited about the challenges ahead at Anderson University," Traquair said. "I want to thank Nancy Simpson and the search committee for making me feel very welcomed when I visited. I felt the committee and I had the same vision for this program and this is a great opportunity for me. I'm looking forward to making an immediate impact at the Division II level and within the Southeast Region."

Prior to his stint in Macon, Traquair spent three seasons at Young Harris where he was an assistant with the men's soccer program. While with the Mountain Lions, Traquair was a major part in one of the top recruiting classes in Division II, as he saw his team reach as high as No. 1 in the country, according to the National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA). With YHC in transition into Division II, Traquair worked with the NCAA on the jump and worked with compliance to prepare the program for the move to the NCAA.

In 2008, the native of Coatbridge, Scotland joined the staff as an assistant at his alma mater, Shorter, a current member of Gulf South Conference located in Rome, Ga. Prior to Shorter's move to Division II, the Hawks were a member of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) where he helped lead the team to an SSAC regular season championship and an NAIA National Ranking as high as 16th. While at Shorter, he helped organized pregame scouting reports and worked specifically with the goalkeepers.

Traquair began his collegiate coaching career at Young Harris in 2007, serving as the assistant women's soccer coach in 2007. He spent two seasons with the women's program, as his first stint with YHC was highlighted by a Georgia Junior College Athletic Association championship and a national ranking as high as No. 1.

Throughout his coaching career, Traquair has earned a NSCAA Premier Diploma, a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, a NSCAA National Diploma and a Scottish Football Association - Early Touches E and D License. Also, he served as a select coach for the District Training Centre for Olympic Development Selection.

As a former collegiate player at Shorter, Traquair was named the team's most valuable player in each of his final three seasons with the Hawks. As a two-year captain, Traquair was named to the All-SSAC first team following his senior season.

While as a student-athlete at Shorter, Traquair received his Bachelor of Business Administration in 2007, while later getting his master's in the same field from Shorter in 2010.

After his time at the collegiate level, Traquair saw some time at the professional level as a member of Mississippi Brilla FC in 2008 and National Professional Soccer League's Chattanooga FC in 2009 and 2010.

Traquair is married for Lakyn Newton Traquair, who was an All-American softball player at Shorter.