Eastern Illinois University Athletics

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Eastern Illinois volleyball head coach Sara Thomas announced the return of Manolo Concepcion as the program's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. Concepcion will join the staff in a full-time capacity in late May but will work with the program on a part-time basis as he fulfills other professional obligations.   
 
Concepcion and Thomas worked together one season on the staff at Missouri State with both serving as assistant coaches for the Bears in 2019. Concepcion was elevated to interim head coach during the season serving as head coach of his third different NCAA Division I program. Thomas then hired Concepcion as the Panthers associate head coach when she was hired as the EIU head coach in January of 2020.  He served in that roll for three seasons helping to build the nucleus of a team that won the OVC last season and advanced to the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance.  He was also instrumental in the development of EIU’s Beach Volleyball program serving as the inaugural head coach in the spring of 2022.
 
“I want to thank President Gatrell, Mr. Michael, Mr. Bonnstetter and everyone on the hiring committee for the opportunity to rejoin a program that I have witnessed its rebuilding process since day one,” said Concepcion.  “It is an honor to assist Coach Sara in continuing to shape and staple her vision for EIU Volleyball and join forces with Coach Nacho on providing her with unconditional support. I also look forward to continue to learn and grow from the staff and student athletes in this endless journey of bettering our best within a winning culture.”
 
After three seasons at EIU in which he helped recruit two time OVC Player of the Year Giovana Larregui Lopez, OVC Setter of the Year Catalina Rochaix and OVC Tournament MVP Christina Martinez Mundo, Concepcion was hired as an associate head coach at the University of Washington.  He would work with the UW program in the spring of 2023 mainly assisting with recruiting, training, and development for the 2023 Spring semester. .  Following the spring semester, he would leave to pursue other professional opportunities and focus on completion of his doctorate of psychology.
 
"I couldn't be more excited welcome Coach Manolo back to our EIU family! He played a large part in building the foundation we built here at EIU last year which allowed us to finish the year as OVC Champions,” said Thomas, the 2023 OVC Coach of the Year.   “He has the passion and has shown what it takes to rebuild and develop culture on and off the court along with the ability to train all positions at a high level. His background and experience coaching at many different levels will certainly allow our program to continue to grow and be a consistent championship quality team."

A respected coach and recruiter, Concepcion served six seasons (2013-18) as the head coach at Evansville helping build a competitive program despite budget limitations. The program produced four All-Missouri Valley Conference performers, two All-Freshman team selections and six MVC Scholar-Athlete selections. During his tenure the program picked up its lone victory over a Top 25 program. 
 
Concepcion's first head NCAA Division I head coaching stop was at Western Carolina for two season (2009-10). He had one Southern Conference All-Freshman selection. From Western Carolina, Concepcion was offered a job at the professional level as an assistant coach for the Guaynabo Mets Men's Professional Team working with Javier Gaspar, the former head coach of the Puerto Rican National Team and former USA National Team setter. He also worked with Corozal Pinkin, a Women's Professional Team, where he assisted Beach Volleyball Olympian Ramon Hernandez. 
 
Concepcion has additional coaching stops as the head coach at Colby Community College, as an assistant at Evansville and as a high performance coach with USA Volleyball working with the USA National A2 Invitational Team Program. He also founded, directed and coached in Evansville United Volleyball Academy, which is now one of the largest and highest ranked clubs in southern Indiana. 
 
As a former Youth National Team player in Puerto Rico, Concepcion was later drafted to play in the Puerto Rico Pro League. He has used those experiences during his professional volleyball career as a teacher and recruiter. At his coaching stops as both a head coach and assistant, Concepcion has a track record of building diverse rosters from around the world with many different backgrounds. He holds a both FIVB International and National Coaching Certifications along with USA Volleyball Impact and SafeSport Certification. He has a passion for Gold Medal Squared principles especially the emphasis on Motor Learning as the key to training and development.
 
Additionally, several of the players he recruited to play for him at the college level, have now transitioned into finding professional contracts in leagues around the globe