"I certainly have enjoyed the successful years this program has had and I'm proud to have been a part of that success," Vinson said. "We kind of turned the corner in 1997 and it has been fun to be involved in helping this program become recognized both regionally and nationally as a quailty volleyball program. Hopefully, it will continue to blossom and achieve even loftier goals in the years ahead."
A three-time Lone Star Conference North Division Coach of the Year honoree, Vinson has compiled an overall record of 249-192 (.565) at Cameron, including a 181-73 (.713) mark since 1996. Under her direction, the 1998 Aggie squad claimed its first-ever Lone Star Conference North Division title, as well as the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship and a No. 24 national ranking. The team also earned its first-ever trip to the NCAA postseason that year and made a return trip to the Division II Southwest Regional Championships in 2001. From 1998 to 2000, Cameron won 31 consecutive home matches, a streak that currently ranks 11th in NCAA Division II history.
Last season, Vinson guided the Aggies to their fifth 20-win season in the last six years while directing the efforts of Cameron’s first women’s volleyball All-American and two-time LSC North Division Player of the Year, Kelsey Kosick. In 14 years with Vinson at the helm, Cameron has produced four All-Region selections, as well as one Academic All-American and scores of All-Conference and Academic All-Conference performers.
"Kim has done a tremendous job building our volleyball program into one of the top teams in the region," Cameron Athletic Director Sam Carroll said. "We also are proud of the fact that she is one of the most well respected Senior Woman's Administrators in Division II and will continue to serve our athletic department as an exceptional administrator."
NCAA regulations that will require all Division II member institutions to field a minimum of 10 varsity athletic teams beginning with the Fall 2005 term have prompted Cameron to announce the addition of two new sports. Beginning next fall, the Aggies will add men's cross country and women's golf to its list of sports offered, increasing both opportunities for student-athletes and Vinson's workload.
"There's always going to be a part of me that misses being around the kids and being on the floor doing the day-to-day things coaching the program," Vinson said. "But hopefully this opens the door for me to be able to have more interaction with all of our student-athletes.
"I didn't want my added workload in the compliance and administrative aspects of my job to negatively affect my ability to run a quality volleyball program. I also didn't want my duties as volleyball coach to affect my efforts in making sure our athletic department, as a whole, remained compliant with NCAA and Lone Star Conference regulations."
Vinson brought with her a wealth of volleyball coaching experience when she joined the Aggie program prior to the 1990 season. She coached the Hardin-Simmons University men's team to consecutive Trans-America Athletic Conference titles in 1984 and 1985 and led the Hardin-Simmons women's team to the NAIA District 8 championship, as well. Vinson also served as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech University. She is a past member of the NCAA Division II Legislation Committee.
During her tenure at Hardin-Simmons, Vinson was selected as the NAIA Co-Coach of the Year in 1984. She graduated from Hardin-Simmons with a bachelor's degree in Education and moved on to receive a Master's degrees in counseling and human development from Hardin-Simmons in 1987 and a Master's in sports administration from Texas Tech in 1990. In addition to continuing her athletic administration duties, Vinson will begin service as director of Cameron's fitness center and intramurals program at the conclusion of the volleyball season.
Cameron returns six starters from last year's squad, which finished in a tie for first place in the LSC North while compiling an overall record of 21-12. The Aggies are led by Alvin, Texas, senior Morgan Meyer, who was selected last month as the LSC North Preseason Player of the Year. Vinson, Meyer and the rest of the Aggies are scheduled to open the season on Aug. 27, as participants in the Rockhurst Invitational in Kansas City, Mo.
Cameron will play nine home matches this season, including the home opener against nationally ranked West Texas A&M on Sept. 10. For ticket information, contact the Cameron Athletic Ticket Office at (580) 581-2228.
