Coach Vitalis Otieno (US’88, C’92)

As head coach of the men’s soccer team for 12 years Vitalis Otieno instilled in his players the importance of camaraderie, hard work, perfecting the craft, and being a student of the game. Six of his teams placed top four in conference play. In 2007, Vitalis was named St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Coach of the Year, and the team won the conference championship and participated in the NCAA Division III Tournament. He coached and developed 60 SLIAC All-Conference players, three SLIAC Players of the Year, 11 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region players, and one NSCAA All American. Beyond Principia, he is a patron of the Kibera Olympic Youth Project, an organization whose mission is to empower youth in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, using sports as a bridge to enhance life.