Aug. 9, 2011

Dannie Merida and Phil Ruskin have been named assistant men's soccer coaches at Stony Brook University, head coach Ryan Anatol announced Tuesday. Anatol is entering his first season as the Seawolves head coach after accepting the position in February.

"We are so excited to welcome Dannie and Phil to our staff," Anatol said. "They are both outstanding young coaches with great experience, but, most importantly, they are outstanding people. They will be great additions to our program and will help with the growth and development of the student-athletes at Stony Brook."

Merida, who played collegiately at Florida International University after transferring from Elon University, served as the top assistant coach at Lewis University in Chicago last fall. Prior to his time at Lewis, Merida served as the associate head coach at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill. Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Merida has also worked with the South Kendall Soccer Club and was the associate head coach at Miami Killian High School and Miami Palmetto High School. Merida also has professional playing experience after earning a developmental contract with Municipal FC, out of Guatemala City, Guatemala in 2006.  Merida, who owns an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, will assist Anatol in all aspects of the program, with a focus on recruiting.

Ruskin comes to Stony Brook after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso Ind. Ruskin played collegiately at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Ill., where he was a four-year letterwinner for the Blue Jays. Ruskin also served as head coach of the NWI United U16 squad and previously has gained coaching experience with the Downers Grove Roadrunners FC. He holds an Advanced NSCAA National Diploma, a Goalkeeping Level 1 and 2 license.  Ruskin earned a bachelor's degree in Organizational Communication from Elmhurst in 2008 and a master's degree in Sports Administration from Valparaiso in December 2010.

Anatol and his staff return 18 letterwinners from last season's Stony Brook club that went 10-7-3 and advanced to the America East Championship semifinals. The Seawolves open the 2011 season at Lehigh on Saturday, Aug. 27.