Athletics

Ralph Grajeda - Baseball

Ralph returns for his second season with the Vanguard baseball program after focusing a major amount of time on facility improvements, recruiting, and establishing a new baseball era in his first full year at VUSC. Improving VU’s overall record to 19-28 and GSAC mark to 13-23 in his debut season with the team, Grajeda’s Lions also sported three NAIA Scholar-Athletes and two players who continued their careers to the professional level, including 19th-round LA Dodger draftee Nick Akins. Grajeda has an extensive baseball background with a track record of success, strong organization skills and recruiting connections, knowledge of the game, and a wide variety of baseball experience from the high school, junior college, and four-year college levels. Grajeda left the Riverside Community College baseball program where he was an assistant coach for the two previous seasons to take the position at Vanguard. Grajeda was instrumental in assisting RCC win the California Community State Championship in 2007 and reach the State Championship game in 2008. Grajeda’s coaching resume’ also includes productive stops at UC Davis, Saddleback Community College (SCC), and three Orange County High Schools, including a 19-10 record as JSerra High School’s head coach.

As a college catcher, Grajeda played two seasons at SCC following his prep career at Tustin High School. Moving on to California State University San Bernardino, Grajeda helped lead the Coyotes to the 1991 Western Regional Championship and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships. Following a redshirt year, Grajeda transferred to Point Loma Nazarene where he and the Sea Lions won the NAIA District Championship and took third place at the 1993 NAIA Baseball World Series. Grajeda finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education at CSU San Bernardino and earned his Master of Arts degree in Education at Azusa Pacific University with an emphasis in Physical Education. Grajeda completed his education by attaining his Single Subject Teaching Credential from National University in 2004. He attended Champions of Character training this summer and will become a Certified Champions of Character Instructor. Contact Coach Grajeda at his e-mail address ralph.grajeda@vanguard.edu or by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2330.

Fred Litzenberger - Men's Basketball

Coach Litzenberger begins his fourth season as the head coach of Vanguard’s men’s basketball program, hoping to rebound the Lions from a 7-22 overall record in 2008-09 and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2007-08, VU’s last 20-win season. Serving as the Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach in 2005-06, Fred helped guide the Lions to the program’s second NAIA National Tournament appearance, ending the year with a 20-13 overall record. Coach "Litz" came to Vanguard after a decade with the University of Oregon men’s and women’s basketball programs. He worked six seasons with the UO women’s team and the last four years with the UO men’s basketball program. While Litzenberger served UO as an assistant coach, the Ducks won three Pac-10 titles and advanced to the postseason nine times. Known as a defensive guru, Litzenberger has over 20 years experience as an NCAA Division I assistant at the University of Oregon, Colorado State University, Fresno State University, and the University of Miami. He also has over a decade of head coaching experience at the collegiate, army and high school level and overall more than 35 years of collegiate coaching experience. Known as a teacher of the game, the Lions benefit from his high-energy perfectionist personality, love, passion and knowledge of the game, and distinct desire to teach young people. The men’s basketball head coach has been trained in the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative. Coach "Litz", who enters the 2009-10 school year with an overall record of 34-54 at Vanguard, can be reached via e-mail at flitzenberger@vanguard.edu or by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2350.

Russ Davis - Women's Basketball

Russ Davis, the 2009 GSAC and WBCA/NAIA Coach of the Year and head coach of the 2008 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Champions, returns for his 14th season in charge of Vanguard’s women’s basketball program. Winning the 2008-09 GSAC Championship, he begins the 2009-10 season with nine Golden State Athletic Conference Championships, ten national tournament appearances, and a 349-86 overall record to his credit, while winning six GSAC Coach of the Year awards and the 2008 NAIA Coach of the Year Award. The string of success began in 1998 when his team went 12-0 while winning its first GSAC title and made its first appearance at the NAIA National Basketball Tournament. Winning a fifth consecutive GSAC title with a perfect 20-0 record in 2007, Davis and the Lions made it to the NAIA semifinals for the third time during his tenure Ranked No. 1 in the NAIA the entire 2006 and 2007, Davis’ Lions finally claimed Vanguard University’s first-ever NAIA Championship in 2008. Receiving his third Russell Athletic/WBCA NAIA Region I Coach of the Year award at the end of the 2006 season, Davis earned one of his most important coaching laurels at the end of the 2006-07 season as he was named the NAIA’s National Coach of Character. Vanguard has had 39 women's basketball players make the NAIA Scholar-Athlete list and 24 NAIA All-American players since Davis has been with the Lions. He is also an NAIA Champions of Character Certified Instructor. Contact Coach Davis by e-mail at rdavis@vanguard.edu or by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2310.

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Bryan Wilkins - Cross Country/Track and Field - VU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2007

Coach Bryan begins his 22nd year as the Head Coach of Vanguard’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs, both the men’s and women’s teams, after earning his first GSAC Co-Coach of the Year Award in men’s track and field last spring. Wilkins, who has the longest tenure of any current coach on the VUSC athletic staff, celebrated the ending of his second decade as a VU coach by being inducted into Vanguard’s Athletic Hall Of Fame on November 9, 2007, along with a few others in the VU HOF Class of 2007. The highly dedicated and committed coach continues to rely on his distance running background to build strong traditions in his Vanguard programs. In 2006, his women’s cross country team made a third consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championships, placing 15th, just two places below VU’s 13th place finish in 2005. The Lion women finished in the top five of the GSAC and top half of Region II for the third straight year. He has had three men's cross country teams qualify for the NAIA National Cross Country Meet with 22nd place as their highest finish in 1994. During the past six seasons, Wilkins has had 91 track or cross country athletes qualify and compete individually at the national level, with 41 making the NAIA All-America team. In his time at VU, he has coached 54 NAIA All-Americans and 53 NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Trained in the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative, Wilkins is very proud of the reputation of his Vanguard teams who have combined to win seven NAIA/Buffalo Funds Five-Star Team of Character Awards. Coach Wilkins can be reached by e-mail at bwilkins@vanguard.edu or by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2380.

Randy Dodge - Men's Soccer and Women's Soccer

Randy became Vanguard’s first Director of Soccer in April (2006) and is responsible for the men’s and women’s soccer programs for the Lions. Returning to his alma mater in 2002, Dodge began his collegiate coaching career as VU’s men’s soccer coach. In 2004, Dodge and the Lions set a school record for wins in a season with an overall record of 16-5 and earned the program’s first GSAC Title, a Co-Championship with Azusa Pacific. Randy was named the GSAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to a program-best 9-1 conference record. Coming off a 7-2-1 conference mark and a third place finish in the 2008 GSAC standings, Dodge brings an overall record of 78-46-8 into the 2009 season.

Dodge also begins his fourth season as the third coach in Vanguard women’s program history, which enters its 17th season in existence. The Lion women are coming off an 9-5-3 season and three straight postseason appearances, but are still looking for the program’s first NAIA National Tournament berth. A 1993 graduate of Vanguard and former four-year player and team captain on the men’s soccer team, Randy brings vast coaching experience to the Lions. Dodge holds a USSF "A" License and is a Region IV head coach in the Olympic Development Program. He has coached at the high school level for 18 years and is currently the head coach for the boys and girls programs at Aliso Niguel High School. Also trained through the NAIA’s Champions of Character program, you can E-mail Coach Dodge at rdodge@vanguard.edu or contact him by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2320.

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Beth Renkoski - Softball

Craig Bluell - Men's and Women's Swimming

Coach Bluell joins the coaching staff to become the first head coach of the inaugural men’s and women’s swimming program at Vanguard University. Bluell was hired in the late spring of 2009 to begin the recruiting process and has been working diligently at filling the first men’s and women’s swimming roster in VU history. With a passion for his sport and an enthusiasm to work with young people, Bluell takes on the VU challenge with years of swimming experience in his background. Serving as the Head Swimming Coach for the YMCA of Orange County for the past seven years, Bluell has also worked as an assistant swimming coach at the Riverside Swim Club, as a Multisport Coach for the City of Riverside, and for the Offshore Outrigger Canoe Club. Bluell’s association with the YMCA will help facilitate the usage of the YMCA facilities for Lion swimming practices. As an athlete, Bluell swam his freshman year for Arizona State University and his final three years he competed in swimming and water polo for UC Riverside. He graduated from UCR with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Minor in Community Recreation.

Coach Bluell can be reached by e-mail at: craig.bluell@vanguard.edu or by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2385.

Mattias Johansson - Men's and Women's Tennis

Earning his 200th men’s tennis victory at the 2009 NAIA Men’s Tennis Tournament, Mattias has had an unmatched impact on the men’s and women’s tennis programs at Vanguard. He was the common denominator in eight consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances for the VU Men's Tennis program, a streak broken during the 2002 season when the Lions were eliminated in the Region II Tournament. Mattias was the #1 singles player for the 1995 and 1996 teams and has led the team to Nationals twelve times since then as the head coach. The Lions’ highest National Tournament finish was in 2000 and 2004 when they tied for third place.

Johansson, who has two GSAC Coach of the Year titles, is beginning his 14th season as the men's coach and tenth season coaching the women’s team at VU, achieving respective career records of 200-104 and 161-64. In 2005, when the VU ladies won the GSAC Title with an undefeated 14-0 record, the Swede won both the Region II’s Men’s and Women’s Region II Coach of the Year awards. Women's Tennis has qualified for Nationals in 1996, 1999, 2003-09 (consecutively), finishing tied for third in 2004, 2005 and 2007. With both teams ranked in the NAIA top 25 for the majority of the last decade under Johansson’s direction, Johansson hopes to direct the Lions to the program’s first NAIA National Championship. Johansson, also trained in the NAIA Champions of Character initiative, has coached 26 NAIA Scholar-Athletes and 42 NAIA All-Americans among the men’s and women’s teams. Johansson’s e-mail address is mjohansson@vanguard.edu or you can reach him by phone at (714)556-3610, extension 2340.

Marissa Cothran - Volleyball