Iowa Wesleyan- Jordan Ashton was a hot commodity for teams looking to fill a head coaching vacancy. The key word being “was” as William Woods University has announced that Ashton will be taking the helm for the Owls on April 28th.
Ashton’s first season leading Iowa Wesleyan was one for the history books as he directed the Tigers to a 27-3 overall record. This included a 20-game winning streak that included upsetting a then ranked #13 William Penn team 85-81 at Ruble Arena and an 11-0 home record, both school records. Additionally, the Tigers ranked as high as #23 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), it was their first time being ranked since the 2010-11 season. The Tigers also took down #14 Florida College in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) championship game, 70-66 and qualified for the NAIA National Tournament as the 7th seed, both instances were the first time since the 2011 season.
Under his direction, Henry Shannon was named 1st Team All-Conference, Gacoby Jones and Joey Brown IV were honorable mentions, and Brown was the Champion of Character. Lastly, Ashton earned CAC Coach of the Year honors as he added 15 wins from the previous year’s total.
Ashton will be taking over a team that the Tigers defeated 62-57 last season. The Owls finished last year with a 15-13 record.