James Beckmann enters his seventh year at
the helm as the winningest head coach in Nebraska Wesleyan
men’s soccer history. He has helped guide NWU to the
second round of the NCAA Division III Championships twice
and national rankings in 2001 and 2002, climbing as high as
No. 6 in the nation. In 2001, Beckmann was named Great Plains
Athletic Conference (GPAC) Co-Coach of the Year.
After playing soccer at Creighton University
for one year, he transferred to NWU, where he was a three-year
captain and played midfielder from 1996-98. Beckmann was an
All-Conference selection in 1996, 1997 and 1998, earning All-Midwest
Region and Honorable Mention All-America recognition as a
senior.
He set the single-season school record with
14 assists in 1998 and shares the individual mark for most
assists in a match, recording three against York College on
Oct. 8, 1998. Beckmann is also ranked third all-time at NWU
in career assists with 25.
“NWU offers several diverse educational
opportunities,” Beckmann said. “Not only does
it provide a top-notch liberal arts education, but a degree
from Wesleyan provides a foundation for all manners of future
endeavors.”
Beckmann, who graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan
in 1999 with a degree in education, taught for two years before
attending the University of Nebraska Law School, where he
was a member of the Nebraska Law Review. He graduated in 2003
and recently opened his own law firm, Beckmann Law Offices.
In 1996, Beckmann became the youngest coach
in the country to receive the USSF “A” license.
He also has an “Advanced National” diploma from
the NSCAA. He is the former head trainer and assistant club
director for Viva Athletico in Omaha and currently serves
on the NFC staff. Beckmann worked as the head coach of seven
state championship teams and served as an assistant on 17
others. From 1995-2000, he worked as a head coach within the
Olympic Development Program and helped five different players
make the Region II team.
Beckmann’s Record
| Year |
Overall |
Conference
(finish) |
| 2001 |
17-2 |
7-1 GPAC (Co-Champion) |
| 2002 |
16-4-2 |
8-1-1 GPAC (Runner-up) |
| 2003 |
11-8 |
9-2 GPAC (Runner-up) |
| 2004 |
7-10-3 |
4-6-1 GPAC (7th) |
| 2005 |
8-9-1 |
6-4-1 GPAC (Third) |
| 2006 |
10-7-1 |
9-3-0 GPAC (Runner-up) |
| Career |
69-40-7 |
43-17-3 |
 Eric Shanahan
Assistant & Goalkeeper Coach
Eric Shanahan is in his fourth year as an
assistant coach at Nebraska Wesleyan. His previous coaching
experiences include volunteer assistant coach in 1998 at Waverly
High School, where he became a paid assistant from 1999-2003.Shanahan graduated from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln in 2003 with a secondary education major.
Currently, he is the Nebraska Futbol Club (NFC) Director of
Goalkeeping. Shanahan is from Blair, Neb., where he played
on the soccer team in 1997 and 1998. He was a Class B All-State
selection for the Bears and was also named Academic All-State.
 Trevor Svoboda
Assistant Coach
Trevor Svoboda is entering his third season
as an assistant coach for the Nebraska Wesleyan men’s
soccer program. A four-year letter winner and two-year starter
at NWU, Svoboda was an All-Conference Honorable Mention pick
as a senior in 2002 and became the first men’s soccer
player in NWU history to be twice named to the Academic All-America
Team® as selected by CoSIDA. In addition, he helped the
Prairie Wolves earn three consecutive bids to the NCAA Division
III Men’s Soccer Championships.
Svoboda has also coached a variety of youth
soccer clubs around the state of Nebraska during the last
nine years. In 1999, he made Super-State in soccer and was
All-City captain as a senior at Lincoln High School. A 2003
NWU graduate, Svoboda earned an economics degree and is Co-Founder
and Managing Director of TenDot Sports, Inc.
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