Show notes
Colleen Munson concluded her 19th season at the helm of Western Michigan volleyball in 2023. During her tenure at WMU, Munson has posted 10 20-win seasons, including a program-record eight in a row from 2005-12. She has taken the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2023, including a berth in the Sweet 16 in 2008. Taking over a program in 2005 that had finished better than third in the MAC West just three times since 1990, Munson has led Western Michigan to six MAC West championships, including outright MAC regular season titles in 2008 and 2023, MAC Tournament titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2023, and NCAA Tournament at-large bids in 2008 and 2011. Western Michigan had one of its best seasons in program history in 2023, as it won both the MAC Regular Season and Tournament titles on the way to a 31-3 record, its first 30-win season since 1983. The Broncos went a perfect 18-0 in the conference to become the first team to go undefeated in MAC play since 2014. Munson's squad also went unbeaten at home (14-0) and boasted its longest winning streak (21) since 1983. WMU hosted and won the Mid-American Conference Championship to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, its fourth berth under Munson. In the first round, the Brown and Gold ousted No. 7 seed Auburn in straight sets for its third NCAA Tournament win in Munson's tenure. In our conversation today, we discuss with Colleen her approach to coaching and recruiting, the importance of developing your own players and knowing authentically who you are as both a coach and a program. We also discuss some of her accountability and personal development tools she used this past year to have one of the most successful seasons in program history without bringing in any new players. Connect with Colleen at [email protected] REGISTRATION FOR THE 2024 WAY OF CHAMPIONS CONFERENCE IS OPEN! Save $100 if you sign up prior to June 30, and save 50% per person for groups of five or more. We are headed back to Denver, CO August 9-11 at Colorado Academy. Our hotel blocks do fill up, so join Jerry, John and a panel of soon to be named all star guest speakers for the coaching event of the summer! Click here to register and learn more. PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS!: Programs such as UNC soccer and lacrosse, Syracuse lacrosse, Stanford Lacrosse, Middlebury College, Colby College, Rutgers University, and many other champions are using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you? We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country, will your team be next? Please click here and grab yourself a copy of The Champion Teammate today. Please email [email protected] if you want discounted pricing on 10 or more books on any of our books. Thanks everyone. This week's podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports. Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs. There are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams. Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs. So if you've been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at https://sprocketsports.me/CTG. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our most popular online courses, a $300 value. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of our best podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, plus four other courses worth over $100, all yours for free for becoming a patron. Other special bonus opportunities that come up time to time Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences