MARYVILLE – Maryville men's and women's soccer head coach
Pepe Fernandez added another honor to his legendary career this week when he was inducted into the Blount County Sports Hall of Fame.
Fernandez was one of 10 individuals and two teams making up the 2023 class. He had the honor of being joined by a former player of his, Mandy Franklin Welch, who was a Maryville High School star before staying home for college and earning All-South Region accolades for the Scots in 1999 and 2000.
A Middle Tennessee native of Franklin, Fernandez came to Maryville in 1989. Since that fortunate moment for Maryville Athletics, Fernandez has combined to win more than 800 matches over his 35 collegiate seasons. He has led the women's and men's programs to several national rankings and 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance by the 2005 men's squad. Both teams have consistently ranked in the top 10 in the South and have had more than 50 All-South players and six All-Americans.
With 414 wins on the men's side and 410 with the women, Fernandez has a combined record of 824-350-94. This week, he earned his eighth postseason coaching honor when he was named Collegiate Conference of the South Women's Coach of the Year.
Both teams are challenging for tournament titles. The women are home Saturday against Agnes Scott in the CCS tourney quarterfinals, while the men have advanced to the CCS semifinals at play Saturday at Belhaven.
