Western Colorado University Athletics

When Darin Weber took over the head coaching duties for the Western Colorado volleyball program in 1995, the Mountaineers were in rebuild mode. By the time he left following the 1999 season – Western Colorado was a major player in the RMAC, reached national tournament for the first time in program history and was on the precipice of its greatest years as a program thanks to the work Weber and his staff put in.
 
Weber is the program's all-time leader in winning percentage and was inducted into the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 25, 2019, at the University Center.
 
Weber took over the head position in 1995 (following one year as an assistant with the Mountaineers) and coached three players to All-RMAC honors. The team won just nine matches, but the improvement from the year before was an indicator for what was about to come.
 
In Weber's second season, the Mountaineers took a dramatic leap forward and won a then program-record 21 matches and finished fourth in the RMAC Tournament. That 1996 team featured four All-RMAC honorees and Jessica Whyde was twice named RMAC Player of the Week.
 
The following season in 1997, Western again had four players named to All-RMAC teams. Kam Heger also became the first Mountaineer to earn American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region honors. That team made it to the quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament and once again recorded a double-digit win total against conference opponents.
 
In 1998, Weber had four more players earn All-RMAC honors. In his five seasons at the helm, Weber had no fewer than three players earn all-conference selections in each and every season.
 
Already holding the single-season record for wins, Weber guided the Mountaineers to a record breaking 25-win season in 1999. Western won the RMAC's West Division and made the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in program history. The 1999 team ranked in the top four of the RMAC in hitting percentage, blocks, kills and assists. The team had four All-RMAC honorees and Kristy Jacovetta was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
That 1999 team sits atop the Western record book in five categories including most consecutive home victories with 12. The team also earned its first victory over a nationally ranked conference opponent and ended the season 18th in the national poll.
 
For his efforts, Weber was named the 1999 RMAC and Division II Southwest Region Coach of the Year.
 
Tara Miller became the program's first All-American, earning AVCA All-America honors in 1999 and was inducted into the MSHOF in 2006. Miller was also selected to the RMAC Volleyball All-Century Team.
 
"I have never seen a coach that, without trying, gets so many around him to play for him," Tara (Miller) Olding said. "He has a gift or skill set that brings people of various personalities together and gets them to play for him. He has never asked for that, but they do."
 
Also joining Miller in the MSHOF was teammate Kam Heger who entered the hall in 2005.
 
Following the 1999 season, Weber left Western to take a head coaching position at the University of South Dakota.
 
"Coach Weber has influenced his players both on and off the court," Darci Haueisen said in her letter of support. "He pushed us to be the best students, athletes, teammates and all-around people we could possibly be."
 
In 2000, all five starters and a total of 10 players returned to Western. The 2000 Mountaineers won 24 games the program's only RMAC title. With a solid core group still intact, the 2001 Mountaineers won a school-record 29 matches and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. The 2001 team was inducted into the MSHOF in 2013.
 
"Darin Weber is the true essence of what the Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame is all about," Weber's successor at Western, Shawn Back said in his nomination letter. "He represented the athletic department, the school, and his team with the upmost professionalism. He brought Western Athletics national recognition, never seen before in the volleyball program."