Emory Boys
Soccer Camps


Sonny Travis
sonny.travis@emory.edu
404-727-0597
Emory University
Woodruff P.E. Center
26 Eagle Row
Atlanta, GA 30322

SONNY TRAVIS, CAMP DIRECTOR
HEAD COACH EMORY UNIVERSITY MEN'S SOCCER TEAM

Sonny Travis brings 27 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level to the Emory Soccer Camps.

During his six seasons at Emory, Travis led the Eagles to a 79-27-7 record, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament and back-to-back 16-win seasons for the first time in school history in 2007 and 2008.  On September 18, 2010, he won his 50th game with the Eagles, reaching the mark in just 62 games, the fastest by any coach in the program's history.

In 2012, Travis guided the Eagles to a share of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship, marking his second conference title with the team, and the program's seven overall.  Emory qualified for the NCAA Tournament and claimed a 4-1 win over Roanoke College in the first round, giving the program its first postseason win since 1988 and just the second overall in the team's history.  The Eagles advanced to the second round, where they were defeated by the eventual National Champions, ending the year with a record of 11-7-2.

Travis led the Eagles to a 14-3-2 record and a berth into the NCAA Tournament in 2010, as Emory finished the year ranked 18th in Division III.  In 2008, he coached the Eagles to their first UAA Championship since the 1998 season, as Emory advanced to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament, finishing the campaign with a 16-2-1 overall record.  In 2007, Travis helped the Eagles to a 16-3-0 record, as his squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

He won the 300th match of his career during the Eagles' 4-0 win over Heidelberg College (Ohio), on September 15, 2007, becoming the 27th Division III head coach to do so.  The win came at the Adidas Invitational, hosted by Center College (Ky.), where Travis began his coaching career.

In 27 years of coaching at the Division III level, Travis has a career ledger of 373-119-44.  Entering the 2012 season, his .742 career winning percentage ranked him 36th among NCAA all-Division coaches all-time, and 16th among Division III coaches all-time. His 362 victories entering 2012 were the 19th-most in Division III history, and 14th among active Division III coaches.

Travis came to the Eagles' program after an extremely successful 18-year stint with the Virginia Wesleyan program. During his tenure, he established himself as the school's all-time winningest coach with a record of 270-74-31. He directed Virginia Wesleyan to 13 NCAA appearances, including four this decade (2000, 2003, 2005, 2006), and eight Old Dominion Athletic Conference championships. He had three of his squads advance to the NCAA Tournament's Final 16. He had been honored as the "Coach of the Year" on 15 occasions including five ODAC Conference selections.  Travis was the head men's soccer coach at Virginia Wesleyan since 1989 and school's athletic director since 1999 before leaving for Emory. His career also includes a three-year stay at Centre College (1986-89).

Travis holds a Class "A" license with the United States Soccer Federation as well as an NSCAA Premier Diploma.  He serves as a state or district Olympic Development Program coach in three states and is presently on the Virginia Coaching Education Staff for licensing coaches at the USSF "D" and National "C" courses conducted in Virginia.

Travis played collegiately at Slippery Rock University where he earned his bachelor's degree in physical education and health in 1977.  He obtained his master's degree in physical education/sports administration concentration from the University of North Carolina in 1980.

BEN BUERGER, ASSISTANT CAMP DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT COACH EMORY UNIVERSITY MEN'S SOCCER TEAM

Ben Buerger joined the Emory University coaching staff prior to the start of the 2009 season.

In his four seasons with the team, Emory has combined to go 47-22-6, including berths to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2010 and 2012.  Buerger helped the Eagles earn a share of the Umiversity Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in 2012, as the team finished the year with an 11-7-2 overall record.

Under Buerger's leadership, the Eagles finished the 2010 season ranked 18th among all NCAA Division III teams, while recording the fourth-lowest goals-against average (0.41) and 10th-best scoring offense (2.79 goals per game) in Division III.  During his first campaign with Emory, he helped the Eagles to a 12-4-2 record.

Buerger has overseen an all-American, seven all-region players and 22 all-UAA honorees during his four seasons with the team.

Prior to Emory, Buerger's most recent coaching experience came from 2004 through 2006 when he served as an assistant coach at Sewanee University.  During his stint with the Tigers, he coached a total of nine all-conference spots while seeing his players garner a pair of berths on the  All-South Region Team. Prior to his tenure at Sewanee, he was on the Western Kentucky University staff as an assistant coach in 2003. 

Buerger enjoyed a fine collegiate playing career at Western Kentucky where he served as team captain as well as earning team MVP honors as a senior.  He landed Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and wound up tied for third on the Hilltoppers' all-time list with 75 career starts.

He also played professionally for the Nashville Metros of the Premier Development League from 2002 through 2006 where he distinguished himself by being named captain as well as earning MVP acclaim.

"Ben is going to be an excellent addition to the staff," said head coach Sonny Travis.  "He has a combination of Division I and Division III coaching experience and played at a high level as a collegian.  I'm impressed with his energy and passion for the game and look forward to his contributions."

Buerger earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Kentucky in 2003.  He owns his certification from the American Council on Exercise and holds the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.

OTHER PLAYERS AND COACHES

The coaching staff will be comprised of college coaches, licensed club or high school coaches and college players.


For more information, contact:
Sonny Travis
404-727-0597
sonny.travis@emory.edu