Bethany Lutheran College men’s basketball Coach Pat Garvin has been named Coach of the Year in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
The Jackson County Central graduate receives the award for the first time. He’s in his third season at the helm of the Vikings.
Bethany is 23-4 overall on the season, setting a school record for wins in a season.
The Vikings won the UMAC regular-season title with a 12-2 record and won the conference tournament with a pair of wins last weekend, beating Minnesota-Morris 87-74 and Wisconsin-Superior 93-75.
The Vikings earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament and will play Hope College (Mich.) Friday in Oshkosh, Wis. The other first-round game has host Wisconsin-Oshkosh playing Fontbonne University (Mo.)
The winners play Saturday night.
BLC has won five straight games and 10 of its last 11.
Bethany is fifth in scoring in NCAA Division III, averaging 91.3 points per game.