COSTA MESA --- Vanguard Athletics is announcing that Head STUNT Coach Leslie Allen is stepping down from her role, per Athletic Director
Jeff Bussell. The only coach in program history, Coach Allen led the team to a STUNT NAIA Division National Championship in 2021 and departs with a 77-56 record over eight seasons.
"From the beginning, to today, I love coaching," said Allen. "God placed a passion in my heart for working with young people and has faithfully walked with me every minute of every day. Each practice, each eight count, each tear, each smile, He is in it! I am blessed with amazing relationships and incredible memories! Vanguard took a chance on a relatively new sport in 2017 and embraced me. Thank you to everyone for the support and love. This isn't an ending but the start of a new chapter. To God be the glory. And, as my team and I end each prayer, we proclaim, " It's in God's name we pray and it's to His glory that we play!" VU: Claws Up! Thank you!"
A national search for the next Vanguard STUNT coach will begin immediately and all interested candidates should click the following link to find the open job position at
Vanguard Human Resources.
Coach Allen was brought to VU to begin the STUNT team in the spring of 2017 and brought her first team to the mat in 2018. After the first year finished, the Blue and Gold began to rise, finishing 12-5 in year two and qualifying for the STUNT National Tournament for the first time in program history. After the 2020 season was cut short, the Lions posted a winning record the next four years, peaking with 15 victories in both 2022 and 2024, and made the National Tournament every year.
"We are genuinely grateful for Coach Allen's eight years of dedicated service and leadership within our athletics program," said Bussell. "Coach Allen has been a leader in the rapid growth of college STUNT on the West Coast. Through her tenacity and resilience, she elevated the STUNT program to a National Championship at the NAIA level and helped solidify the program as a contender in our first year at the NCAA DII level this past season. She poured herself into the student-athletes' holistic development both on and off the mat. Her impact on our university has left a lasting legacy. She will always remain a part of the Lions' Family, and we wish her many blessings in the future."
The 2021 campaign, a difficult season due to COVID regulations, saw the Lions win four of the final five games in California before heading to the National Tournament in Missouri. VU enjoyed being in St. Louis, as the Lions won all three games to take the NAIA Division Title, beating Oklahoma City 15-4, Missouri Baptist 20-0, and OKCU 12-9, while claiming the third National Championship of any kind in Vanguard history. Coach Allen was named the NAIA STUNT Coach of the Year in the aftermath of the celebration and the team received their championship rings the following fall. The Lions had their best season record-wise in 2022 with a 15-4 line and once again made the Championship final, but were narrowly edged out from lifting the trophy in back-to-back years. VU had a 13-6 mark in 2023 and a 15-10 record in 2024, and though the squad played four games at the National Tournament each year, the team could not return to the title bout.
With Vanguard moving to the NCAA Division II in 2025, the STUNT team moved to the DII league within College STUNT, which happens to be the largest and toughest STUNT level of them all. While the Lions posted a 8-13 ledger in their debut, the team beat Jessup for the first time in 10 games in triple overtime and hung tough with some of the most polished teams in the nation. Coach Allen led the Lions to two wins at the 2025 Tournament over CUI (13-6) and Dallas Baptist (16-12) to give her an 11-9 tally in postseason competitions.
While the 2025 College STUNT awards have not been announced, Coach Allen has guided 28 STUNT All-Americans, including 11 First Team honorees. She also had 46 Scholar-Athletes from the College STUNT Coaches Association across eight years of coaching at Vanguard.
