AZUSA, Calif. -- Jason Surrell has decided to step away from coaching, citing personal reasons following 17 outstanding seasons at the helm of the Azusa Pacific women's soccer program.

Surrell departs as the winningest soccer coach (men's or women's) in Azusa Pacific history, compiling a 276-52-26 overall record over 17 seasons as head coach, which followed four years as a women's soccer assistant coach and a four-year playing career for Azusa Pacific's men's soccer program. His career winning percentage (.816) ranked as the fourth-best among Division II coaches with at least five years of head coaching experience. Over his 25 seasons of involvement with soccer at Azusa Pacific, Surrell was involved in a combined record of 384-101-41 (.769) as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.

An eight-time conference coach of the year recipient, Surrell led the Cougars to 13 national tournament appearances, including four appearances in a national title game. He was an assistant coach for Azusa Pacific's 1998 NAIA women's soccer national title, and as a head coach he collected back-to-back NAIA runner-up finishes in 2006 and 2007. He reached the 200-win plateau faster than any coach in NAIA history, and he led the Cougars to the 2013 National Christian College Athletic Assocation championship as the program transitioned into NCAA Division II.

Former Azusa Pacific men's soccer coach Don Lawrence will serve as the interim head coach for the 2017 season. Lawrence coached the men's soccer program for 16 years (1985-2000), compiling a career record of 180-120-31 (.591) to become the Cougars' all-time wins leader for that program. He was the Golden State Athletic Conference's all-time winningest coach when he retired from coaching after the 2000 season to become the director of Azusa Pacific's High Sierra Semester program, and he was inducted into the Azusa Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Lawrence finished his previous coaching assignment with a flourish, posting seven consecutive seasons with double-digit victories while claiming the program's first three conference titles (1996, 97, 2000). In 1996, he guided Azusa Pacific to its first of seven NAIA national tournament appearances.

Surrell's longtime assistant and former Azusa Pacific men's soccer goalkeeper Scott Mocabee has resigned. Joining Lawrence as an assistant coach for the 2017 season is Shayon Jalayer, who was a two-time NAIA All-American men's soccer player for Azusa Pacific in the mid-1990s.