Derek Faulkner heads into this first season with the Beavers in 2016. He comes to Oregon State from Cal State Los Angeles, where he helped the Golden Eagles to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 season was a banner year for the program, as Cal State Los Angeles won the NCAA West Region and was ranked No. 6 in the year-end poll. The team set program records by allowing just nine goals on the year and posting 13 shutouts.
Prior to his coaching career, Faulkner played two seasons at Cal State Los Angeles, helping the team win the West Region in his senior campaign. He scored the game-winning goal in the CCAA Tournament in 2013, on his way to All-Tournament Team honors. During his junior campaign, the Golden Eagles were ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. Faulkner joined CSULA after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College, winning two conference titles and helping the team to a state Final Four.
Faulkner graduated with an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Los Angeles in 2013, and earned his master’s in Sport Management from Cal Baptist in 2015.