Lee University honored Matt Yelton, head women's soccer coach, by naming him Honorary Alumnus of the Year of the Year as part of Homecoming 2009.

Yelton brought Lee its first national NAIA championship last season and has "made Lee's women’s soccer team one of the top teams in America," said Dr. Paul Conn in making the award. Despite having coached for only 12 years, Yelton is already one of the top 10 women's soccer coaches in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) in terms of career wins.

Yelton, in his eighth season at Lee, won his 200th career match in October. This six time SSAC (Southern States Athletic Conference) Coach of the Year and four time Region Coach of the Year is also the recipient of 2008 SSAC Female Sports Coach of the Year and 2008 Brine-NAIA Women’s Soccer National Coach of the Year.

Yelton has guided five teams to seven NAIA National Tournaments and his teams finished 2nd, 5th, 3rd and 1st the past four years at nationals. He has a conference record of 59-0-1.

Yelton’s team was ranked #1 in NAIA for the final six weeks of 2007, and they started their 2008 season from where they had left off in the previous year. 2008 was a monumental year for Lee and its coach as they went on to win the NAIA National Championship. Eight members of 2008 National Championship team were also NAIA Scholar Athletes.

In the last two seasons Lee has outscored opponents 165-17 and created 24 shutouts under the direction of Yelton.

Yelton and his wife Tamara have two children, Aiden and Addison.