Mark McKeever begins his 18th season as head coach of the Young Harris College men’s soccer program.
The Motherwell, Scotland, native has led the Mountain Lions to a 222-72-18 (.726 winning percentage) during his time in the Enchanted Valley. Entering the 2022 season, McKeever is ranked fifth among NCAA Division II active winningest coaches by winning percentage (.740) and 19th by total wins (222).
Fourteen players - Ilija Ilic, Niall McCabe, Khurram Shazad, Samuel Mansour, Lewis Hilton, Paco Craig, Anuar Kanan, Mikie Rowe, Marco Micaletto, Macauley King, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Coiffic, Dani Fischer and Yesin van der Pluijm - have gone on to play professional soccer under McKeever's tutelage.
YHC was the lone unbeaten team in NCAA Division II during the 2021 season as the Mountain Lions went 18-0-2, winning the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title for the sixth time and the PBC Tournament crown for the fifth time. The Mountain Lions, who were ranked as high as No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll during the season, earned their sixth trip to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship in the last eight years as they were the No. 1 seed in Super Region 2. YHC advanced to the third round of the tournament.
The Mountain Lions had eight players named to the All-PBC team in 2021, while McKeever was named the league's Coach of the Year. The YHC coaching staff was named the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Staff of the Year for the fourth time. Van der Pluijm, who was named the Peach Belt's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was the league's Co-Player of the Year and was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II All-America team. For the eighth time in the past 10years, the Mountain Lions had a player be recognize as a Academic All-American as Van der Pluijm and Adam Kirkwood were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team.
Young Harris finished the abbreviated 2020 season due to CoVID with a 5-2-2 ledger in the spring. The Mountain Lions, who were ranked as high as No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Coaches Poll, finished second in the Peach Belt. During the season, McKeever notched his 200th career victory as Young Harris defeated its Blood Mountain rival University of North Georgia 2-1.
The Mountain Lions, who finished the season ranked 23rd in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, completed the 2019 campaign at 12-5-0 as they claimed the program's fifth Peach Belt regular season title. YHC earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer National Championship as they were the No. 6 seed in Super Region 2. The Mountain Lions earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the ninth consecutive year. Fischer was selected to the NCAA Division II Men's Scholar All-America team by the United Soccer Coaches.
YHC went 17-1-1 during the 2018 season as they finished ranked seventh nationally, including several weeks at No.1 during the year. The Mountain Lions, who won both the Peach Belt regular season and tournament tiles. Young Harris advanced to the Southeast Region championship match before losing to No. 7 Lander University 1-0. Rowe became the second player in program history to receive the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Men's National Player of the Year and the NCAA Division II Men's Scholar Player of the Year in the same season. For the third time in the past five seasons, Young Harris was recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Staff of the Year. Gomez, Rowe and Fischer were named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® Division II Men's Soccer team. Young Harris went 14-4-2 in 2017. The Mountain Lions finished the season ranked 12th nationally. YHC advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in the program's history before losing to No. 24 Lynn University 2-1. Young Harris defeated three nationally ranked teams - No. 22 Lenoir-Rhyne University (2-0, first round), No. 7 Limestone College (2-0, second round) and No. 17 Lander University (3-2 (2 OT), third round) - to reach the quarterfinals. For the second time in the past four seasons, Young Harris was recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Staff of the Year.
McKeever saw the Mountain Lions win their third consecutive Peach Belt Tournament title as Young Harris went 11-6-1 during the 2016 campaign. The Mountain Lions were ranked as high as ninth nationally during the season.
Young Harris went 17-4-0 in 2015 as the Mountain Lions won their third consecutive PBC title and earned their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II postseason. Young Harris advanced to the third round, losing to eventual national champion Pfeiffer University. Two players were named All-Americans, while the Mountain Lions had three honored on the Southeast Region team. Hilton was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Men's Soccer second team and was named to the NSCAA Men's Division I and Division II Scholar All-America first team. In addition, Tim Mohlin Torringer earned the PBC Elite 15 award for men's soccer. The award is modeled on the NCAA's Elite 90 and honors the student-athletes competing in the championship event with the highest cumulative GPA. Torringer is the third Mountain Lion to earn the award in the seven seasons the award has been presented.
McKeever led the Mountain Lions to their finest season in the program's history as the Mountain Lions went 19-1-1 in 2014. Young Harris, which won 19 matches in a row, captured its second consecutive Peach Belt Conference title and its first-ever PBC Tournament title in 2014. The Mountain Lions, who finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, earned their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. YHC advanced to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Lynn.
McKeever was recognized as the NSCAA Senior College Division II Southeast Region Coach of the Year while Ilic was named the NSCAA NCAA Division II National Men's Soccer Player of the Year and the NSCAA Men's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year. In addition to Ilic, three other Mountain Lions were named All-Americans and four were named to the NSCAA Division II Southeast Region team. Ilic and Lewis Hilton were also named to the NSCAA College Division Scholar All-America team while Ilic was named to the Capital One Division II Academic All-America® Men's Soccer first team. It is the third consecutive year that the Mountain Lions have had a player be recognized as an Academic All-American.
McKeever led the Mountain Lions to a 16-2-0 record in 2013 as Young Harris captured the College's first-ever Peach Belt regular-season championship with a perfect 9-0-0 ledger. The team ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region and No. 1 in the country.
McKeever was recognized as Peach Belt Coach of the Year and his players were flooded with recognition at the conference, regionally and national level. At the conference level, the Mountain Lions had six players named to the All-PBC team in addition to having a YHC player named Freshman of the Year in the league for the second consecutive year and another recognized as the Player of the Year in the Peach Belt.
Young Harris had five players named to the NSCAA NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region team, including three tabbed to the first team. The program's first NSCAA Division II All-Americans were also recognized when Ilic was selected to the second team and Paco Craig was named to the third team.
Ilic was also the second consecutive YHC men's soccer player to receive the PBC Elite 15 award in 2013. The Mountain Lions had two Capital One Academic All-District III selections and a NSCAA College Division Scholar All-South honoree in 2013. At the national level, Young Harris also had a player recognized as a NSCAA College Division Scholar All-American.
The Mountain Lions went 14-4-2 record in 2012 as the Mountain Lions joined the Peach Belt. The Mountain Lions, who advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament, was ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in the NSCAA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, becoming the college's first nationally ranked team since the college became a four-year institution. The Mountain Lions has three players named to the all-conference and all-region teams, including one that was honored as the conference's Freshman of the Year.
McKeever tallied a 10-6-1 ledger in 2011 as the men's soccer squad became the college's first regionally ranked team since the college became a four-year institution. The Mountain Lions were ranked as high as No. 6 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's NCAA Division II Southeast region.
In his time as a coach in the NJCAA, McKeever lead his teams to the Region 17 Final in four of his five years. He was selected the Region 17 Coach of the Year in 2007. The Mountain Lions were ranked in the top 15 of national standings in both 2008 and 2009. His players have received numerous prestigious awards, including NJCAA All-American, NSCAA All-American, and Region 17 Player of the Year.
Prior to transferring to the United States as a student-athlete, McKeever served as a YTS for two years with the professional club Hamilton Academicals F.C. Scotland. He continued his successful playing career in Tyler Community College from 1997-98 and transferred to Christian Brothers University, where he obtained his bachelor's degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education.
During the 1998 season he was named an NJCAA All-American. In 2000, he claimed the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference Player of the Year award. The team he captained at CBU remains one of the most successful men’s soccer teams in the school’s history.
After graduating, McKeever went on to be elected the fourth pick in the draft for the USL professional league for the Nashville Metros. McKeever’s success did not end with his playing career. He began his coaching career at CBU with both men’s and women’s programs in 2003 as an assistant, winning the Gulf South Conference two consecutive years with the women's program.
McKeever’s accreditation includes the Scottish Football Association “D” license, the NSCAA National, Advanced National, and Premier Diploma. McKeever spent three summers as the head coach of the Mississippi Brilla FC in the Premier Development League and for the past three years has been head coach of the Des Moines Menace in the USL League Two. McKeever led the Menance to the USL League Two Championship in 2021 and was named the USL League Two Coach of the Year.
His motivation to gain knowledge and experience about the game extends to his players’ success athletically, and he devotes the same dedication to their success academically.
“My aim is to push my players to achieve their potential in the classroom and on the field as a means of building a solid base for the rest of their lives.”
