Mark McKeever, a native of Motherwell, Scotland, led the Mountain Lions to an impressive 222-72-18 record (.740 winning percentage) during his tenure in the Enchanted Valley. He ranked fifth among NCAA Division II active coaches by winning percentage and 19th by total wins. Under McKeever’s leadership, Young Harris captured six Peach Belt Conference regular-season titles and five PBC Tournament crowns. The Mountain Lions made six NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship appearances in the last eight years of his tenure, including three seasons as the No. 1 regional seed. In 2017, YHC won the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship and advanced to the national quarterfinals twice (2014, 2017). The program was ranked No. 1 nationally by United Soccer Coaches three times—in 2013, 2018, and 2021. McKeever earned PBC Coach of the Year honors three times and was recognized as the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Staff of the Year four times. Since joining NCAA Division II and the PBC, McKeever coached 53 All-Conference performers, 20 All-Americans, 11 CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, six PBC Players of the Year, and four PBC Freshmen of the Year. Two players—Ilija Ilic (2014) and Mikie Rowe (2018)—were named NCAA Division II National Player of the Year and Scholar Player of the Year in the same season.
Before YHC transitioned to NCAA Division II, McKeever guided his NJCAA teams to four Region 17 finals in five years, earning Region 17 Coach of the Year honors in 2007. His teams were ranked in the national top 15 in 2008 and 2009, and his players collected numerous awards, including NSCAA All-American and Region 17 Player of the Year. Under McKeever’s tutelage, 14 players—including Ilija Ilic, Niall McCabe, Khurram Shazad, Samuel Mansour, Lewis Hilton, Paco Craig, Anuar Kanan, Mikie Rowe, Marco Micaletto, Macauley King, Carlos Gomez, Kevin Coffic, Dani Fischer, James Thomas, and Yessin van der Pluijm—went on to play professionally. McKeever left YHC in 2022 to become the inaugural head coach for USL League One club One Knoxville in Tennessee. In One Knox’s lone USL League Two season in 2022, McKeever guided the team to a 13-3-1 record and a national quarterfinal appearance. Today, former Mountain Lions Ilija Ilic, Yessin van der Pluijm, and James Thomas play for McKeever at One Knox.
