Gerson Echeverry to Leave Head Coaching Position
11/6/2017 9:52:00 AM | Men's Soccer
South Orange, N.J. - Gerson Echeverry, a long-time fixture within the Seton Hall men's soccer program, is leaving his position as head coach after his sixth season to pursue other opportunities, Director of Athletics Pat Lyons announced Monday. Seton Hall will now commence a national search for his successor.
"Gerson has dedicated so much of his life to Seton Hall soccer both as a student-athlete and as a coach, and he has represented our University with the utmost class and grace," Lyons said. "We're very thankful to Gerson for his mentorship to our student-athletes and for all his contributions to the University, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. He will forever be a Seton Hall Pirate.
"We now look forward to identifying our next head coach, who will be charged with building Seton Hall men's soccer into an annual BIG EAST championship contender."
Echeverry's illustrious Seton Hall career began over 25 years ago as a student-athlete. He is a 1994 Seton Hall graduate and helped lead the Pirates to the 1991 BIG EAST Championship and three NCAA Tournament appearances. The program's fourth all-time leading scorer (114 points) and a 1991 All-American and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, Echeverry was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Echeverry, who was a five-year assistant coach at Seton Hall under head coach Manny Schellscheidt from 2003-07, was named the Pirates head coach on Dec. 19, 2011 after a three-year stint as an assistant coach for the United States Soccer Federation Under-17 men's national team and residency program in Bradenton, Fla.
In six seasons as the Pirates head coach, Echeverry mentored his student-athletes to four All-BIG EAST selections, four BIG EAST All-Rookie selections and 100 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections (3.0 or higher single-year GPA). Echeverry's student-athletes have continually performed in the classroom with multiple Chi Alpha Sigma honorees (3.4 or higher cumulative GPA), the 2016-17 United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award and an NCAA Academic Progress Rate consistently higher than the national average, including a program-best 992 this past year.
Of Echeverry's 28 victories, four came against nationally ranked opponents, none bigger than a 1-0 triumph over then-No. 3 Georgetown on Oct. 18, 2014.
"I want to thank Pat Lyons and Seton Hall University for giving me the opportunity to coach at my alma mater," Echeverry said. "It has been a great privilege to coach at the place that helped me grow from a boy into a man. I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with all of the great people involved with Seton Hall Athletics and, in particular, the men's soccer program, the student-athletes and my fellow coaches. While this is a difficult moment in leaving a program I care so much about, I look forward to the next step in my career, and I will continue to follow and hope all the best for Seton Hall men's soccer, which is rich in tradition and wonderful, engaging alumni. Go Pirates!"
Seton Hall men's soccer has a proud tradition of excellence in the BIG EAST Conference. The Pirates have won four conference championships, second-most among active BIG EAST schools, and have 11 NCAA Tournament bids, including runs to the third round in 1988 and 2001.
