Oglethorpe University Men's Soccer

Jon Akin Profile First Season as Head Coach: 2003-04 Tenure: 2025-26 is his 23rd season Total W-L-T at Oglethorpe: 211-133-39 Total W-L-T Overall: 211-133-39 Times Named Conf. Coach of the Year: 9 Alma Mater: Saint Leo, 1999 Jon Akin has rewritten the record book since he arrived at Oglethorpe 22 seasons ago as a young head coach at the age of 25. Since his arrival, he has become the winningest coach in the 60-plus years of the program, compiling a 202-130-33 mark. Program Success Akin has coached the team to the program’s first-ever conference championship, taking the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship in 2011 and earning the program’s first-ever NCAA berth after a 17-4 season. That same season, Akin was named SCAC coach of the year for the second time in his career and saw player Mark Lavery named SCAC defensive player of the year and NSCAA All-America first team. There have been five all-Americans in the history of the program, and Akin has coached them all. St. Louis’ David Mueller earned the honor in 2005, Lavery in 2011, Topher Marshall in 2017 and 2018, Ryan Marcano in 2017 and 2019, and Ben Alram in 2023 and 2024. Akin’s staff has also seen several recent coaches moving on to full-time positions in professional soccer and various programs all over the ranks of college soccer, from Division I to NAIA. Former assistant Keylor Reyes is on the international stage as an assistant with the Costa Rican national team. Carter Sadin now serves as director of operations for Power 5 University of Central Florida, Barat Killian is the technical director for Alaska Rush, Nate Getman serves as an assistant coach at Georgia Southwestern, and Josh Bronstorph earned the assistant position at South Carolina.  Style of Play Akin has brought in some of the best Division III soccer talent in the country with several all-conference and all-region players and multiple newcomers of the year and players of the year. Oglethorpe has also received well over 40 transfer students from prestigious Division I programs. Under Akin, the team plays a very attractive style, with possession-oriented soccer, building from the back and playing quickly through the lines. This style has helped greatly in recruiting, as it is a system that players love to play. The coaching staff focuses on technique, work ethic and player improvement and looks for players who have the ability to play in and will improve within the system. Last Season The team achieved tremendous success, including runner-up in the SAA regular season and champion in the SAA postseason, the latter earning the Petrels a berth to the NCAA Championships. Oglethorpe suffered a round of 64 defeat to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-0 despite the game being a scoreless tie late in the second half. Akin’s team once again dominated the postseason awards docket with nearly the entire starting lineup on the All-SAA list. Adrian Levy and Daniel Amah highlighted the list as offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, and Ben Alram also earned spots on the all-region team and all-America fourth team. Notable Past Seasons 2013: Akin led the team to its second overall conference title and first SAA title, and he was named conference coach of the year for the third time. That team also secured the SAA offensive player of the year award for senior Nick Williamson and the SAA defensive player of the year honor for senior Clemson transfer Nikos Papanikolopolous. The team finished 11-3-3 and lost just once over their final 15 games. 2015: Akin led the Petrels to a 10-3-3 record, the program’s first-ever regular season conference championship and its third conference championship of any type during his tenure. Akin earned the fourth conference coach of the year award of his tenure and his second SAA coach of the year honor. The 2015 team saw goalkeeper Vaughn Moore earn SAA defensive player of the year honors, while midfielder Topher Marshall won the SAA newcomer of the year award. The Petrels also put eight players on All-SAA teams in 2015, while midfielder Nick Muntean was named to the All-South Atlantic Region second team and the Scholar All-South Region Team by the NSCAA. 2016: The season saw the Petrels pick up where they left off the year before, as they went undefeated in SAA play to win their second consecutive SAA regular season title and their fourth conference trophy overall. Marshall again picked up some impressive postseason hardware, this time winning the SAA offensive player of the year award. Team captain Micah Akin won SAA defensive player of the year honors, while Akin earned SAA coach of the year for the second straight campaign, marking the fifth conference coach of the year award of his career. The Petrels put nine total players on All-SAA teams in 2016, while Marshall earned All-South Atlantic honors and midfielders Josh Hoeft and Erik Marquez took Scholar All-South accolades. 2024: The team achieved tremendous success, including winning both conference titles and earning a berth to the NCAA Championships. Oglethorpe won the SAA regular season after a 6-1 record in the league, and the team later went on to win the tournament with a decisive 3-0 win over Rhodes in the finale. Rhodes has been Oglethorpe's only defeat during the SAA regular season. The tournament trophy automatically qualified the Stormy Petrels for the national tournament, where Oglethorpe suffered a round of 64 defeat to Colorado College, 3-2. Akin’s team once again dominated the postseason awards docket with nearly the entire starting lineup on the All-SAA list. Akin and Ben Alram highlighted the list as coach of the year and offensive player of the year, respectively, and Alram also earned spots on the all-region team and all-America first team. Daniel Amah and JR Cozine joined Alram on the all-region team, and goalkeeper Nicholas Mejia earned the NCAA honor as statistical champion for individual shutouts. Outside Oglethorpe | Background Akin is a consultant for Major League Soccer (MLS) as a professional match evaluator. He also works with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a national team scout and Development Academy evaluator. Akin holds the U.S. Soccer “A” coaching license, the NSCAA “Premier” license (in which he received the highest rating with a “Distinguished Pass”), and the U.S. Soccer National “Youth” license.  Education | Personal Akin grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where he attended Pensacola Catholic High School. In 1995, he attended Saint Leo University as a freshman. Akin was named All-Conference first team and All-South. In 1996, he scored 28 goals and had 16 assists to lead the nation in scoring. He was All-American, All-South, and the Sunshine State Conference player of the year. In 1997, Akin was All-American first team, All-South, and All-Sunshine State Conference. In 1998, he ended his career at Saint Leo finishing second all-time in career goals with 61 and first in assists with 45. In 1998, he spent three months with Independiente of the Argentinian First Division. In 1999, Akin was drafted by the Charleston Battery in the first round of the A-League draft. In 2000, he played in all 32 games for the Battery, who lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual-champion Rochester Raging Rhinos. During the 2000 offseason, Akin played with Kilkenny City of the Irish Premier League. In 2001, Akin played 26 games for the Battery before losing to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the playoffs. He began the 2002 season with the Charleston Battery before being traded to the Atlanta Silverbacks, where he played 20 games. Akin joined Oglethorpe’s staff as head coach shortly after finishing his playing career. Timeline Summer 2003- Hired as head coach May, 2004- Named SCAC Coach of the Year October 13, 2009- Surpassed winningest coach in program history November 6, 2011- SCAC Championship win (first conference title in program history) November 11, 2011- Program's first NCAA tournament appearance November 17, 2011- Named SCAC Coach of the Year for the second time October 25, 2013- 100th win as head coach November 10, 2013- First SAA Championship win November 19, 2013- Named SAA Coach of the Year November 17, 2015- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the second time November 8, 2016- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the third time November 5, 2017- Second SAA Championship win November 6, 2017- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the fourth time November 11, 2017- First NCAA tournament win (first in program history) July 27, 2018- Named to Georgia Soccer's 50 Best Coaches in 50 Years November 5, 2018- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the fifth time November 9, 2021- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the sixth time October 28, 2023- 200th win as head coach November 1, 2023- Named SAA Coach of the Year for the seventh time   Year-by-Year Season Overall W-L-T Conf. W-L-T Conf. Standing Tournament Finish NCAA Finish 2024 9-3-6 3-1-2 SAA 2nd/7 Champion R-64 2023 14-3-2 6-1 SAA 1st/8 Champion R-64 2022 5-6-5 2-1-4 SAA 5th/8 Quarterfinal 2021 8-7-1 6-0-1 SAA 1st/8 Runner-Up 2020 4-2-2 4-2-2 SAA 3rd/8 Semifinal 2019 14-5 7-0 SAA 1st/8 Runner-Up R-64 2018 13-2-1 7-0 SAA 1st/8 Runner-Up 2017 17-2-2 6-0-1 SAA 1st/8 Champion R-32 2016 7-6-3 6-0-1 SAA 1st/8 Semifinal 2015 10-3-3 5-1-1 SAA 2nd/10 Quarterfinal 2014 7-11-1 2-5 SAA 7th/9 Quarterfinal 2013 11-3-3 4-1-2 SAA 2nd/8 Champion 2012 9-7 2-5 SAA 6th/8 Semifinal 2011 17-4 8-1 SCAC 1st/12 Champion R-64 2010 8-9-1 4-7 SCAC 8th/12 No Tournament 2009 6-10-3 1-7-2 SCAC 11th/12 No Tournament 2008 7-9-3 2-6-2 SCAC 9th/12 No Tournament 2007 5-12 3-7 SCAC 8th/12 No Tournament 2006 13-6 5-4 SCAC 5th/10 No Tournament 2005 11-6-1 6-2-1 SCAC 4th/10 No Tournament 2004 12-7 7-2 SCAC 2nd/10 No Tournament 2003 4-10-2 1-7-1 SCAC 8th/10 No Tournament

Akin has coached them both, with St. Louis David Mueller receiving the honor in 2005. In 2013 Akin led the team to its second overall conference title and first SAA title and was named conference coach of the year for the third time.  The 2013 team also secured the SAA Offensive Player of the Year award for senior Nick Williamson and the SAA Defensive Player of the Year honor for senior Clemson transfer Nikos Papanikolopolous.  The team finished 11-3-3 and lost just once over their final 15 games. In 2015, he led the Petrels to a 10-3-3 record, the program's first-ever regular season conference championship and it's third conference championship of any type during his tenure. Akin earned the fourth conference coach of the year award of his tenure and his second SAA Coach of the Year honor. Akin has brought in some of the best Division III soccer talent in the country with several all-conference and all-region players and multiple freshmen and players of the year.  Oglethorpe has also received several transfer students from prestigious Division I programs. Akin's staff has also seen several recent coaches moving on to full-time positions in pro soccer and various programs all over the ranks of college soccer, from Division I to NAIA and former assistant Keylor Reyes is on the international stage as an assistant with the Costa Rican national team.   Under Akin, the team plays a very attractive style, with possession-oriented soccer, building from the back and playing quickly through the lines. This style has helped greatly in recruiting, as its a system that players love to play in. The coaching staff focuses on technique, work ethic and player improvement and looks for players who have the ability to play in and will improve within the system.   Akin also works with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a national team scout and Development Academy evaluator.  He holds the U.S. Soccer "A" coaching license, the NSCAA "Premier" license (in which he received the highest rating with a "Distinguished Pass"), and the U.S. Soccer National "Youth" license.  Akin grew up in Pensacola, Fla., where he attended Pensacola Catholic High School. In 1995, he attended Saint Leo University as a freshman. Jon was named First-Team All-Conference and All-South. In 1996, he scored 28 goals and had 16 assists to lead the nation in scoring. He was All-American, All-South, and the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. In 1997, Akin was First-Team All-American, All-South, and All-Sunshine State Conference. In 1998, he ended his career at Saint Leo finishing second all-time in career goals with 61 and first in assists with 45. In 1998, he spent three months with Independiente of the Argentinian First Division. In 1999, Akin was drafted by the Charleston Battery in the first round of the A-League draft. In 2000, he played in all 32 games for the Battery, who lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual-champion Rochester Raging Rhinos. During the 2000 offseason, Akin played with Kilkenny City of the Irish Premier League. In 2001, Akin played 26 games for the Battery before losing to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the playoffs. He began the 2002 season with the Charleston Battery before being traded to the Atlanta Silverbacks, where he played 20 games.

Dylan Gaither joined Oglethorpe's athletics staff as assistant men's soccer coach in 2025. Gaither comes to Oglethorpe after a successful playing career at Mercer University and three seasons in Atlanta United's Development Academy.     Prior to Oglethorpe Gaither comes to Oglethorpe most recently from Mercer, where he was a decorated player and later an assistant coach. The spring 2023 graduate served on staff during the 2024 season. As a student-athlete with the Bears, Gaither was a three-time All-SoCon honoree, earning first-team honors in 2020-21 and 2022, and second-team honors in 2021. He also was a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honoree (2021 and 2022) and was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2019. Gaither also helped Mercer to an NCAA appearance in 2023. Gaither's most outstanding season came in 2021 when he recorded 14 goals and five assists. He led the Bears to a conference title and earned himself tournament MVP honors and a College Soccer News National Player of the Week nod. The Georgia native has spent his life on the pitch, earning a GHSA 6A State Championship title at Parkview High School in 2016. He also played three seasons in Atlanta United's Development Academy, leading his U 15/16 and U 17/18 teams to a USSDA National Championship in 2017 and Southeast Division Championships in 2017 and 2018. Education | Personal  Gaither graduated from Mercer in spring 2023 with a degree in sports marketing and analytics and finished his Master of Business Administration in winter 2024.

Richard Quegan came to Oglethorpe as assistant men’s soccer coach in 2024. In addition to coaching the Stormy Petrels, Quegan coaches NASA TOPHAT INC’s U11/U12 boys' soccer. He previously served the Weber School as head coach for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Education | Personal Quegan graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in communications with a focus in marketing.  

Robbie Bruce joined Oglethorpe's athletics staff as assistant men's soccer coach in 2025. Bruce comes to Oglethorpe from Saginaw Valley State University, where he was both a player and an assistant coach. Prior to Oglethorpe While on staff at Saginaw Valley, Bruce won two conference championships and made two NCAA appearances, running all the way to the quarterfinals in the 2024 season. The team also earned Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year in 2022 and 2024. Bruce's collegiate playing career started at LSU-Shreveport, where he was named to the all-conference first team as a freshman. Then he joined Saginaw Valley and earned two conference championships, three more all-conference nods, and an all-region award. Education | Personal Bruce hails from Cullen, Scotland, where he earned international caps at the U18 level. He earned his bachelor's degree in organizational communication from Saginaw Valley. He recently earned a master's degree in organizational leadership from University of the Cumberlands.