Pitt-Bradford has named Marquis Walker as the new head women's soccer coach.
Walker's resume spans several levels of soccer, including seven seasons as head coach at Division II/NAIA Malone University in Canton, Ohio.
"I am pleased to announce the hiring of coach Marquis Walker, here at Pitt-Bradford," said Bret Butler, Pitt-Bradford's athletic director. "Coach Walker brings a wealth of soccer experience with him."
Most recently, Walker was the head girls' soccer coach at Hudson (Ohio) High School, a Division I program that finished the 2015 season ranked No. 7 in the state with a record of 15-2-2. Prior to that, Walker was an assistant head coach for AFC Cleveland in the men's National Premier Soccer League, where his primary focus was on attacking and patterns of play for the team of college-age players from NCAA Division I and II schools.
Walker also coached with the highly respected Everest Soccer Club in Hudson from 2009-2015, and was an assistant men's coach at Hiram College from 2009-10.
A former player at Malone, where he was a two-time all-conference and East Regional selection, Walker also served as its head coach, where he focused on the overall team performance, player development, and recruitment. While there, he created the first junior varsity team in the university's athletic department.
A keen developer of players, Walker's recruiting effort at Malone grew a roster from 25 to 42 players within a highly challenging environment, while expanding the university's recruiting range, not only nationwide, but internationally. Six of his players have gone on to play professionally at the highest level in the MLS, the European Champions League, and for their own national teams in Scotland, England and Mexico.
At Malone, Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and a Master of Business Administration. He's also built a strong reputation after working many camps, including Division I Bowling Green University, and at several high schools throughout Ohio. His credentials also include an NSCAA Premier Diploma and an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, among others.
"Coach Walker has been successful at many levels," Butler said. "He has extensive experience in club soccer as well, and we're extremely excited to have him join the athletics staff here at Pitt-Bradford. He is a fantastic addition."
Walker, who replaces Mike Idland, who left for a similar position at SUNY-Brockport, takes over a program that has been among the best in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference. This past season, the Panthers finished 10-8-1 overall, but were 7-1-1 in the AMCC and reached the conference finals for the fourth straight year.
In eight seasons at Pitt-Bradford, Idland posted an 88-54-6 overall mark and 49-22-2 AMCC record with seven straight postseason appearances.
The Panthers' new head coach will be inheriting a team that had just three seniors on a 22-player roster in 2015. Among those returning are the team's top two scorers, Kaitlyn Donnelly (6 goals, 16 points) and Kaitlyn Williams (6 goals, 14 points) and goalie Sarah Daily, an AMCC Defensive Player of the Year who led the conference with an overall .832 save percentage and a .911 save percentage in nine conference games. She also posted an AMCC-best five shutouts and had six overall.
Walker is the third new head coach who has been hired this summer at Pitt-Bradford, following the announcements of Zach Foster as head baseball coach, and Doug Alban as coach for men's and women's swimming.
