When the opportunity to add a former National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Coach of the Year with 243 career victories presented itself, Elizabethtown head coach Skip Roderick couldn't pass up the chance to enhance his staff. In hiring Mark Ludwig as an assistant coach, the Blue Jays are getting one of Division III's most respected soccer minds.
Ludwig spent the last 16 seasons turning York College (Pa.) into perennial contenders at the conference and national levels. The Spartans qualified for nine consecutive NCAA Division III tournaments from 2005-13, twice reaching the national quarterfinals.
During Ludwig's run of success at York, the program finished in the top 10 of the NSCAA Division III rankings for five straight seasons (2005-09). In 2008, the Spartans went 18-0-2, opening the season on an 18-game winning streak and outscoring their opponents 59-3.
Eight players, including 2009 Division III National Player of the Year Jon Ports, received NSCAA All-America honors under Ludwig's guidance. Another 41 of his players were named to NSCAA all-region teams between 2000-13.
Ludwig has twice been recognized as an NSCAA regional Coach of the Year. The awards came back-to-back in 2005 and 2006.
At the conference level, Ludwig was voted Capital Athletic Conference Coach of the Year by his peers in 2005, 2006 and 2010. He also mentored three CAC Rookie of the Year recipients.
Ludwig amassed a 16-year record of 243-74-35 with the Spartans. His teams won seven CAC championships, including five straight from 2009-13.
Ludwig is no stranger to Elizabethtown. He started his collegiate playing career at the College back in late 1980s, before transferring to Gettysburg College, where he earned an education degree.
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