Men's Soccer

         Mark Ludwig was named as the fifth head coach of the York College Men’s Soccer team on December 20, 1998, as he took over for Pat Massa who retired after 18 years as head coach of the program. Ludwig begins his ninth season at the helm of the program after serving as Massa’s assistant coach for three years.

         Ludwig led the 2005 Spartans to an 18-2-3 record, their first Capital Athletic Conference championship since 1998, and four players earning All-South Region honors. The 2005 Spartans were ranked first in the South Region and tenth nationally in the final poll. For his efforts, Ludwig was named the 2005 Capital Athletic Conference Coach-of-the-Year and also was tabbed as the South Region Coach-of-the-Year.

         The Spartans followed that campaign with a stellar 2006 season which saw them post a sterling 21-0-3 mark as they won the CAC regular season and tournament crowns and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before being ousted on penalty kicks. He was again named the CAC and South Region Coach-of-the-Year and he became the third Spartan coach in as many years to earn the Division III National Coach-of-the-Year. The Spartans finished the season ranked fifth in the nation after reaching as high as second in the country during the year. The Spartans will carry a 40-match unbeaten streak into the 2007 season.

         When you consider Ludwig’s three years as an assistant at York, the Spartans have a winning percentage of .684 (153-67-13) with him on the sidelines. The Spartans have played soccer for 39 years and now sports an all-time record of 318-261-40 for a .546 winning percentage. Ludwig has overseen a 56-point increase in winning percentage over the last eight seasons.

         The 2005 season was not Ludwig’s first taste of success. He played collegiately at Elizabethtown College his first two seasons before transferring to Gettysburg College for his last two years of college. Those programs are were two of the top programs in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Ludwig made one trip to the NCAA Tournament during his stay at Elizabethtown. Once his collegiate playing days ended, he went back to his high school, Millville High School in his hometown of Millville, PA, and served as an assistant coach. Millville went to the Pennsylvania state playoffs in Ludwig’s only year on staff. He followed that up with an impressive stint as head coach at Southwestern High School where he turned a three-win team into a 16-7 squad in five years at the helm. The Mustangs qualified for district play in 1994 and 1995 as Ludwig was named Coach-of-the-Year in 1994.

         Ludwig holds an NSCAA Premier Diploma and has coached 17 of the 18 Spartan Regional All-Americans. The Spartans had three players earn National All-American honors in 2006, a first for the program. Ludwig is also the men’s head tennis coach for the Spartans in addition to teaching math at YCP.