Emory, Va. --- Emory & Henry College announced today that it has hired an assistant coach from Catholic University as its new head men’s soccer coach.

While at Catholic, Nathan Kish was part of a program that posted an 11-6-4 record in 2010 and won the Landmark Conference Championship, advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

“Nathan brings a great breadth of experience for someone early in his career, and his experiences are well-suited for Emory & Henry,” said Myra Sims, E&H athletic director. “He is highly organized, articulate and professional, and he comes to us with a clear vision for how to move our men’s soccer program forward.”

After a national search, Kish was selected from a pool of more than 90 applicants.

Prior to working for Catholic University, Kish returned to his alma mater, Capital University, as an assistant coach and helped guide the men’s soccer team to a 16-5-2 record, an Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and a 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament berth. 

“He has been part of rebuilding a program as a player and then an assistant coach at Capital, has recruited good student-athletes to a rural setting while at Frostburg State, and he has worked in nationally competitive Division III soccer programs at both Capital and Catholic”,  says E&H Athletic Director, Myra Sims.

Kish played collegiately at Capital University where, as a four year letter winner, he was integral to building that program into a strong contender and a Division III national power.  After completing his playing career, he went to Frostburg State as a graduate assistant coach for the men’s soccer program.  While at Frostburg State, he helped lead that program to a two-year record of 26-14-2.

Kish completed a bachelor’s degree in physical Education at Capital, and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in physical education and business administration at Frostburg State.

Kish said: "I am very excited by the opportunity to join the Emory & Henry Athletic Department.  I am honored to represent an institution with such a strong academic history and with so much to offer student-athletes and the community.  This appointment is the ideal position for me and I am looking forward to celebrating the success and traditions of the past while continuing to build toward the future of our program."

His coach and former boss, Coach Dwight Burgess said that Kish understands that E&H athletic success is rooted in academic excellence.  “Nate both played for, and then coached with me, as we were building Capital into a nationally competitive program. I believe he understands that our success was rooted in selling our recruits on the merits of a college education first and as a soccer player second. I often turned to Nate for individual player meetings because I was confident in his skills as a listener and a communicator.  Nate has methodically gone about immersing himself in the soccer "community" not only to gain work experience but also to learn from many coaches, noting differences in method and style as he carves out his own path.”

This release is courtesy of Emory & Henry College.