LEXINGTON, Va. --- Washington and Lee Director of Athletics Jan Hathorn has announced the appointment of Michael Singleton as head men's soccer coach and associate professor of physical education.  Singleton will begin his appointment on July 1 as the program's first new head coach in 39 years.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Mike to W&L to become our next head coach of men's soccer," said Hathorn.  "Mike has a proven record of excellence and expertise on many levels, as evidenced by his long and successful career leading various soccer programs. These accomplishments set him apart from a very distinguished list of applicants. This is an important moment in the long and storied history of our soccer program, and I have every confidence that Mike is the right person to lead and grow the program into the future. I am excited for all of us associated with W&L to have Mike join us in our work and I look forward to serving beside him for many years to come. "

Singleton has previously served as the head coach at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he led the Engineers to a 35-18-4 record, one New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship and two NCAA Tournament berths in three seasons (2011-13).

"I am very excited to be coming to Washington and Lee as it is one of the top schools in the country and working with such high-achieving student-athletes makes coaching a great pleasure," said Singleton.  "Being able to teach at the University is also a wonderful draw and I look forward to getting started with the team and helping them achieve their lofty goals."

Singleton's 2012 and 2013 teams both finished with identical 13-5-2 overall records and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament.  MIT won the 2012 NEWMAC title before bowing out to Oneonta State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  His 2013 squad won the NEWMAC regular season title with a 6-0-1 league mark and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling in the conference final.  The season ended with a 2-0 loss to Western New England in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.  Singleton was awarded the league's Coach of the Year Award for his efforts.  Additionally, two different Engineers earned All-America honors during his time there.

In addition to coaching the Engineers, Singleton also served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association since 2010, overseeing the staffing and day-to-day operations, and managing a $10 million field complex.  For the seven years prior, he had served as the association's head state coach and director of coaching.

Singleton is also a United States Youth Soccer Region I ODP Senior Staff Coach, the U16 Region Head Coach, as well as a United States National Staff Coach, working as both a coach and psychologist at the U14 National Camp and helping to construct National license courses. Singleton has also served as a technical committee member for both the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2003 Women's World Cup.

Collegiately, Singleton was the head men's soccer coach and assistant women's soccer coach at St. Joseph's College in Indiana from 1997-99, assistant men's coach at the University of Delaware in 2001 and assistant women's soccer coach at Emerson College from 2008-10.

Singleton is a 1995 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of arts in psychology and English.  He earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from Purdue University in 1998.  He currently holds a USSF "A" License, a FIFA Futuro III Diploma and a NSCAA Premier License.

--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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