By MARK MOSCHETTI
Seattle Pacific Sports Information

SEATTLE – Mark Collings was the last one to know.
 
As oldest son Jeffrey was going through the process of deciding where to attend college, the Seattle Pacific men's soccer coach and wife Leslie encouraged him to check out whatever places might pique his interest. For Jeffrey, a solid student with an interest in medicine, academics was key.
 
But the lifelong soccer player also wanted to stay in the game for another four years, too. So he looked at the University of Washington. Oregon State. Even prestigious Georgetown. And of course, Seattle Pacific.
 
Finally, he reached a decision. He called that school's assistant coach to inform him.
 
Later that afternoon, the head coach finally got word, too.
 
In person. In his own living room.

 

"Leslie and I had come home from somewhere, and he said, 'Well, I committed,'" Mark Collings said. "We looked at him, and he had called Nate (Daligcon, then an SPU assistant coach) and told him he was coming to SPU.
 
"We didn't actually know Jeffrey was committing to SPU. That's how we found out."
 
That was three years ago. With another Father's Day almost here, neither Dad nor son have ever regretted the decision as Jeffrey gets ready for his senior year as a Falcon.
 
"I took advantage of looking at other options, both close to home and far away," said Jeffrey, a graduate of Ballard High School, just 2½ miles from Seattle Pacific. "But after looking at different campuses and meeting with different coaches, I realized SPU was the place I really wanted to be and stay close to my family.

Stay close ... and play close, too.
 
"(With soccer) being in the fall and having him coach in the fall at the same time, it would have been difficult for him to ever see me play." Jeffrey said. "It was something I really wanted."
 
A FEELING-OUT PROCESS
No matter what sport, the parent-as-coach, child-as-athlete combination works well for some, not so well for others.
 
It has worked well for Mark and Jeffrey Collings because from the very first practice, no special preference was sought, and none was given.
 
"His freshman year was the most difficult," Mark said. "I was sensitive to it, and we were both growing into it. I was a little harder on him in terms of playing time. (But now), we can all safely say he has definitely earned his position – and he has made it a lot easier for me, too."

 

Jeffrey was completely aware that's how it would be done.
 
"I knew I had to full-out earn my spot and work harder than everyone else just to get the spot," he said. "He's not the kind of coach who's just going to give me anything."
 
Indeed, playing time was very limited as a freshman in 2013. He got into 14 of the 19 games, but logged just 316 of the 1,784 minutes the Falcons were on the field.
 
By his sophomore year, he was a full-time outside back. He started 19 of the 20 games he played, totaling 1,769 of the 1,861 possible minutes. Last fall, Jeffrey started each of the 18 games, playing all but 29 of the 1,672 minutes and helping Seattle Pacific post nine shutouts.
 
"I wouldn't say I have a higher standard for him – I have a pretty high standard for everyone in the program," Mark said.
 
THE TEAM IS THE THING
That's one of the reasons Mark Collings has been able to guide the Falcons to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances. SPU also has won back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships with a combined GNAC record of 25-2-5. Those 32 games include 13 shutouts, Jeffrey having contributed his share to that part of it.
 
In fact, maintaining those high standards is one of Jeffrey's favorite parts of playing for Mark, who was the co-captain of Seattle Pacific's 1998 NCAA Final Four team.
 
"He knows how to get us going and motivate us really well," he said. "He does a good job of figuring out what makes each guy tick. That shows his investment in us. He takes it on himself to get to know us better."
  Both agree that Mark knows when to be a dad and when to be a coach.
 
"We're both pretty open and communicate really well," Jeffrey said. "We feel like we don't have to hold anything back when it comes to talking about things off the field."
 
Mark actually enjoys when he gets to blend the two roles – and not only for Jeffrey.
 
"Because I and the rest of our coaches are invested in every single one of our players, you almost have that dad role as a coach anyway," he said. "I want the team to be successful. When I'm on the field, it's about making sure I'm giving the team the information to be successful, not just one player."
 
BEYOND THE PITCH
As vital a part as he plays on the field, Jeffrey Collings gives even more attention to his studies as a physiology major – and he has a 3.7 grade-point average to prove it.

Much to Dad's delight.
 
"There was a running joke this spring that his home was in the library," Mark said, then adding with a serious turn, "I hope everyone who comes in contact with me understands that soccer is a small part of the journey. I want them to understand the importance of friendships they have, and family."
 
Jeffrey got that message long before he arrived at SPU.
 
"Put your family first – your family is everything," Jeffrey said of the biggest lesson he has learned from Mark.
 
Father's Day in the Collings household will be observed – just not this Sunday because Mark has a 6 a.m. flight to Dallas to scout a high-caliber tournament.
 
"Typically, it would involve some sort of food," Mark said. "Depending on the weather, it might involve going boating or paddleboarding. Or, if it's not nice out, maybe the Red Sox are on TV." (A native of Boston, he's a huge fan, and Jeffrey has inherited that particular passion.)
 
However it goes, this will be family time. As for soccer?
 
Lots of time for that on another day.
 
"He does a really good job of separating the two, and that's always really nice," Jeffrey said. "I get to have him as both a coach and a dad."
 
Safe to say that Mark Collings is the first one to know that.