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Mark Collings is in his second season as head coach at his alma mater. He became the third head coach in the 41-year history of the Seattle Pacific men’s soccer program when he took the reigns before the 2008 season. He follows Arnie Aizstrauts (1968-69) and Cliff McCrath (1970-2007).
Collings, a member and co-captain of Seattle Pacific's 1998 Final Four team, has been an Assistant Coach of the Falcons for the past five seasons, helping lead SPU to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances.
“To be named the head coach of the Seattle Pacific University men’s soccer program is a special honor and I am thankful to have been given the opportunity,” said Collings.
“As a Falcon soccer alum Mark Collings knows first hand the rich history of men’s soccer built under former and long-time head coach Cliff McCrath," said former SPU athletic director Tom Box, who hired Collings. "Mark and his coaching staff bring that Falcon pride to their leadership roles along with a passionate resolve to teaching the game while investing in the lives of team members.”
Last season, Collings directed the Falcons to a second-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 4-4 league ledger. SPU posted a 6-10-3 record in 2008 with a youthful roster that included 10 freshmen. He inherited just four starters and half (12) of the players on the 24-man roster had never before played a game in an SPU jersey.
Collings played four seasons for the Falcons (1995-98), with each team making the NCAA playoffs. Since then he has coached at various local high schools, including Seattle Academy from 1999-00. He also spent 11 years with Northwest Soccer Camp, serving as day camp and elite team training director for four years. Collings also currently serves as a Head Coach and Boys Director of Coaching for the Northwest Nationals Premier Soccer Club.
“The men’s soccer program has established itself as one of the premier programs in the country and having been both a student-athlete and coach here, I have a great understanding of the experience that our young men will have at SPU,” said Collings. “I’m committed to leading our players through their SPU journey so that they can develop the same passion I have for our University and men’s soccer program.”
“Coach Collings demonstrates a wide array of skills,” according to Box. “Mark brings visionary thinking, is highly organized, communicates clearly and is respected by players for his all-out commitment to helping them develop in every area of life.”
Collings and his wife Leslie have two sons, Jeffrey and Tyler, and reside in the Queen Anne neighborhood near SPU.