 |
| MCPS Soccer Coach Wulf-Dieter Koch Photo courtesy of Auburn University at Montgomery |
Montgomery Catholic Preparatory School is proud to announce Wulf-Dieter Koch as the new head coach for boys soccer. “We are happy to welcome Coach Koch to our Montgomery Catholic coaching staff,” said Anne Ceasar, President of Montgomery Catholic. “We have known him as a parent for many years and are thrilled that he joins us now as a staff member. I am certain that he will guide our soccer program to the next level.”
Coach Koch most recently was the head men’s soccer coach at Auburn University at Montgomery and comes to Catholic with a stellar coaching record and over 34 years of experience playing and coaching soccer at every level. He holds a United Soccer Coaches Master Coach Diploma and United States Soccer Federation “A” and “Youth” License. In addition to his collegiate coaching positions, Koch has coached the Birmingham Hammers of the National Premier Soccer League, is a US Youth Soccer Staff Coach for Region III, and is a Boys Academy Coach for the Montgomery Capital City Streaks. He has been named SSAC Coach of the Year, National Soccer Coaches Association of America's NAIA Coach of the Year, NAIA and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Regional Coach of the Year, and NAIA Region III Sectional Coach of the Year.
"We are so excited to have Coach Koch here at Montgomery Catholic,” said Athletic Director Daniel Veres. “He brings such great knowledge, experience, and a winning pedigree to our soccer program. I personally can't wait to see this next stage in the evolution of our program. Wulf and I were both at Spring Hill College years ago, and we are just so lucky that he decided to become a part of our MCPS community."
Coach Koch began his collegiate career, first playing and then coaching, at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where he would eventually be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. Following that, he moved to the University of Maine-Machias and coached for four seasons. His next four seasons were in South Dakota at National American University where he led the team to the NAIA Region III semifinals four times and to the NAIA National Tournament once. He then moved to Spring Hill College where he coached for two seasons before arriving at AUM. The second-winningest head coach of the AUM men’s soccer program, Koch retired from AUM in 2018 after 12 seasons with the men’s team and 3 seasons with the women’s team. The men’s team won an SSAC Tournament Championship, was runner-up in three SSAC tournaments, and competed in four NAIA National Tournaments. During his time with the women’s team, he led them to the NAIA National Tournament in 2004 and three NAIA Region XIII Tournament appearances. In total, he has led nine teams to the NAIA National Tournament.
While Koch’s teams have performed extremely well, individual players under his leadership have also been recognized for excellence as athletes and as scholars: 14 NAIA All-American players, 14 NAIA Scholar Athletes, 50 SSAC All-Conference team players, 9 SSAC All-Freshman team players, 54 SSAC All-Academic team players, 7 players named as SSAC Player, Offensive Player, Defensive Player or Newcomer of the Year, and one NAIA Player of the Year.
“I am inspired by the student-athletes and their quest to succeed, both in the classroom and on the soccer pitch,” Coach Koch said about his coaching philosophy and what keeps him motivated. “Success is a mindset which comes from self-satisfaction and knowing that you have done your best to become the best you are able to become.”
Building on the foundation laid by previous coaches, Coach Koch aims to take Montgomery Catholic’s soccer program to the next level. “We play in a stellar and very difficult area with great teams, and we want to be competitive year in and year out," he said. "As a coach, it is my job to take the student-athlete out of his comfort zone and make him understand that each training session and game is a microcosm of life. You will have ups and downs and it matters how you react to them.”
Coach Koch has a reputation for setting high academic standards for his athletes. While at AUM, his teams and players consistently earned recognition for posting high grade point averages while competing at the highest level on the soccer field. “We want to develop quality young people with high character, great sportsmanship, and a desire to win and succeed, all while representing themselves, the team, the school, their families, and their faith to the highest degree. I so look forward to being part of the Montgomery Catholic family and to have a positive impact on the students in the classroom and the student-athletes on the field. I feel happy and blessed for this opportunity.”
A native of Nuremberg, Germany, he enjoys sports of all kinds but is especially passionate about soccer. He is a supporter of the FC Bayern Munich soccer team and has a love for sports teams from Germany and from Boston, Massachusetts. Wulf and his wife, Jane, have three adult children: Benjamin, Alanna, and Joshua, MCPS class of 2017.
Montgomery Catholic is looking forward to the upcoming season with Coach Koch. The 2019-2020 academic year rings in a new era for Knights athletics as it will open a new 35,000 square foot gymnasium with stadium seating, capacity for 850 spectators, state-of-the-art athletic training and conditioning facilities, and offices to house coaching staff for all athletics. The dedication for the gym will take place on Sunday, August 11 at 4:00PM.
