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John Scott
John Scott is just the seventh head coach in the exceptional 64-year history of the Hartwick men's soccer program. He enters his 12th season piloting the Hawks in 2021-22, which is the program's fourth season competing at the Division III level.
While coaching the Hawks at the Division I level, Scott led four players to Sun Belt All-Conference accolades, including Offensive Player of the Year and All-Region pick Jamie O'Grady, in the fall of 2017.
In 2016, Scott's Hawks finished the campaign 9-6-4 overall with an appearance in the Sun Belt Conference semifinals. Five Hartwick players earned Sun Belt All-Conference honors, including Co-Freshman of the Year, Hamish Ritchie.
In 2015, Scott led Hartwick to its twenty-fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history which is tied for 13th in Division I history. The Hawks repeated as both Sun Belt Regular Season and Sun Belt Tournament champions and completed another sweep of all three major team awards after earning the Sun Belt Men's Soccer Academic Award (team GPA of 3.57).
Hartwick would also sweep the Sun Belt individual awards with Scott leading the way with Coach of the Year honors. It marked the third straight season Scott has been named a conference Coach of the Year. Junior Jamie O'Grady was named Offensive Student Athlete of the Year, junior Kit Tregear secured Defensive Student Athlete of the Year, and goalkeeper Lenny Wilson was tabbed Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Nine players would also earn All-Sun Belt honors.
The Hawks would go unbeaten and untied in the conference regular season to earn the top seed in the Sun Belt playoffs. 'Wick would blank host Appalachian State 1-0 in the semifinals and Georgia State 3-0 in the title game to claim the league trophy. Hartwick would post five clean sheets in seven games against Sun Belt opposition over the course of the season. The Hawks' campaign came to an end in heartbreaking fashion after dropping a 1-0 thriller in overtime to host Dartmouth in the NCAA First Round.
O'Grady and Tregear would earn NSCAA All-Region honors for their efforst in 2015. Senior Jack Miller was a CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American.
Scott piloted the Hawks to a conference championship and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons in 2014. The Hawks, playing in their inaugural season in the Sun Belt Conference, captured all three major team honors.
After an inauspicious 0-6-4 start to the season, Scott guided the Hawks to a momentous turnaround, which included a 3-1-1 conference season to claim the Sun Belt regular season title and the tournament's top seed. The Hawks went on the road to shutout #4 Appalachian State (2-0) and then the tournament host and #2 seed Georgia Southern (1-0) on its home field to claim the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks' season would end in the opening round of the national tournament after a solid effort in a 2-1 defeat at Penn State. The appearance would mark Hartwick's 24th all-time.
Scott would be crowned the Sun Belt Conference Men's Soccer Coach of the Year, becoming one of only a handful of coaches to earn the distinction two years in a row in two separate conferences. Senior Jhevaughan Beckford and junior Tom Buckner both would earn all-conference honors as well.
Scott's Hawks would also earn the Sun Belt Men's Soccer Academic Award after beating out all other conference teams with a 3.31 Team GPA to complete the conference treble.
In 2014, Scott led the Hawks to a record of 5-9-4 and a 3-2-1 mark in their final season in the Mid-American Conference. ‘Wick had memorable wins over national powers Akron (2-0) and West Virginia (1-0) over the course of the season. The victory over then-No. 9 Akron on its home field snapped the Zips’ NCAA record 49-game (46-0-3) conference unbeaten streak.
Under Scott’s guidance, the Hawks qualified for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2009. For his efforts, he would be named the MAC’s Gary V. Palmisano Coach of the Year.
Nine players earned Mid-American All-Conference honors under Scott over four seasons. Steven Amaya (2010) and Greg Mathers (2011) were both First Team selections with Owen Botting (2010), Jherrett Maroney (2011), Simon Greatwich (2011), Cleyon Brown (2012), Matthew Robertson (2013), Russ MacKinnon (2013), and Chris Walter (2013) each earning Second Team honors.
In 2012, he guided 'Wick to a 5-10-2 mark with victories over Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Bucknell, St. Bonaventure, and NJIT. The Hawks were a very competitive side with seven of their losses coming by just one goal.
In 2011, Scott led the Hawks to a 5-6-5 overall record. The team finished 1-2-3 in the Mid-American Conference and fifth in the standings missing the playoffs by just a single game.
Scott, a native of Banff, Scotland, and former player at Hartwick, returned to Oyaron Hill after serving for nine seasons as the top assistant at Binghamton University. As the 7th head coach in the history of the men's soccer program, he joins a list that includes Hal Greig (1956-59), David Haase (1960-66), Al Miller (1967-72), Timo Liekoski (1973-75), Jim Lennox (1976-2002), and Ian McIntyre (2003-09).
At Binghamton, Scott assisted in the management and development of all phases of the Bearcats' program including recruiting, training, match preparation, team academics, and alumni and community relations. During his stay at BU, he has been a key factor in the team's Division I success. After their first two years competing at the Division I level in 2001 and 2002, the Bearcats went 69-37-29 in the past seven years with two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, two America East Conference titles, and six trips to the America East Tournament finals.
As a Hartwick player, Scott donned the blue and white in 1996 starting all 18 games. He finished the campaign ranked 2nd in assists and tied for 4th in scoring with a goal and five helpers. After his freshman season, Scott returned to his native Scotland to compete on the semi-professional level for Fraserburgh FC and Buckie Thistle FC from 1997-2000. He earned a bachelor's degree in 2000 from the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland, in the field of sports coaching.
Scott began his coaching career at Plattsburgh State in 2000, serving as the assistant women's coach before accepting the assistant position at Binghamton in the fall of 2001. He holds coaching certifications from the Scottish Football Association as well as National Soccer Coaches Association of America National, Advanced National, and Premier Diplomas. Scott also assists in the direction of B.C. United Fusion, a Premier Youth Soccer Club based in Endicott, NY.
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