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Jon Akin
Akin has rewritten the record book since he arrived at Oglethorpe 15 seasons ago as a young head coach at the age of 25. Since his arrival, he has become the winningest coach in the 50-plus years of the program, compiling a 127-103-20 mark.
He has coached the team to the program’s first-ever conference championship, taking the SCAC championship in 2011 and earning the program’s first-ever NCAA berth after a 17-4 season. That same season, he was named SCAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career and saw player Mark Lavery named SCAC Defensive Player of the Year and NSCAA First Team All-America. There have only been two All-Americas in the history of the program and Akin has coached them both, with St. Louis’ David Mueller receiving the honor in 2005. In 2013 Akin led the team to its second overall conference title and first SAA title and was named conference coach of the year for the third time. The 2013 team also secured the SAA Offensive Player of the Year award for senior Nick Williamson and the SAA Defensive Player of the Year honor for senior Clemson transfer Nikos Papanikolopolous. The team finished 11-3-3 and lost just once over their final 15 games.
In 2015, he led the Petrels to a 10-3-3 record, the program's first-ever regular season conference championship and it's third conference championship of any type during his tenure. Akin earned the fourth conference coach of the year award of his tenure and his second SAA Coach of the Year honor. The 2015 team saw goalkeeper Vaughn Moore earn SAA Defensive Player of the Year honors, while midfielder Topher Marshall won the SAA Newcomer of the Year award. The Petrels also put eight players on All-SAA teams in 2015, while midfielder Nick Muntean was named to the All-South Atlantic Region Second Team and the Scholar All-South Region Team by the NSCAA.
The 2016 season saw the Petrels pick up where the left off the year before, as they went undefeated in SAA play to win their second consecutive SAA regular season title and their fourth conference trophy overall. Marshall again picked up some impressive postseason hardware, this time winning the SAA Offensive Player of the Year award. Team captain Micah Akin won SAA Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Coach Akin earned SAA Coach of the Year for the second straight campaign, marking the fifth conference coach of the year award of his career. The Petrels put nine total players on All-SAA teams in 2016, while Marshall earned All-South Atlantic honors and midfielders Josh Hoeft and Erik Marquez took Scholar All-South accolades.
Akin has brought in some of the best Division III soccer talent in the country with several all-conference and all-region players and multiple freshmen and players of the year. Oglethorpe has also received several transfer students from prestigious Division I programs.
Akin's staff has also seen several recent coaches moving on to full-time positions in pro soccer and various programs all over the ranks of college soccer, from Division I to NAIA and former assistant Keylor Reyes is on the international stage as an assistant with the Costa Rican national team.
Under Akin, the team plays a very attractive style, with possession-oriented soccer, building from the back and playing quickly through the lines. This style has helped greatly in recruiting, as it’s a system that players love to play in. The coaching staff focuses on technique, work ethic and player improvement and looks for players who have the ability to play in and will improve within the system.
Akin also works with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a national team scout and Development Academy evaluator. He holds the U.S. Soccer "A" coaching license, the NSCAA "Premier" license (in which he received the highest rating with a "Distinguished Pass"), and the U.S. Soccer National "Youth" license.
Playing Bio
Akin grew up in Pensacola, Fla., where he attended Pensacola Catholic High School. In 1995, he attended Saint Leo University as a freshman. Jon was named First-Team All-Conference and All-South. In 1996, he scored 28 goals and had 16 assists to lead the nation in scoring. He was All-American, All-South, and the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. In 1997, Akin was First-Team All-American, All-South, and All-Sunshine State Conference. In 1998, he ended his career at Saint Leo finishing second all-time in career goals with 61 and first in assists with 45. In 1998, he spent three months with Independiente of the Argentinian First Division.
In 1999, Akin was drafted by the Charleston Battery in the first round of the A-League draft. In 2000, he played in all 32 games for the Battery, who lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual-champion Rochester Raging Rhinos. During the 2000 offseason, Akin played with Kilkenny City of the Irish Premier League.
In 2001, Akin played 26 games for the Battery before losing to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the playoffs. He began the 2002 season with the Charleston Battery before being traded to the Atlanta Silverbacks, where he played 20 games.
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