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Chad Wiseman
Chad Wiseman became the seventh head coach of the Bronco men’s soccer program on Jan. 31, 2013 and has built Western Michigan into a nationally ranked program. He enters his 11th season leading the Brown & Gold in 2023.
In his 10 seasons, he has twice been named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year (2015 & 2017). He led WMU to unprecedented success in the 2017 and 2022 seasons. In 2017, he guided the Broncos in their first ever MAC regular season championship, finish the season ranked No. 9 in the nation and produce the school’s first All-Americans, as well as two MLS Draft picks. In 2022, the Broncos won their second MAC Championship, made its third NCAA appearance and second NCAA Sweet 16. WMU recorded a new program record with nine consecutive wins, finished the season ranked No. 14 in the nation and produced several All-Americans, as well as three MLS Draft picks and one USL signee.
Wiseman began his coaching career as an assistant coach at WMU and went on to build Division III Olivet into a top 25 program. In just his third season as a head coach At Western Michigan, Wiseman was able to do the same with the Broncos, as the program earned its first Top 25 ranking in school history in 2015.
Over his collegiate coaching career, Wiseman has recruited and developed a Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, two MLS Draft picks, one MAC Player of the Year, a CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, a National Scholar Player of the Year, and two NCAA statistical champions. His players have earned three All-American honors, nine Academic All-American selections, 69 All-Conference, 26 All-Region, eight Academic All-Region and nine Academic All-District honors.
As a student-athlete, Wiseman was a four-year letter winner at Western Michigan, leading the team in scoring for three.
Academically, Western Michigan has been one of the nation’s leaders year in and year out. For four consecutive years, Western Michigan has led the MAC in All-Academic Team selections for men's soccer.
2022:
Wiseman led the Broncos to unprecedented success in 2022, winning its second and last-ever Mid-American Conference Championship. The Broncos made their third NCAA appearance and second Sweet Sixteen appearance while recording a new program record for consecutive wins with nine and total points with 143 points. Western Michigan finished No. 14 in the nation and posted a 16-3-2 overall record, including a 5-1-2 record in conference play and 12 shutout wins.
Western Michigan closed its season as one of the top-ranked defenses in the nation. WMU ranked first nationally in goals-against-average (.445 per game), first in save percentage (.888), second in goal differential (33), and second in win-loss-tie percentage (.850).
Senior Daniel Nimick was drafted by Vancouver Whitecaps FC as the 42nd pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He was named MAC Player of the Year and was the fourth All-American in program history claiming Second Team All-American honors. Hunter Morse was drafted by FC Cincinnati as the 51st pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft and was named MAC Goalkeeper of the Year. Charlie Sharp was drafted by Toronto FC as the 61st pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He was named a USC Scholar All-American and deemed the Most Value Player of the MAC conference. Midfielder Carson Hodgson was named Freshman of the Year and Senior Eric Conerty signed a USL contract with Forward Madison FC.
WMU had a team record of five players named to the USC All-Region team and seven players named to the All-MAC team. Academically, the Broncos excelled. The USC and CSC named a total of seven WMU players as Academic All-Americans and eight Broncos made Academic All-MAC teams.
2021:
The Broncos returned to their traditional fall season with WMU going 7-6-5 overall and just missing out on the MAC Tournament after posting a 2-3-1 record in conference play. Western Michigan posted a 6-2-2 record at the WMU Soccer complex, including shutouts wins over Butler, Dayton, Oakland, Michigan State and Detroit Mercy. The team closed out the season with a thrilling 4-3 win over Akron at home.
WMU continued its academic success under Wiseman with 10 Broncos earning Academic All-MAC honors. Charlie Sharp, Daniel Nimick and Dylan Sing all earned All-MAC honors for their play on the field, with Sharp being named Third Team All-North Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
2020:
Wiseman navigated the Broncos through the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing the 2020 fall schedule moved to the spring. The Broncos went 7-3-1 and just missed out on the MAC Championship due to the standings being switched to points-per-game because of COVID issues within other MAC programs leading to missed games. WMU went undefeated against rival Akron with a 0-0 road tie and a 4-3 win over the Zips to end the season.
Mike Melaragni and Daniel Nimick were named First Team All-MAC, while Pepe Martinez-Bertrand and Brennan Creek were named Second Team All-MAC. Nimick and Melaragni went on to earn United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors. Academically, Melaragni was one of 10 Broncos named Academic All-MAC, while also going on to be named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and a COSIDA Second Team Academic All-American.
2019:
Western Michigan recorded double-digit victories for the third consecutive season, going 11-6-2 overall. The Broncos went 2-1-2 in Mid-American Conference play, earning the No. 2 seed in the 2019 MAC Men's Soccer Championship.
Five WMU players received All-MAC honors, with defender Sam Biek, and midfielders Charlie Sharp and Brennan Creek being named to the First Team. Midfielder Anthony Bowie and goalkeeper Isaac Walker earned Second Team accolades. Sharp became the second Bronco in program history to be named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
The Broncos once again led the Academic All-MAC team, this time landing 13 selections. Anthony Bowie became the first Western Michigan student-athlete in any sport to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors in December.
2018:
The Broncos turned in an 11-6-3 overall record and made a second consecutive appearance in the MAC Championship, eventually falling to the NCAA runner-ups from Akron. WMU went 9-3-1 at its home field and finished 1-1-2 in the MAC, receiving the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament. The Broncos advanced to the championship with a 3-1 win over No. 6 Northern Illinois and a 2-0 win over No. 2 Bowling Green.
Seniors Ben Thornton and Cameron Sipple both earned All-MAC Honors, with Thornton on the First Team and Sipple on the Second Team. Thornton also was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team.
For the third consecutive season, the Broncos led the Academic All-MAC squad with nine student-athletes. It also marked the fifth-straight year in which WMU placed at least nine players on the academic team. Anthony Bowie headlined the academic awards, becoming the first Bronco ever to be named a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American. Bowie and Sipple also earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar Regional honors while three Broncos were named MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes.
2017:
WMU finished 2017 ranked No. 9 in the nation and was ranked in the USC poll for 11 consecutive weeks, including seven inside the top 10. Western Michigan had its highest ranking of No. 4 on November 7th and were ranked No. 5 the week prior.
The Broncos won their first ever Mid-American Conference regular season championship, going a perfect 5-0-0 in conference play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where the team was given a first round bye. WMU went on to defeat UAlbany in the second round for the school’s first ever NCAA Tournament win and advanced to the Sweet 16 before eventually falling to Michigan State. The Broncos finished the season with a 17-4-1 overall record and went undefeated during the MAC season with a perfect 5-0-0 record.
As a result of the team success, several Broncos picked up individual accolades. Senior Brandon Bye was a Hermann Trophy finalist, MAC Player of the Year and was named a First Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News. Bye became the first Bronco men’s soccer player to receive any of those honors. He led the MAC with 12 goals and seven points for 31 points, which also stacked up against leaders nationally.
Senior goalkeeper Drew Shepherd was voted a Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches. Shepherd posted the third most shutouts in the nation as he was in goal for 13 of WMU’s 14 clean sheets this season.
Both Bye and Shepherd were selected in the MLS Draft. Bye was taken No. 8 overall by the New England Revolution, while Shepherd was drafted 46th overall by the Toronto FC.
Bye and fellow senior Zach Bock also became the program’s first CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Bock was a second team selection, while Bye landed on the third team.
Wiseman was named MAC Coach of the Year and the Bronco coaching staff was selected as the Great Lakes Region Staff of the Year. Western Michigan produced eight all-conference players and had four be named all-region. The Broncos set a school record for wins (17-4-1 record) and shutouts (14) in a season. Academically, WMU led the conference with nine Academic All-MAC selections and had three players named Academic All-District.
2016:
Western Michigan concluded 2016 with a 9-6-4 record and the Broncos rattled off a six-game winning streak at the beginning of the season. The Broncos had five players voted All-Mid-American Conference and three earn NSCAA All-Region honors. Western Michigan’s five all-conference selections was the second most in school history, following Broncos’ six honorees in 2015.
Academically, Western Michigan led the MAC with 10 of the league’s 42 Academic All-MAC selections and two players were named Academic All-Region by the NSCAA. It marked the first time in school history the Broncos had produced two all-region scholars in the same year. Additionally in regards to Academic All-MAC selections there were only four perfect 4.0 GPAs in the conference, three of those coming from WMU. The team had a 3.41 GPA as a team during the Fall semester.
2015:
Western Michigan finished 2015 with an 11-4-4 overall record, one of the best seasons in program history. The Broncos were ranked in the Top Drawer Soccer top 25 for the first time ever, debuting at No. 24 and moving up to as high as No. 18. Wiseman collected Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honors in just his third season.
The Broncos set a new school record for shutouts, posting 12. As a team, WMU finished the season ranked second in the nation for shutout percentage. The 11 wins was one shy of tying the school record of 12, accomplished in 1988 and 2003.
The Broncos produced four all-region players, six All-MAC selections (including four first teamers), an NCAA statistical champion, nine Academic All-MAC honorees, an Academic All-Region selection and five MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athletes. The six All-MAC and four All-Region selections were the most in a single season in school history. For the third straight year a member of the men's soccer program was named a Presidential Scholar, the highest academic honor that Western Michigan University can bestow on its undergraduates. For the 2015-16 academic year, the team collectively boasted a 3.34 GPA.
The Broncos defended their home turf, where the team lost just one game out of 10 matches at the newly renovated WMU Soccer Complex, which had field upgrades, a grandstand, press box and new sound system added prior to the beginning of the season.
Western Michigan went 3-1-1 during MAC play, battling No. 5 ranked Akron to a 1-1 tie. With the result, the Broncos have not lost a regular-season match to the Zips since 2013, a feat no other program in the conference can tip its hat to.
For the second year in a row and just the third time in program history, WMU produced an NCAA statistical champion, as goalkeeper Drew Shepherd was the NCAA leader in goals against average (.329). Shepherd also finished second among Division I keepers for save percentage (.879).
2014:
The 2014 Broncos finished with an 8-7-4 overall record, going 2-3-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Western Michigan was ranked as high as No. 6 in the Great Lakes Region over the course of the year. WMU advanced to the MAC Tournament for the second-straight season under Wiseman.
During the regular season, Western Michigan defeated Akron for just the third time in school history, knocking off the No. 19-ranked Zips, 1-0, on the road in October. The loss was just Akron’s second MAC regular-season loss over the previous eight seasons. Senior Jason Grant was recognized to two national soccer teams of the week after registering the game-winning goal. The Broncos also defeated in-state rival Michigan for the second time in three years in Ann Arbor, taking down the Wolverines in overtime, 1-0.
At the season’s end, three Broncos were named to the All-MAC First Team, two players collected MAC All-Tournament Team honors and junior Sean Conerty was the NCAA Statistical Champion for assists per game, averaging 0.67.
For their work in the classroom, nine Broncos were named Academic All-MAC and junior Connor Furgason was named an NSCAA All-Region Scholar. Senior Jason Grant was presented with WMU Engineering Student-Athlete Award and senior Adriano Deabreu was named a WMU Presidential Scholar.
2013:
In its first season under Wiseman, Western Michigan flourished in 2013, finishing as the Mid-American Conference regular season and MAC Tournament runners-up. The Broncos posted a 9-9-1 overall record, going 4-1-1 in conference play. The nine victories set a new program record for the most wins for a first-year head coach at WMU. The Broncos’ 4-1-1 MAC record was its best in school history and it was just the second time ever the team finished regular season runners-up.
The Broncos were at their best when it mattered the most, during MAC competition where the Brown & Gold conceded just three goals defensively. WMU posted shutouts in the first four conference matches and went 4-0-1 through the first five league games to set up a regular season title game with No. 9 Akron. It took double overtime to decide the regular season champion, as the Zips narrowly edged Western Michigan in front of a packed house at the WMU Soccer Complex, 2-1.
Western Michigan had several awards roll in during the season for outstanding individual play, produced three Second Team All-MAC players, three MAC All-Tournament team selections, and three Academic-All MAC honorees. Two players were recognized by College Sports Madness as first and second team All-MAC selections, respectively, and goalkeeper Chase Rau led the conference in MAC goals-against average (0.49) and save percentage (.880).
Previous Coaching Experience:
As the head coach at Olivet, Wiseman guided the Comets to four-straight winning seasons (2009-12) and posted the best winning percentage in the program’s 40-year history, amassing a record of 53-25-6 (.659). The team had a top 25 national ranking and made an appearance in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Championship game in back-to-back seasons in 2011 & 2012.
Olivet finished 2012 with a 16-5-1, 10-4 MIAA record, setting the school record for single-season wins, MIAA wins as well as MIAA points (30). The team was ranked in the top 25 in the nation for five consecutive weeks, with its highest ranking at No. 6. Two players were named all-region, a school record seven were named All-MIAA and Cory Werner Hoskins became the first player in school history to be named the MIAA Newcomer of the Year.
Wiseman was the assistant coach at Western Michigan from 2003-08, where he helped guide the Broncos to a Mid-American Conference title and an NCAA Championship appearance in 2003. The 2003 Bronco squad also tied a program single-season record with 12 wins. The Brown & Gold followed that performance with a return to the championship game in 2004, in which WMU finished runner-up. While an assistant at WMU, Wiseman coached 11 All-MAC players and four players that were selected to the All-Great Lakes Region team.
Wiseman also served as the head varsity girls’ soccer coach at Plainwell High School, where he led Plainwell to back-to-back Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division II championship games in 2011 and 2012, winning the state title in 2011. Overall, Wiseman led the Trojans to eight Wolverine Conference (WC) championships and six MHSAA District championships. He earned Coach of the Year honors seven times from the WC and six times from the district. In 2011 and 2012, Wiseman was named the Division II Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year and was the NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year Finalist in 2012.
Wiseman additionally has been a staff coach for the Kalamazoo Kingdom Club. In 2021 Wiseman led his team in Southwest Michigan's First U.S. Youth Soccer Championship at hte U-18 age group. In his time at Kalamazoo Kingdom, he has guided his teams to four State Cup Championships and clinched two Super Y National Championships. In 2005, Wiseman served as the general manager for Kingdom Indoor Center and director of operations for the Kalamazoo Kingdom Premier Development League (PDL).
Personal:
A four-year letter winner at Western Michigan (1998-99, 2000-01), Wiseman played in 66 career matches and led the roster in scoring in three of his four campaigns. He served as team captain during this senior season. He earned a bachelor of science degree from WMU in 2009.
Wiseman and his wife, the former Morgan Britt, have two sons, Zane Tombo Wiseman and Cruz James Wiseman, and a daughter, London Shea Wiseman.
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