York College Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation Paul Saikia announced the hiring of former Spartan All-American Evan Scheffey as the York men's soccer coach on Wednesday afternoon. 

Scheffey was a four-year starting defender and three-year captain for the Spartans from 2005-2008. He has served as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Virginia Wesleyan since January of 2013.

Scheffey helped the Spartans compile a record of 78-5-9 during his tenure as a player in York. He was a three-time First Team All-Capital Athletic Conference player, a two-time Capital Athletic Conference champion, a three-time First Team NSCAA All-Region selection and a 2008 NSCAA Third Team All-American. The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Tournament in all four of Scheffey's seasons on the squad, including a berth in the Elite Eight in both 2006 and 2007.

Scheffey was named to the CAC Men's Soccer Silver Anniversary team this past fall, recognizing him as one of the Top 25 men's soccer players in the 25 years of the CAC.

"This truly is a dream come true for me to return to York as the head men's soccer coach," said Scheffey. "The men's soccer program and York College community is a huge part of the fabric of who I am as a person and I couldn't be more humbled and excited to call York College home once again. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation, Paul Saikia, and the rest of the search committee for entrusting me with the leadership of the program moving forward. Additionally I would like to thank Mark Ludwig for giving me the opportunity to come to York 10 years ago and also for building a very strong foundation for the program. I would also like to thank Bryan Laut at Goucher College for providing the opportunity to get into collegiate coaching and also Chris Mills and Jeff Bowers at Virginia Wesleyan College for their continued guidance and investment in me over the past two years at Virginia Wesleyan College. I could not be more excited to get to York and get to work."

Saikia was pleased to get someone with a deep connection to the Spartan men's soccer family.

"We were fortunate to have a strong pool of applicants which led to some great interviews," said Saikia. "But, among other factors, we felt as though Evan's truly-heartfelt connection to York College and the program made his candidacy exceptional. We have been building an awesome staff of motivated, energetic coaches with high character and priorities. Evan is a perfect addition and brings the promise of even greater things to a program that is already quite accomplished."

Scheffey's coaching resume after leaving York was quite appealing to Saikia. He started his post-playing career with an assistant coaching position at Goucher College, a member of the Landmark Conference. In his is first year as a Gophers assistant, Goucher improved their league mark by three wins and their overall record by two wins and a tie after going 4-14 in 2010. Scheffey also spearheaded the recruiting efforts as Goucher brought in a class of 12 players from five different states.

In his second year in Towson, the Gophers had a freshmen class that included a dynamic group of newcomers. One freshman led all Landmark newcomers in scoring with seven goals during the year. Not only was Scheffey active on the recruiting trail, but he also established a Goucher Men's Soccer alumni networking night, bringing current players and alumni together to create working relationships.

Scheffey then moved to Virginia Wesleyan in early 2013 where he immersed himself in the program. The Marlins finished 16-5-1 overall and 9-2 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in Scheffey's first year on the VWC staff. Those numbers were a dramatic improvement over the 2012 season; a campaign in which Virginia Wesleyan went 8-10-2 overall and 6-5 in the league. It was the sixth best turnaround in Division III men's soccer in 2013. He was responsible for recruiting and coaching the 2013 ODAC Rookie-of-the-Year Kyle Fisher.

In Scheffey's second year, the Marlins went 11-4-4 overall including a 7-2-2 mark in the ODAC. The team GPA was over 3.0 for the third consecutive semester as 14 players earned Dean's List honors.

"We are going to relentlessly pursue the highest standards in every facet of our program," states Scheffey. "These expectations not only include winning at the highest level on the field but also being recognized and respected for our hard work in the classroom while being an integral part of the surrounding community."

Scheffey also has extensive club coaching experience, as he was a U-16 and U-18 head coach with FC York from October of 2009 through January 2013. He was also the head coach of Beach FC in Virginia Beach from May 2013 until March of 2015.

Scheffey owns an NSCAA National Diploma as he completed that with Distinguished Pass. Scheffey begins his duties in York in late March.