Jan. 8, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky men’s soccer head coach Johan Cedergren has announced Chase Wileman, a former star at SMU and most recently an assistant coach at Dartmouth, as the newest member of the UK coaching staff.
A native of Grand Prairie, Texas, Wileman comes to Kentucky after three years at Dartmouth (2011-13); where in 2011 he teamed with Cedergren in leading the Big Green to their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011. In 2012, Wileman helped direct Dartmouth to a second-place finish in the Ivy League. Wileman served under head coaches Jeff Cook (2011-12) and Chad Riley (2013).
“We are excited to welcome Chase to the Kentucky soccer family,” Cedergren said. “Having had the pleasure of working with Chase during the 2011 season at Dartmouth, I have seen first-hand the positive impact he brings to a program. Chase is a tireless worker, has great technical knowledge and will be a great asset in recruiting. He has impressive experience as a player, both collegiately and professionally, and will be a profound educator for our student-athletes.”
“I am excited and humbled to get the chance to continue my career at Kentucky,” Wileman said. “Having had the opportunity to work with Johan at Dartmouth, I knew that he would be a tremendous head coach and that he would be someone that I would want to work alongside. Johan, the staff and the UK administration are building something really special in Lexington and I am eager to come in and continue the progress that they’ve started. I just want to thank Johan, David Casper, Kevin Saal and Mitch Barnhart for the opportunity to assist in building one of the top programs in collegiate soccer.”
Over the last three years, Wileman has served as an assistant coach with the Big Green, including functioning as the lead assistant for the 2013 season. In 2011, his inaugural season on the coaching staff, serving under Cook and on the staff with Cedergren, Wileman helped lead the Big Green to their ninth Ivy League title and their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. He helped mentor Ivy League Player of the Year Lucky Mkosana and four Dartmouth standouts that earned All-Ivy League honors.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to work at a place with the history of Dartmouth the last three years and I am so thankful to have had the chance to learn from the coaches and student-athletes there,” Wileman said. “I am extremely grateful to coach (Chad) Riley, who I was able to work with in 2013, and coach (Jeff) Cook for giving me the opportunity to begin my collegiate coaching career at Dartmouth.”
In 2012, with Cedergren departing to direct the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2003, Wileman served as an assistant coach for Cook and helped lead the Big Green to a 9-7 record, including a 5-2 finish in Ivy League action.
Wileman came to Dartmouth in 2011 after serving extensively as a youth coach in the Dallas area. He coached on several North Texas ODP teams while earning a U.S. Soccer Federation “A” License.
Before starting his coaching career, Wileman played in Major League Soccer with FC Dallas from 2007-09, after a standout career with powerhouse SMU (2003-06). He was selected by Dallas in the supplemental draft in 2007 and he made his professional debut in a US Open Cup third-round game against Miami FC. He made his MLS debut during a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy, registering an assist. In 2008, he was named reserve team MVP.
Wileman played four seasons at SMU, where he helped lead the Mustangs to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth in the College Cup in 2005. A team captain as a senior, Wileman scored 13 goals and tallied 18 assists to earn first-team Conference USA honors, also earning first-team National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Midwest Region honors during his collegiate career. As a junior, Wileman had a pair of goals and assists, adding an assist as a sophomore and two as a freshman. Before playing for the Mustangs, Wileman saw three years of residency in the USA National Team Program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., also earning Parade and McDonald’s High School All-America accolades.
