Athletics The Scholar-Athlete

Falcon Coach Tapped to Work With Future Pros

Mark Collings acknowledged being surprised when he received another invitation to coach at the Major League Soccer pre-draft combine. But as was the case in 2011, he happily accepted. The Seattle Pacific men’s coach spent five days in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in mid- January as approximately 60 elite players showed off their skills to MLS coaching staffs in advance of the league’s SuperDraft.

“It’s an opportunity to coach players who are getting ready to enter the professional level,” says Collings, who completed his sixth year at the SPU helm and has taken his team to the past three NCAA tournaments. “Just to be around that environment and see what those players are able to do, and just to be part of a really special time for them in their careers, is awesome.”