Four new head coaches to lead soccer, swimming, baseball

There will be lots of introductions happening in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford's Richard E. and Ruth McDowell Sport and Fitness Center this fall as four new coaches take up residence.

Newly hired are head coaches Doug Alban, swimming; Marquis Walker, women's soccer; and Nathan Whitehurst, men's soccer. Former Panthers diamond standout, admissions counselor and assistant baseball coach Zach Foster is the new head coach of the baseball team, taking the reins from Bret Butler, who became the university's athletic director earlier this year.

“This is a unique situation, where we have four brand new head coaches coming on board at the same time,” said Bret Butler, athletic director. “All four have very solid background in their sport, which will benefit their student athletes tremendously.

“They will also be bringing with them their individual styles and a spirit of enthusiasm that will add energy and excitement to the athletic department and the university. It is an exciting time for our department.”

Alban takes the place of beloved swim coach Ed Bahan, who died unexpectedly during the 2015-16 season. He arrives after serving five years as an assistant swimming and diving coach at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.

With the Tigers, Alban helped coach five swimmers to the NCAA Division III championships, five honorable mention All-Americans and one All-American. During his time there, the Sewanee swim program established 19 school records, and he earned Collegeswimming.com Assistant Coach of the Year Honorable Mention recognition in 2013.

A master's swimmer and triathlon athlete in his own right, Alban swam as an undergraduate for Division I Loyola College in Maryland.

Walker's resume spans several levels of soccer, including seven seasons as head coach at Division II Malone University in Canton, Ohio.

Most recently, he was the head girls' soccer coach at Hudson (Ohio) High School, which finished the 2015 season ranked No. 7 in the state with a record of 15-2-2. Prior to that, he was an assistant head coach for the Cleveland Royals in the men's National Premier Soccer League, where his primary focus was on attacking and patterns of play for the team of college-age players from NCAA Division I and II schools.

The new men's head soccer coach, Nathan Whitehurst, comes from Allegheny College, where he had served as an assistant coach since 2012.

At Allegheny, Whitehurst helped coach 11 North Coast Athletic Conference all-conference players and was responsible for much of the team's recruiting. While specializing with the goalkeepers, his duties also included game-film analysis, travel arrangements, and assisting with the team fitness and training sessions.

Prior to coaching at Allegheny, Whitehurst served as assistant coach at Emory and Henry College, an NCAA Division III institution in Emory, Va. There his role included assisting with the day-to-day operations of the program along with scouting opponents and providing training for the athletes on the team.

Bradford native Foster is well known to Bradfordians, alumni and those in the baseball community. A former star pitcher for the Panthers from 2005-08 under Butler, he was the first Pitt-Bradford player drafted to play professional baseball.

After playing six years of professional baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, he became the strength and conditioning coach and pitching coach at Pitt-Bradford and served as the top assistant on this spring's Panthers team that reached the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference playoffs.