ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After five months in the interim role, Eckerd College Director of Athletics Tom Ryan '87 has appointed Luke Sheekey '10 as Eckerd's head women's soccer coach.
"I'm thrilled to have Luke take over the program. He impressed us throughout the fall as he took over the team just before the season and made an immediate impact on our student-athletes," stated Ryan. "Luke's background, passion, and love for Eckerd have already led to growth for the women's soccer team, and I look forward to seeing what new heights the team can reach under his guidance."
This fall, Sheekey led the program to a 5-5-4 record with Eckerd's best finish in the SSC standings since 2017. He guided the team to an undefeated mark at home, the first time since at least 2002 the Tritons have gone undefeated at home.
Eckerd produced a 460-minute streak of holding their opponents scoreless, including four straight shutouts this fall. Both marks are the first in program history since at least 1997.
"I am extremely honored to be named head coach. I enjoyed my time this fall, and I am looking forward to building a program that will compete to win championships here at my alma mater," stated Sheekey '10. "I'd like to thank President Annarelli, Tom Ryan, Bill Mathews, Becky Clark, and all of the athletic staff for making me feel so welcome. I also have to thank my girlfriend Genevieve for all of her love and support. It feels great to be back at Eckerd, and I look forward to welcoming Genevieve and our husky Skye to St. Pete in the near future.
"I look forward to competing this fall and continuing to prosper academically here at our wonderful college. We already have many exciting commitments and some transfers who are already on campus this spring," added Sheekey '10.
Sheekey returned to his alma mater in August after spending two seasons as an assistant women's soccer coach at UNC Charlotte, where he helped lead the 49ers to the Conference USA Championships Finals in 2020-21.
Sheekey served as the head women's soccer coach at Delta State (Miss.) for four years, where he posted 25 victories while guiding the program to its first appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament in 2019. He also led the team to a program record for conference wins in 2019. In his first season with the Statesmen, the team scored 32 goals, ranking third in program history.
At DSU, Sheekey's team excelled off the field as they were a yearly fixture in the department's community service competition and his team recorded the highest GPA in the department in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
He also served as a graduate assistant coach at Delta State in 2012.
Sheekey had a standout career at Eckerd, appearing in 49 games with 43 goals, 18 assists, and 104 points, all ranking second in program history. He dished out 10 assists in 2008, setting a single-season record. He earned All-SSC First Team honors in 2008 and 2009 and garnered First Team D2CCA/Daktronics All-Region accolades in 2008 and NSCAA All-Region honors in 2008 and 2009.
Sheekey graduated from Eckerd in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in communications and obtained his master's degree in sports management from Delta State in 2012.
