Lake Forest College's Chris Bergmann announced his resignation as the Foresters' head men's soccer coach on Friday to become the head women's soccer coach at Virginia Military Institute.
Bergmann came to Lake Forest in 2009 and took over a team with a 4-13-1 record the prior season. He led the Foresters to a 67-41-7 overall record and a 37-15-5 mark in Midwest Conference play during his six seasons at the College. Lake Forest qualified for the four-team conference tournament each of the last four years and hosted the event after claiming MWC championships in 2012 and 2013. Additionally, Lake Forest earned a home game in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Foresters have recorded four of the top seven single-season victory totals in program history during his tenure.
Bergmann was named MWC Coach of the Year after the 2012 and 2013 seasons and his players combined to earn 21 All-MWC honors under his direction. They have tallied 29 Academic All-MWC honors in his first five seasons as head coach (2014 honorees will not be announced until next summer), including a program record 10 in 2013. Highlighting his players' individual achievements off the field was the 2013 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year® honor and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship earned by 2014 graduate and three-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year Mahir Mameledzija. In addition, Lake Forest adopted a new team member, six-year-old Lucas Barragan, this fall through Team IMPACT and recently received the Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for its combined grade point average during the 2013-14 academic year.
"The men's soccer program at the College has made great strides during Coach Bergmann's six years as head coach," began Lake Forest College Director of Athletics Jackie Slaats. "In addition to all the victories and a pair of conference championships on the field, the team's performance in the classroom and contributions to our campus community have also been excellent. The program as a whole is in a very good place and I am both proud and thankful for the contributions Chris and his wife Kelly have made to the Forester athletic family and campus community."
"Lake Forest College will always have a special place in my heart," stated Bergmann. "It is a fantastic school with amazing student athletes. The culture is strong with the Forester men's soccer program and I look forward to watching the team continue to thrive. I also am grateful to President Steve Schutt and Athletic Director Jackie Slaats for believing in me to lead the program here for the last six years. It has helped mold me as a coach and has prepared for my future."
