Jeff Bateson '98 enters the Alma College Hall of Fame as one of the most recognized men's soccer athletes in school history. He was team captain of the 1996 (2nd place MIAA) and 1997 (MIAA Champions) teams, the latter advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Bateson was named MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1997 and was a two-time All-MIAA First Team selection (1996 and 1997). He was Second Team All-MIAA in 1995 after being Honorable Mention in his 1994 freshman season. He was twice named MIAA Player of the Week - 1996 after week two and 1997 after week three. His 16 total points during the 1997 league season is tied for third all-time on the MIAA list.
In 1997, Bateson earned NSCAA All-American recognition and was also named to the NSCAA All-Region First Team that same year. Additionally, he was NSCAA All-Region Second Team following the 1996 campaign.
His name is displayed prominently in the Alma College record book after his four seasons. His 68 career points rank fifth all-time for the Scots, while his 18 assists during his days in Alma are fifth all-time. He is sixth on the all-time list in career goals with 25 and his nine goals in 1994 tie for eighth-most in school history.
Upon graduation, Bateson parlayed his college success into a professional career and entered the college coaching ranks. He played with the Premier Development League?s Mid-Michigan Bucks (1997-98) and Colorado Comets (1999-2000) before devoting himself fully to coaching.
Bateson spent two seasons as the head men's soccer coach at Tri-State University (now Trine University), in Angola, Ind.
Five of his student-athletes garnered honorable mention All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) recognition and three were named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. Bateson also advised Tri-State's Student- Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and taught in the school's Health, Physical Education and Sport Management departments
Bateson spent 1998 and 1999 assisting his college mentor, Scott Frey, at Alma. The Scots went 30-9-3 with two NCAA Tournament trips in that time and reached the 1999 NCAA Division III semifinals.
He followed Frey as head coach and his teams compiled an overall record of 34-38-5, including 25-18-5 in the MIAA. The .572 winning percentage in the league is second-best in school history for a coach. The 8-2-2 league mark in 2000 was good for second place in the MIAA.
He is currently head coach at Guilford College (NC), where he joined the athletics staff in March 2006 and recently completed his sixth season as the Quakers' first full-time head men's soccer coach
Bateson, who earned his master's degree in athletic administration from Central Michigan University in 2009, teaches in Guilford's Sport Studies department and also instructs first-year experience courses.
Bateson earned his Premier coaching diploma from the NSCAA in 2006 and has worked with the Citadel Futbol Club in Indiana. He was an assistant coach with the Carolina Dynamo in the United States Soccer League's Premier Development League in 2010 and has served as the boys' director of coaching for the Guilford United F.C.
He and his wife, Kristy, reside in High Point, N.C., with their daughters, Halena and Neala.
