Markus Bathelt assumed the role of Head Men’s Soccer Coach in 2024. Before that, he was an Assistant Coach under Jess Semnacher for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Coach Markus came to Principia after 11 seasons as Head Women’s Soccer Coach and Physical Education Instructor at Chabot College in Hayward, California. While leading the Chabot program, he helped and supported numerous of his players to transfer and receive degrees from CSUs such as East Bay, San Jose and Monterey as well as through various UC system schools such as Berkeley, Davis, Santa Barbara and San Diego. Additionally at Chabot College, he took on the role as Assistant Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach in 2014 and held it until he left California in the summer of 2022.

Prior to his time at Chabot College, he had moved back to his native country of Germany in 2009 to commit himself to a Sports Agency as a scout, recruiter, and strength and conditioning coach for professional soccer players. Since those years, he has continuously mentored and coached several former US youth national and professional soccer players while enhancing his ability to recruit through his international and national soccer networks in Germany and the United States.

Before he left on his professional stint to Germany, he had just led the Girls’ Soccer program of Kamehameha High School on Maui in the state of Hawaii to their first ever Maui Championship in 2008. He was voted as "Coach of the Year" by his peer coaches of the Maui Interscholastic League for his successful season with a distinct 15-1 record which qualified the girls’ program also for their first State Cup appearance in Kamehameha Maui history.

In the summer of 2007, he received his Master of Science degree in Kinesiology from CSU East Bay in Hayward, California. While he pursued his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis on Physical Education Teaching, he became an Assistant Coach for the Men's Soccer program of CSU Hayward in 2004-05 under long-time Head Coach, Jair Fory. Before he transferred to CSU, he was a student at Chabot College while competing as a student-athlete for the swimming and cross country programs. During those years, he also coached various boys' and girls' soccer programs at Castro Valley, Emery, Urban and Lick-Wilmerding High Schools.

During his various coaching roles at the collegiate, high school and club levels, Markus' focus has always been to educate, excite and share his experience and knowledge with the numerous young players that he had the opportunity to work with. All of his assignments as educator, mentor, assistant and head coach have always taken place in culturally-rich and very diverse environments in which he taught sound fundamentals in sport development and engagement, while always positively promoting the physical, intellectual, and social growth of his student-athletes in preparing them to a life of purpose and service as engaged citizens.

Markus played competitively in the German Football system in and near his hometown of Frankfurt, Germany, where he began to play at the age of 7 until he relocated to the Bay Area in the mid 90’s. Soon thereafter, he decided to go back to College for a career in physical education where along the way he met his own mentors Ken Grace, former Track & Field Head Coach at Chabot College, and Rita Liberti, Kinesiology Humanities professor at CSU East Bay, who not only ignited but further nourished his passion, philosophy and positive energy for coaching, teaching and mentoring young athletes of all levels.

Markus lives in Edwardsville with his wife Polymnia, an Endodontist and Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Curriculum Vitae

Markus Bathelt CV