Zack Walters will be entering his fourth season as the head coach of Thiel College’s men’s soccer team in fall of 2023. Named Head Coach in January of 2021, Walters served as the assistant coach under Killian Riley during the 2019 season.

In his first season with the program, the team earned the College Team Academic Award by United Soccer Coaches for the first time. The team went on to earn this recognition again in his second season.

Walters has grown the team to be the largest in program history; increasing retention, GPA, and adding a Reserve Team schedule. Walters has mentored 5 All-PAC performers as Head Coach, with Jonah Lentz being only the third player in program history to receive All-PAC honors in each of his first two seasons. In 2022, Brock Newsome and Cade Wolfe were recognized as Academic All-District First Team selections by the College Sports Communicators (CSC). They were the first two players to receive this recognition in the history of the program.

A 2018 graduate of Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) member Westminster College, he was a 4-year starter and a 2-year co-captain for the Titans. Walters scored 12 goals and handed out 10 assists for a total of 34 points during his collegiate career. He was a two-time All-PAC selection, including Second Team accolades in 2017. In 2020, Walters was named to the Westminster All-Decade (2010-2019) Second Team.

In 2015, he was a member of the Titans team that won the PAC title and advanced the NCAA Division III Tournament. During their championship run, Walters scored a game winner against #2 nationally ranked Thomas More. The goal received national media attention. Serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Westminster in 2018, Walters once again helped lead the Titans to another PAC championship and appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

A native of Hermitage, Pa. and graduate of Hickory High School, Walters graduated Magna Cum Laude from Westminster College in 2018. He earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Administration and Sports Management. As an undergraduate, Walters was named to the Dean’s List every semester and qualified for the PAC Academic Honor Roll four times. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from Westminster College in 2020. Walters earned his National D License from U.S. Soccer in 2022.

Walters has extensive experience at the club level. Since 2017, Walters has been the Head Coach for u16 & u18 Boys at LC Select. In 2021, Walters took over as the Director of Coaching for LC Select. 

Walters holds a variety of roles at Thiel College, including Admissions-Athletics Liaison, SAAC Advisor, Ski Club Advisor, and Adjunct Professor.