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US Merchant Marine Academy

US Merchant Marine Academy Athletics
 O'Hara Hall - 300 Steamboat Road Kings Point, NY 11024
Division 3 New York Northeast
Public Very Small National competitor
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Coaches

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Drew McCarthy

Drew McCarthy has served as the head coach of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's soccer team since the 2018 season. In his first year on the job he led the team to the Conference Championship game and has made the Conference Tournament in every season. The Mariners finally captured the 2022 Skyline Conference Championship at home. McCarthy has coached 11 All-Conference Players and two Defensive Players of the Year since taking the helm. He was also named the Academy's Coach Omeltchenko Coach of the Year following the 2022-23 seasons.


McCarthy is no stranger to coaching at the Division III level and, in particular, in the Skyline Conference. He served as the head coach at SUNY Maritime College for six seasons (2003-04 and 2009-12), with an additional two-year stint as the Privateers' assistant coach in between those two tenures (2007-08).


In the 2010 season, McCarthy guided the team to its first ever regular season championship and then captured its first ever Skyline Conference Championship, gaining the school’s first ever NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in any sport. As a result, McCarthy was named as the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year.


The 2011 season marked the best soccer season in the college’s history. The team repeated as Skyline Conference Champions, gaining their second straight automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. 14 wins in a season surpassed the previous college record of 13 wins accomplished in 2010.


Coach McCarthy graduated SUNY Maritime College in 1996 with a B.S. in Marine Transportation and a Third Mates License. While at Maritime McCarthy was a four-year starter on both the soccer and basketball teams. Earning All-Conference honors in each sport, in each of his four years. He was named, in both sports, the Most Valuable Player in his senior year and led the soccer team to the Conference Title in 1995. He was also named the Maritime College Most Outstanding Athlete for the 1995-1996 academic year.


After graduating from Maritime College McCarthy was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy and served on active duty from 1996 to 2000. He was a surface warfare officer and served on combatant ships as the Combat Information Center Officer and Operations Officer. After being released from active duty, McCarthy sailed for a year and a half as a third mate on a break bulk ship for the Overseas Shipholding Group. He returned to his alma mater in 2002 and worked there for 10 years before leaving for USMMA in 2012. McCarthy earned a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Stony Brook University in 2018.


McCarthy currently serves as USMMA's Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen; a role he was promoted to in 2017. He lives at the Academy with his wife Elizabeth and their three children Jack, Quinn and Megan.

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Daniel Gwyther

Daniel Gwyther joined USMMA head men’s soccer coach Andrew McCarthy's staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2020 season.


“Daniel is a tremendous addition to our program,” said McCarthy. “The team and I are overjoyed with his decision to come onboard. We know him well from his head and assistant coaching experiences within the Skyline Conference, and his passion and dedication to his teams and the sport have always been evident. His experience as a coach and Division I player make him the ideal candidate to help us propel USMMA Soccer. His knowledge of the rigors of our Regimental program and the maritime industry make him uniquely qualified to recruit young men looking to serve the nation. I am excited to welcome Dan and his family to the USMMA Community.”


Gwyther came to USMMA after spending the previous six years as the head coach at Skyline Conference rival SUNY Maritime. He was also an assistant coach for Maritime for the 2013 season. In 2019, the Privateers reached the Skyline Tournament as the #6 seed and upset the #3, #2 and #1 seeds on the road to win the Skyline title and earn the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011 (when McCarthy brought Maritime to its second-straight Skyline championship and NCAA Tourney appearance).


While at Maritime, Gwyther was named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in 2018, while also mentoring a 2016 Skyline Co-Rookie of the Year and a total of 18 All-Skyline selections over seven seasons. The Privateers also competed in the ECAC Championships in both 2017 and 2018. He compiled a 67-47-6 overall record in six years as the head coach.


Gwyther was a standout player at the Division I level for the University at Buffalo, recording seven goals and six assists in his career. While there, Gwyther was two-year captain and earned two MVP awards as well as being an All-Region and a three-time All-Conference & All-Tournament Team selection.


He helped the program to its most successful period in school history, compiling a record of 46-16-10 in his four seasons (2005-08). Several of his playing career highlights included two trips to the Mid-American Conference Championship Game as well as the program’s first national ranking.


Upon completion of his collegiate career, Gwyther was entered in to the 2009 Major League Soccer Draft and was selected to train with D.C. United.


Professionally, Gwyther has represented English sides Watford F.C. and Barnet F.C. and is currently a player/coach for the Long Island Rough Riders of the USL League 2. During his nine seasons with the Rough Riders, the club has secured four U.S. Open Cup births and several postseason appearances, including one Mid-Atlantic Conference title, two East Coast Championships and one Final Four.


In the Rough Riders’ offseason, Gwyther is a player/coach for the New York Rovers of the LISL, leading the club to a League title in his first season. Prior to joining the Rovers, he played eight seasons for the New York Greek Americans – one of the most historical and successful clubs in U.S. Soccer history, where he led the club to one CSL League title, three ENYSSA League Cups, two New York State Cups, three Eastern Region Championships and one USASA National Championship.


Also active in youth soccer, Gwyther is currently the head coach for the Under-18 Boys Massapequa S.C., which competes in the EDP Premier League, and has guided them to one ENY State Cup Final appearance and two regional championship appearances in 2018 and 2019.


Gwyther is also a coach for New York City Football Club and assists with their Talent Centers in Nassau County identifying the top U8-U12 youth players who have the potential to join the clubs prestigious MLS academy program.


A staff member for the Boys Eastern New York Olympic Development Program, he is currently Head Coach for the 2005 boys age group, having previously served as an assistant for the 2000 boys program where he helped guide the team to the Region One championship game in 2017.


“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Coach McCarthy and be part of the Men’s Soccer program, wider campus community and overall mission of USMMA,” said Gwyther. “Along with Coach McCarthy, I would also like to thank Athletic Director Mr. Kristofer Schnatz and the entire administration at the Academy for their professionalism during this process. Coach McCarthy's values on and off the field mirror my own, and his vision for the direction and success of the program is something I am keen to be a part of.


“The student athletes at USMMA are of a special caliber, who possess qualities and attributes of the highest order. I am looking forward to building relationships with each team member as we work together in the collective annual goal of competing for a Skyline Championship - Go Mariners!”


A native of London, England, Gwyther graduated Buffalo with a Bachelor’s in Economics and earned his Master’s Degree from the University of Cambridge in 2010. He holds a UEFA B I Coaching License, an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and the NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma.


Gwyther is married to his wife Melissa and resides in Bellmore, N.Y. with his son Noah and two daughters Briar & Emerson.

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