EMORY, Va. – Emory & Henry College Head Men's Soccer Coach Nathan Kish has announced the addition of Nate Whitehurst to his staff. Whitehurst will assist in the day-to-day operations of the Wasps' men's soccer program and will also carry out the duties of scouting opponents and assisting in team training sessions.

"We are very happy to have Coach Whitehurst join our staff," said Kish. "He has a solid coaching background working with Abingdon High School and Fusion Football Club, and he has played at a high level.  Nate reads the game very well and he knows how to relate to players individually and as a group."

Whitehurst has been a head high school coach in Washington County for the past three seasons. In 2009, he was the head coach for both the boy's and girl's soccer teams at Patrick Henry High School. Since 2010 has been head coach of the Abingdon High School boy's varsity team and has worked with Fusion Football Club.

"He has managed players and situations on his own and his coaching perspectives will provide great insight to our program," Kish added. "Coach Whitehurst is familiar with the local community and he knows the surrounding areas very well.  His background in the area will be a tremendous asset to our program."

The Manteo, N.C. native attended Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C. where he was a four-year letterwinner in men's soccer. Whitehurst holds the L-R record for points in a match with nine (three goals, three assists) and led the team in goals and points as a freshman and assists and points as a sophomore.

The 2006 Bears won the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Division II tournament with a 19-1-1 record.

"I am very excited to be here at Emory & Henry. From living in the area for the last few years I have been to several Wasp games as a spectator," said Whitehurst. "The college has a great environment and facilities, and the team has a lot of the pieces in place for improvement. Through coaching locally at Abingdon High School, I know that the region has quality soccer players that can be good a source for recruiting."

Whitehurst graduated from Lenior-Rhyne in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Management and completed his Master of Arts degree in Kinesiology and Sport Studies from East Tennessee State University in 2011. Whitehurst also holds a Tennessee Youth Soccer E Coaching License and a NSCAA National Diploma.

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