MACON – Dylan Gaither, who captained the Mercer men's soccer team on an unblemished run through the 2023 Southern Conference Tournament in November, has joined the staff as an assistant coach, head coach Brad Ruzzo announced Wednesday.

"I am really excited that Dylan will be joining our staff as an assistant coach," Ruzzo said. "I think that he deeply cares about the program, and certainly will go down as one of the best players in program history. Now, he gets to hone his craft in coaching, and I think he can connect with the current student-athletes and has the ultimate respect of the current team.

"His soccer knowledge and experience are on a high level, and I look forward to him working with our attacking players on a daily basis." 

Gaither appeared in 81 matches (75 starts) from 2019-23 and logged 82 career points on 30 goals and 22 assists He was a vital piece to MU's success over the last five seasons, included in which were three conference championships and a trio of NCAA appearances.

The two-time All-SoCon selection also earned a spot on both the 2021 and 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-Region squads. He started 20 matches as a first-year player in 2019 on the way to logging SoCon All-Freshman Team accolades as well.

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