Navy women’s soccer adds Mike Melton to coaching staff

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Via U.S. Naval Academy) – Navy women’s soccer head coach Carin Gabarra announced on Thursday that Mike Melton had recently joined the program as an assistant coach. With nine seasons of Division I collegiate coaching under his belt, Melton comes to Annapolis most recently from Mercer University.

“We are all happy and honored to welcome Mike Melton to the Navy family and Annapolis community,” said Gabarra. “We are excited to bring in a coach with the recruiting and training background that Mike has. He understands the commitment of a student athlete at Navy. His values align with the Academy and our program, and we expect a seamless transition.”

“I would like to thank Chet Gladchuk and Carin Gabarra for their confidence placed in me to join the Naval Academy Family,” remarked Melton. “This is a dream job for me and an exceptional opportunity for my family. Navy has incredible athletic support and to get the opportunity to work with great student athletes and future leaders of our country is just one of the many things that makes this a special place. I cannot wait to get out on the field with our team and help build on the legacy of the Navy Women’s Soccer program.”

Melton has built up a strong coaching resume at the Division I ranks and takes his experience up the East Coast from Mercer University in Macon, Ga.. While an assistant with the Bears during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Melton served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and assistant camp director while also overseeing academic progress and player development, including video scouting analysis and on-the-field training sessions. In competition, Melton and the Bears collected 19 victories over his two season on staff and saw six players earned postseason SoCon awards.

In addition to his time at Mercer, Melton was involved as the southeast scout for the U.S. youth women’s national teams, with main focus on the U14 and U16 age groups. Along with his duties with the national team, Melton was involved with the Region III ODP and served as the head coach of the 2002 Georgia State ODP Team. He was heavily involved in coaching education and currently holds a USSF “A” license. Additionally, Melton is an instructor of USSF “E” and “D” licenses.

Prior to Mercer, Melton was on staff at Xavier University, where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Musketeers from 2014 through 2016. As part of his responsibilities with Xavier, Melton served as the recruiting coordinator for Xavier. He also oversaw academic progress as the team recorded a GPA of 3.5 or higher for five semesters.

Melton’s first stop in the SoCon Conference came in 2013 when he was an assistant coach Samford University. Melton helped lead the Bulldogs to a 13-6-2 record. He assisted in on-field training, creating scouting reports and overseeing team travel. Melton also served as a staff coach at Birmingham United Soccer Association.

Prior to his time at Samford, Melton was a graduate assistant coach at Ole Miss for two seasons, with main duties of video analysis and camp coordinator. While in graduate school, Melton was also the varsity boy’s soccer coach at Oxford High School for two seasons, helping guide the team to a 2013 5A State Championship. As an undergrad, Melton served as the women’s soccer video coordinator at Ole Miss from 2009-2011.

Melton earned a bachelor’s degree in applied science from the University of Mississippi in 2011 and a masters in recreation administration in 2013. Melton and his wife Lauren currently reside in Annapolis.