GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jason Hamilton, who served as Mississippi State Associate Head Soccer Coach in 2017, has been named the fourth head coach in ECU women’s soccer history according to an announcement from director of athletics Jeff Compher on Monday.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Jason Hamilton as the new head coach of our women’s soccer program,” Compher said. “He brings with him a wealth of experience as a former player, head coach and assistant coach. His energy and competitiveness clearly made him stand out among a number of highly qualified candidates. I would also like to thank our internal committee and everyone involved in the search process.”

While at Mississippi State the Bulldogs had their best season in 16 years going 9-5-4 en route to their first winning season since 2012 and first top-50 RPI finish in program history. Three Bulldogs were named All-SEC for the first time, a program first, and Mallory Eubanks became State’s first SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Postseason honors continued to roll in as three Bulldogs were named National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region and goalkeeper Catalina Perez was named Third Team All-American by the NSCAA – the first all-American in Mississippi State’s 23-year history.

“I want to start off by thanking Jeff and Cathy Compher as well as Shelley Binegar for making my wife and I feel so welcome in Greenville,” Hamilton said. “Every single person I met on the search committee or during the process made this an easy decision for me. Who you work for and work with mean so much to me. The passion for East Carolina University that each person portrayed showed me how special of a place this is. I cannot wait to hit the ground running in January and couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity. Go Pirates!”

ECU will be Hamilton’s second head coaching position at the NCAA Division I level after guiding Troy (Ala.) University to a 37-19-5 record from 2014 to 2016. The Trojans set a program single-season record for wins with a 16-6 mark and a Sunbelt Conference Tournament runner-up finish in 2014, his first year at the helm. From 2014-15, his Trojans ranked among the top-20 in defense and earned back-to-back top-100 RPI rankings.

Hamilton began his collegiate coaching career at University of Miami (Fla.), where he served as the Hurricanes’ assistant coach from 2011-2013. During his time at UM, the Canes appeared in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2011 and 2012, and earned the highest GPA in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and highest in program history, in 2011.

He left Miami for the Boston Breakers of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) where he was an assistant coach in 2013. While with the Breakers, he coached NWSL Best XI Player Sydney Leroux and Second XI Player Lianne Sanderson.

Hamilton joined the University of Florida in 2013 where he helped the Gators to a SEC regular season championship and a NCAA Tournament second-round appearance. While in Gainesville, he created and implemented a curriculum for UF’s goalkeepers, while overseeing the team’s defense that set program records in shutouts (13) and goals against average (0.61).

As a player, Hamilton was a midfielder for Macomb College in Clinton Charter Township, Mich. The team advanced to the 2000 NJCAA Final Four with Hamilton earning a spot on the NJCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team. He was also an All-Conference First Team and All-Region Team selection.

Hamilton transferred to the University of Detroit Mercy and played goalkeeper during his sophomore and junior seasons. As a senior, Hamilton moved back onto the field and was a captain.

After graduation, Hamilton spent three seasons with the Windsor Border Stars in the Canadian Professional Soccer League and captured two Canada Cup titles.

Hamilton earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Detroit Mercy in 2005. He also has several diplomas and licenses from the NSCAA, the United States Soccer Federation and the United States Sports Academy.

A native of St. Clair Shores, Mich., Hamilton is married to the former Hannah Mason – a graduate of East Carolina University and native of Laurinburg, N.C.