The 2026 season will mark Lewis Wilcox’s eighth year with the UCCS men’s soccer program and his sixth as the head coach. After serving as an assistant coach for two seasons, he was appointed as the interim head coach of the program for the 2021 season before having the interim tag removed and being named the full-time head coach on November 24, 2021.
In his first five seasons at the helm of the men’s soccer program, Wilcox has guided the Mountain Lions to a 55-28-19 overall record while coaching the team four straight appearances in the RMAC Tournament, including the program’s first conference regular season and tournament championships. UCCS has also enjoyed unprecedented success on the national stage under Wilcox’s leadership, earning three straight NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament berths and winning their first two national tournament matches in program history. Throughout Wilcox’s tenure, UCCS student-athletes have collected 25 All-RMAC honors, including 11 first team accolades, 11 second team selections, and three honorable mentions. In addition, Wilcox has coached a quartet of RMAC major award winners, including the 2021 RMAC Player of the Year in Alex Andersson, the 2022 Co-Freshman of the Year in Matteo Moreno Madrid, the 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year in Soren Russell, and the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year in Luke Noameshie. The Mountain Lions have been well-represented at the regional and national levels during his time at the head of the program, securing 13 D2CCA All-Region honors, six United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades, and two D2CCA All-Americans (Alex Andersson – 2021 First Team, Dani Barajas - 2024 Second Team). In addition, UCCS men’s soccer has flourished academically with the leadership of Wilcox, securing eight RMAC All-Academic First Team honors, nine College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District accolades, and three CSC Academic All-America award (Kolby Raineri – 2022 Third Team, Miles Seminario - 2024 Second Team, 2025 Third Team). Finally, Wilcox played an instrumental role in helping standout alumni Alex Andersson sign a contract at the professional level with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC of the USL Championship.
Wilcox’s fifth season leading the UCCS men’s soccer team proved to be a historic one as the Mountain Lions posted a 12-6-5 overall record and a conference record of 7-2-1, clinching the program’s first regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Tournament, UCCS defeated Westminster University in the semifinals and Metropolitan State University Denver in the championship match to claim its first conference tournament title and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. The Mountain Lions’ historic run continued on the national stage as the squad defeated Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament, respectively, securing the first two NCAA Tournament victories in program history and advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time. Following the season, the Mountain Lions earned widespread conference and regional recognition, garnering six All-RMAC honors, three D2CCA All-Region accolades, and three United Soccer Coaches All-Region awards in addition to Luke Noameshie being tabbed as the programs first RMAC Defensive Player of the Year since the 2016 season.
The Mountain Lions continued their upward progression in Wilcox's fourth season at the controls as the squad finished the campaign with the best overall record in program history, going 14-3-4 with a conference record of 6-1-3. UCCS made the conference tournament semifinal game for the third straight season and the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament for the second straight year, earning a program-best No. 3 seed in Super Region 4 and earning the right to host the first NCAA playoff game in UCCS men's soccer history. The Mountain Lions spent nearly the entire campaign ranked inside the top five of the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings, rising as high as No. 3 in the Week 9 edition that was released on Nov. 5, 2024. UCCS heavily recognized at the conference, regional, and national levels following their outstanding campaign, collecting six All-RMAC honors and two D2CCA All-Region accolades in addition to Barajas' D2CCA Second Team All-America nod.
Wilcox brought the men’s soccer program to new heights in his third season as he led the team to their first ever selection to the national tournament after recording a 10-6-5 overall record and making a repeat trip to the RMAC semifinal game. The Mountain Lions opened the 2023 season with three consecutive victories and a road draw against then No. 3 St. Mary’s University, which propelled the program to their second-highest national ranking all-time at No. 14 in the Week 2 United Soccer Coaches Poll. Along with their postseason accomplishments, UCCS collected four All-RMAC honors, two D2CCA All-Region accolades, and one United Soccer Coaches All-Region award.
In his second season at the helm of the UCCS men’s soccer program in 2022, Wilcox coached the Mountain Lions to one of the most successful seasons in team history as they posted an 11-5-4 overall record and made a run to the conference semifinal game. With the fourth-best winning percentage in team history at .650 and a program-best 12-game unbeaten streak dating from Sept. 3 through Oct. 13, UCCS made their way into the top-25 of the United Soccer Coaches National Rankings for the first time since the 1999 season with a No. 17 ranking on Oct. 11. Statistically, Wilcox’s squad finished the campaign ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the RMAC and the entire nation as they posted the sixth-lowest GAA (0.65) in the country while notching nine clean sheets and limiting opponents to just 4.35 shots on goal per game. On the offensive end of the ball, UCCS ranked among the top three teams in the RMAC for nearly every offensive category as they led the conference with 18.6 shots per game and ranked third with 42 total goals, 114 total points, 30 total assists, and 7.3 shots on goal per game. The Mountain Lions wrapped the 2022 campaign with a bevy of awards, earning six All-RMAC selections, four D2CCA All-Region honors, and two United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades for their success on the field while also placing nine student-athletes on the RMAC All-Academic Team, three on the CSC Academic All-District Team, and one on the CSC Academic All-America Third Team.
Wilcox took over as the interim head coach of the men’s soccer team prior to the start of the 2021 fall season after spending the previous two seasons in an assistant coach role with the Mountain Lions. In his first season at the head of the program, Wilcox led the Mountain Lions to their best finish since 2018 with an 8-8-1 overall record. Under his supervision, UCCS excelled both on and off the pitch as the team received three All-RMAC selections, two D2CCA All-Region accolades and ten RMAC All-Academic honors. Wilcox also helped forward Alex Andersson reach new heights during his second year in the black and gold as the native of Helsingborg, Sweden, recorded 12 goals and two assists in just ten games played to be named the RMAC Player of the Year and earn First Team All-America honors.
A native of Cardiff, Wales, Wilcox came to UCCS from Briar Cliff University where he was the Head Men’s Soccer Coach since 2017. Wilcox oversaw all aspects of the program and tallied an impressive 22-13-3 record across two seasons. The program also had their highest finish in school history for the 2018 season with Wilcox at the helm.
Before Briar Cliff, Wilcox was the Men’s Soccer Assistant Coach for his Alma Mater, Midland University, for three years (2014-17). As an assistant coach, the Midland University program saw success as he helped with recruiting, leading the goalkeepers, and assisting with practice planning. Wilcox helped Midland towards a 43-16-4 overall record during his three years as they made their first ever final site appearance in the 2016 NAIA National Tournament.
From 2016-17, Wilcox expanded his coaching experience through Sporting Omaha FC where he was appointed as Director of Goalkeeping. Wilcox planned and ran goalkeeping sessions and camps, while he also developed and edited club goalkeeping curriculum as he provided individual and team goalkeeper assessments.
As a player, Wilcox played at Midland University from 2011-2014 where he earned accolades such as All-Conference, All-Nebraska, and All-Region as a goalkeeper. In 2013, his team was crowned GPAC Champions as he went on to post the most shutouts in the nation during the 2013 season and finished his collegiate career with the All-Time School shutout record. In addition to his playing experience, Wilcox spent time with the Welsh League Division I Ely Rangers AFC and the Las Vegas Mobsters.
Wilcox earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Midland University in 2014, and a BTEC National Diploma in Business from Coleg Glan Hafren in 2010. In addition, Wilcox holds a US Soccer C License, United Soccer Coaches Level 3 Goalkeeping License, and is currently taking courses through the Football Association of Wales.
