Nathan Cline has been a part of some of the most successful boys soccer seasons in Columbus East history the past nine years, and now, Cline will have a chance to lead the program.
Cline was named the Olympians’ head coach Friday. He succeeds Sam LaVelle, who led East to Hoosier Hills Conference titles in both of his seasons as its head coach.
“Obviously, I’ve been involved in the program,” Cline said. “I always wanted to consider taking the head coaching job, and I’m really excited to do it now. I’m just looking to build and develop the next group of kids.”
Cline played soccer for the Olympians, graduating in 1999. He then played four years at Earlham College, where he was his team’s Defensive MVP and a three-time All-Conference player.
In 2005, Cline returned to Columbus and began coaching youth soccer. He joined the East staff an an assistant in 2017 and helped guide the Olympians to four sectional championships and the 2019 regional title and state final four appearance.
“Nathan understands what it means to be an Olympian,” East athletics director David Miller said in a news release. “He’s invested in our kids, our culture and our community. His experience and credibility within the program make him the right person to lead us forward.”
Cline, who owns Center Line Precision Technology in Edinburgh, takes over a team that went 10-6-1, including 6-0 in the HHC.
“We lost some seniors last year that are going to be hard to replace, but that’s the nature of a strong team,” Cline said. “We’re going to have to develop some of those younger kids to move into those positions and be ready to go.”
