COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Associate Head Coach, Cornell University (2024-current)
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2022-current)
• Associate Head Coach, Chowan University (2021-22)
• Assistant Coach, Chowan University (2018-21)
EDUCATION
• B.A., Criminal Justice, Lees-McRae (2012)
• M.S., Organizational Leadership, Chowan University (2022)
AT CORNELL
Luke Staats enters his third season as Cornell's Associate Head Coach in 2026, capping four years on the Big Red staff that began in 2022 as an assistant coach. During that stretch, Cornell has posted three 10-win seasons, reached the NCAA Tournament three times, and made the program's first two appearances in the Ivy League Tournament — including a run to the 2025 championship game.
Staats' first season on staff in 2022 was a standout one, as the Big Red posted its fourth consecutive 10-win season and registered a .763 win percentage on a 14-4-1 overall record. In Ivy League play, Cornell finished in second place for a second consecutive season after going 5-1-1 in Ancient Eight play. Offense was the Big Red's strong suit — the team set program records in assists (40) and points (120), while its 40 goals marked just the fourth time in program history Cornell had reached that plateau, joining the 1971, 1995 and 2012 squads.
Cornell backed up its offensive success with a stingy defense, allowing just 1.01 goals per game and helping freshman Ryan Friedberg earn Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors — the fourth first-year goalkeeper to win the league's top newcomer award. That defense powered Cornell to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012, where the Big Red beat Maryland, 2-1, in a second-round match at Berman Field behind a two-goal game from then-sophomore Danny Lokko, before falling to Syracuse, 1-0, in the third round. Seven Big Red players earned All-Ivy honors that season, including first-teamers Connor Drought, Emeka Eneli and Brandon Morales.
In 2023, Staats helped develop a Cornell roster stocked with young talent, none brighter than freshman forward Alex Harris. Harris earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors after setting Cornell's freshman records for points, goals and assists and cracking the program's all-time top 10 in career goals. Five Big Red players earned All-Ivy recognition, led by first-teamers Harris, Connor Miller and Connor Drought, along with second-teamer Wilson Eisner and honorable mention Kisa Kiingi.
Staats moved into the Associate Head Coach role in 2024, and the Big Red took an exceptional leap forward, clinching the program's first-ever Ivy League Tournament berth and winning its NCAA Tournament opener over Fordham at Berman Field before advancing to the second round. Staats played a key role in developing two All-Americans that season in Alex Harris and Connor Miller, who paired with five First Team All-Ivy honorees. Harris capped his Cornell career as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and the fourth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids — the highest selection in Ivy League history. Forward Alioune Ka (Nashville SC, Round 2, Pick 36) and defender Andrew Johnson (Charlotte FC, Round 2, Pick 47) joined Harris as 2025 MLS SuperDraft picks, giving Cornell three players drafted in the same class.
Cornell built on that success in 2025, matching its program-best win total at 14-4-2 (5-1-1 Ivy, second place) and advancing to the Ivy League Tournament championship game for the first time in program history. The Big Red returned to the NCAA Tournament and opened with a 4-0 win over Lafayette before a hard-fought 3-1 loss at No. 13 UConn in the second round, finishing 7-1-1 at home. Connor Miller earned first-team All-Ivy and third-team All-American honors, joined on the All-Ivy first team by Andrew Johnson and Westin Carnevale, as Cornell notched its sixth 10-win season in the past seven years.
PRIOR TO CORNELL
Staats arrives on East Hill after a four-year tenure at Chowan University, serving as an assistant and associate head coach.
In 2021, his first season as associate head coach, Staats helped lead the Hawks to a historic season. The program posted its most wins in Division II history (13-4-2), along with a number of firsts: a Conference Carolinas Tournament championship, NCAA Tournament bid, NCAA tournament win and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, as well as its highest final national ranking (No. 14).
Chowan went 7-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the conference en route to a fourth straight Conference Carolinas semifinals appearance during the COVID-rescheduled spring 2021 season. Staats would assist in the development of five Conference Carolinas all-conference selections. In 2019, he helped lead the program to an 11-5-1 overall record and 8-1-1 to help earn the conference's regular season title, the first in program history. During his first season with the Hawks, Staats helped the program to an 11-4-2 overall record and 7-3-0 mark in Conference Carolinas play and the program's first-ever appearance in the Conference Carolinas Championship Final.
In four seasons in Murfreesboro, N.C., Staats helped Chowan to a 42-15-6 overall record, including a 28-6-3 league mark.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Staats played professionally in the Netherlands for SV Spakenburg and FC Volendam as a defender. He is still active as a player within a USL League Two summer league at Lionsbridge FC in Newport News, Va.
Staats played four seasons of soccer at Lees-McRae (2008-12). He guided the team to three conference regular season and tournament titles, four straight NCAA Appearances, two trips to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 and a national championship finalist appearance. His efforts named him an All-America and all-region nod, as well as three-time all-conference accolades.
PERSONAL
A native of Almere, the Netherlands, Staats earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Lees-McRae in 2012 and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Chowan in 2022.
